CINCINNATI (AP) -- The turning point for the Tennessee Titans came in their very first game.

Down nine points in the fourth quarter of the season opener, the Titans were getting booed by the home crowd in their debut at Adelphia Coliseum. Cincinnati's Jeff Blake was running all over the field and the Bengals -- the NFL's worst team of the 1990s -- sensed an upset.

It didn't happen. The Titans pulled it out in the closing seconds, setting the tone for both teams. As they got set for their rematch Sunday, both thought about what might have happened if the opener had taken a different turn.

"It was our first time playing a game that counted in our stadium," linebacker Joe Bowden said. "Now we have a great record in our stadium. That's how we wanted to get started and get all that rolling."

The comeback win was a springboard for Tennessee (6-2), unbeaten in four home games and 5-1 in games decided by three or fewer points.

It all started in that fourth quarter, when Blake went to the sideline with cramps and his two rookie backups couldn't move the offense.

"There's no question it started the season off right," safety Blaine Bishop said. "We felt we were very fortunate to win the game. If Jeff hadn't cramped up, we felt they firmly had the momentum of the game."

The Bengals (1-8) also look back on that game and count it as a turning point. From that point on, nothing has gone right.

"If we would have won that game, it could have been a tempo-setter," linebacker Takeo Spikes said.

It set the opposite tempo -- expect the worst and wait for it to happen. Since that 36-35 loss in Tennessee, the Bengals have scored 20 points only once and lost six more games by an average of 23 points.

"Right now, I thought they'd be very competitive," Bishop said. "There's no way I thought they'd be 1-8 at this point. It's surprising, but those things happen."

No one will be surprised if they play another game like the first on Sunday. These two AFC Central teams have a history of wild games. The Titans like to blitz and Blake likes to throw deep and run. It's a combustible mix.

In the opener on Sept. 12, Blake threw for 182 yards and rushed for a career-high 90. The Titans didn't keep anyone at the line of scrimmage to keep tabs on Blake, and paid for it until cramps forced Blake out with nine minutes left.

"I think we'll take the same approach -- let him run, tire himself out like we did the first game," coach Jeff Fisher joked. "I remember saying something to him when he came out of bounds after his eighth or ninth run. I thought that was about enough and asked him to stop running and now throw the ball down the field and give us a chance."

Blake's counterpart also had a big game. Steve McNair threw for a career-high 341 yards and had a hand in four touchdowns, three passing, one rushing.

McNair later missed time because of surgery on a back disc. He hasn't fully recovered -- McNair threw a career-high three interceptions last Sunday in a 17-0 loss in Miami, his second game back.

"I thought he got better last week mechanically," Fisher said. "His footwork was better, his timing was better, his anticipation was better. He was out six weeks. He's getting better.

"Steve's our starter. We believe in him. He's the guy we built this team around. He's the guy we've had in the plan that's worked so far."

The Titans are approaching the rematch as another turning point. A victory would leave them 7-2, the franchise's best mark since 1991.

"We're 6-2 coming out of the (halfway) break. Let's start a new season and see what we can do," tight end Frank Wycheck said. "If we can match it and become 12-4, we'll get a good position in the playoffs."

The Bengals already have guaranteed themselves a ninth consecutive season without a winning record. They've lost 104 games in the decade, most in the NFL, are having trouble drawing fans and need an emotional lift as they close out their final season before moving into Paul Brown Stadium.

"I expect to win seven games. That's what I've told the coaches and the players," coach Bruce Coslet said. "We'd better buckle down and keep trying and keep getting better. That's what's expected."

TENNESSEE Season schedule and results

CINCINNATI Season schedule and results

September 12 Cincinnati W 36-35 September 19 Cleveland W 26-9 September 26 @Jacksonville W 20-19 October 3 @San Francisco L 22-24 October 10 Baltimore W 14-11 October 17 @New Orleans W 24-21 October 31 St. Louis W 24-21 November 7 @Miami L 0-17 November 14 @Cincinnati 1:00pm ET November 21 Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET November 28 @Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 5 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET December 9 Oakland 8:20pm ET December 19 Atlanta 1:00pm ET December 26 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET January 2 @Pittsburgh 4:15pm ET

September 12 @Tennessee L 35-36 September 19 San Diego L 7-34 September 26 @Carolina L 3-27 October 3 St. Louis L 10-38 October 10 @Cleveland W 18-17 October 17 Pittsburgh L 3-17 October 24 @Indianapolis L 10-31 October 31 Jacksonville L 10-41 November 7 @Seattle L 20-37 November 14 Tennessee 1:00pm ET November 21 Baltimore 4:05pm ET November 28 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET December 5 San Francisco 1:00pm ET December 12 Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 26 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET January 2 @Jacksonville 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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