NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The days of "Luv Ya Blue" are long gone, left behind in Houston along with the Astrodome. The name now is the Tennessee Titans, and no remnant of an oil derrick can be found around the franchise.

One thing hasn't changed. If the team formerly known as the Oilers wants to get to the playoffs for the first time since 1993, it must handle perennial nemesis Pittsburgh.

"Everybody really rallies to play those guys," Titans linebacker Eddie Robinson said. "It's a real big game for us regardless of the records. It's a game you know you have to go out and play hard."

But records will count very much on Sunday when the Titans play host to the Steelers.

Tennessee (7-2) is off to its best start since 1991, but needs a victory to stay close to Jacksonville, which leads the AFC Central with an 8-1 record. The Jaguars play New Orleans this weekend.

Pittsburgh (5-4) is reeling from one of the worst games in franchise history, a 16-15 home loss to expansion Cleveland, and needs a victory to remain a serious playoff contender.

Safety Lee Flowers said the Steelers have to forget about the Browns game when they take the field against Tennessee.

"Here we are about to play Eddie George and Steve McNair, and clearly we can't go to Tennessee still thinking about the Cleveland game. If we do, we'll be thinking about Cleveland and Tennessee on the plane ride back home," Flowers said.

Linebacker Levon Kirkland said the Cleveland loss has been blown out of proportion.

"I think if it was somebody else, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But since it was Cleveland, their first year back, everybody's losing their minds around here," he said.

If the Steelers need further motivation, they can check the record book and see the Titans have won three straight against them. Tennessee swept both games last season and won the final game of the 1997 season when the Steelers rested their starters for the playoffs.

But Pittsburgh has dominated the series 38-22, including playoff victories in 1978 and 1979 that kept the then-Oilers from the Super Bowl.

Titans kicker Al Del Greco said younger players who don't know all the history still respect the Steelers for their physical brand of football. He said they also realize how important this game is to their playoff hopes.

"We're at a point now where if we go out and play and play well, I think we have a chance to win a lot of football games down the stretch," Del Greco said. "They happen to be the next opponent. It's a rivalry. ... We just want to beat them this time, because this is one that matters."

The Steelers are 4-1 on the road this season, and their defense is the third stingiest in the NFL, giving up 254.1 yards a game.

Pittsburgh also has sacked McNair more times than any other team in the NFL, but Tennessee is protecting its quarterbacks better this season. Only Indianapolis and Kansas City have allowed fewer sacks.

The Titans have struggled on offense the past three games, which included their first shutout since 1989, a 17-0 loss to Miami on Nov. 7. They have scored only two touchdowns without help from defensive turnovers in that stretch.

"We haven't executed the last three, four weeks offensively, and we've just got to get on a roll," said McNair, 2-1 since returning from back surgery.

George had only his second 100-yard rushing game of the year in last week's 24-14 victory over Cincinnati, gaining 123 yards. But the Titans likely will be without receiver Yancey Thigpen, who badly sprained his ankle last week.

The Steelers will need to get Jerome Bettis running if they want to win for the first time on Tennessee soil. Bettis totaled just 54 yards in two games against Tennessee last season.

Kordell Stewart also must be more accurate. He's been intercepted seven times, including twice last week, with just five touchdowns.

"But I have an opportunity now to come out and rebuild and kind of sweep all this bad stuff out of the way," Stewart said. "It's going to be all right, man."

Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher has been baffled by his team's up-and-down play. The Steelers are among the league leaders in many categories, but make mistakes at key points in games.

"We've just got to keep working at it. Nobody around here's going to make any excuses. The bottom line is we just haven't been able to get it done on a regular basis, and the biggest thing to do is keep plugging away, keep working hard."

PITTSBURGH Season schedule and results

TENNESSEE Season schedule and results

September 12 @Cleveland W 43-0 September 19 @Baltimore W 23-20 September 26 Seattle L 10-29 October 3 Jacksonville L 3-17 October 10 @Buffalo L 21-24 October 17 @Cincinnati W 17-3 October 25 Atlanta W 13-9 November 7 @San Francisco W 27-6 November 14 Cleveland L 15-16 November 21 @Tennessee 1:00pm ET November 28 Cincinnati 1:00pm ET December 2 @Jacksonville 8:20pm ET December 12 Baltimore 1:00pm ET December 18 @Kansas City 12:40pm ET December 26 Carolina 1:00pm ET January 2 Tennessee 4:15pm ET

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 W 24-14 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

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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