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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Credit the NFL's best defense for taking
the Tennessee Titans into the playoffs in style.
|  | | Tennessee linebacker Randall Godfrey hits Dallas quarterback Anthony Wright, causing a fumble. |
The Titans turned four third-quarter turnovers into 24 points to
beat the Dallas Cowboys 31-0 Monday night and secure the home-field
advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Tennessee, which finished the regular season with the NFL's best
record at 13-3, had to win or they would lose the AFC Central to
the Baltimore Ravens and slip to a No. 4 seed. The Titans won their
first division title since 1993 and third overall.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said the defending AFC champions
accomplished their goals for the regular season by returning to the
playoffs with home-field advantage.
"Now the fun starts," he said. "Now it's time for us to play,
and we're very much looking forward to the fact that we're playing
at home."
Receiver Yancey Thigpen said only time will tell if Adelphia
Coliseum, where they are 16-1 in games that count, provides the
boost they need to reach Tampa Bay.
"We like our chances at home. We have a great record at home,
and I think the guys really are going to work hard to take
advantage of it," Thigpen said.
Their defense may turn out to be a better advantage.
Playing on a frozen field with temperatures in the mid-20s, the
Titans turned the ball over four times in the first half.
But the Cowboys (5-11) had Anthony Wright making only his second
start at quarterback, not Troy Aikman, and they couldn't do
anything with the ball. Not even a successful onside kick on the
opening kickoff could jump-start their offense.
The Titans, who shut out Cleveland last week, allowed only 67
yards in the first half and 95 overall. That allowed Tennessee to
pass the Ravens for the NFL's top defense this season.
The honor was fitting for a defense that hasn't gotten much
recognition.
"Being No. 1 is a plus for us," linebacker Randall Godfrey
said. "We've just got to continue doing what we're doing."
It got worse in the third quarter as the Cowboys turned the ball
over twice in a 2½-minute span.
Pro Bowl safety Blaine Bishop started the turnover spree,
sacking Wright and knocking the ball loose. Linebacker Eddie
Robinson recovered, and Eddie George scored on an 11-yard run a
minute into the quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Four plays later, Godfrey broke through the line untouched and
hit Wright. End Henry Ford fell on the loose ball, stood up and
rumbled 30 yards escorted by several teammates before diving in the
end zone for a 21-0 lead.
On Wright's next play, he tried to find Emmitt Smith on a swing
pass, and rookie linebacker Keith Bulluck stepped in front of Smith
at the Dallas 8 and walked into the end zone for a 28-0 margin.
Before the quarter ended, the Titans tacked on a 21-yard field
goal by Al Del Greco for a 31-0 lead after Godfrey recovered a
fumble by Michael Wiley.
"The momentum swung, the crowd got into the game more, and it
was a very merry Christmas in Tennessee," Bulluck said.
It was the most points the Titans scored in a quarter all season
long, and that took care of any hopes the Cowboys had of avoiding
their worst season since 1989 when they went 1-15 in Jerry Jones'
first year as owner.
Dallas coach Dave Campo said it's tough to play with eight or
nine players on injured reserve, but Smith said the Cowboys still
stunk up the field offensively.
"It is the end of a frustrating season. There ain't much more
we can say about that. There will be some changes made. Whether or
not the changes will be positive, we can't tell until the season
starts," Smith said.
The Titans couldn't get out of their own way in the first half.
Tight end Frank Wycheck fumbled after a catch, a punt bounced
off Denard Walker's foot to the Cowboys, and Dallas linebacker
Barron Wortham intercepted Steve McNair's pass in the end zone
shortly before halftime when the Titans were trying to throw to Pro
Bowl left guard Bruce Matthews.
Now Tennessee gets to do something it never has in the
franchise's 41-year history -- stay at home throughout the
playoffs.
Game
notes
The Titans are only the fifth team to finish with at least
13 victories in consecutive seasons since the NFL went to a 16-game
schedule in 1978. ... The Titans also set a franchise mark for most
wins in consecutive seasons with 26, topping the 22 they won in
1992-93 in Houston. ... McNair's TD pass to Derrick Mason in the
first quarter gave him 15 TDs this season, matching his career-high
set in 1998. ... George topped the 1,500-yard rushing mark for the
first time in his career, finishing with 1,509.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Tennessee Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Armed with water, Eddie George interrupts coach Jeff Fisher's interview with ESPN's Mark Schwarz.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 ESPN's Mark Schwarz talks with coach Jeff Fischer and Eddie George after the Titans' victory.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Randall Godfrey joins ESPN's Mark Schwarz after his impressive performance against the Cowboys.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jeff Fisher is proud of the Titans' defensive effort against Dallas on Monday night.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Randall Godfrey hopes the Titans' defense can continue to dominate in the playoffs.
wav: 137 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Emmitt Smith is able to laugh at the Cowboys' woes.
wav: 137 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Mark Schwarz catches up with Frank Wycheck after the Titan's Monday night win over Dallas.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Troy Aikman Official Site
Emmitt Smith Official Site
Eddie George Official Site
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