Gannon

2. Rich and famous: Rich Gannon might be the NFL's quarterback of destiny. He completed more passes in one season (418) than any quarterback in NFL history, and he is adding to his legend as this season's most valuable player. Gannon even threw some rare deep passes in dismantling and almost embarrassing the Jets secondary in Sunday's 30-10 win. Twice he made pump fakes that left Jets safety Damien Robinson lost in the middle of the secondary, leaving Jerry Porter free for a 29-yard touchdown and 50-yard catch. Gannon has all the looks of a quarterback who could also be a Super Bowl MVP. 3. Who is this guy Callahan? The Raiders are a well-coached, diverse team thanks to Bill Callahan and his staff. For a Titans defense, they are hard to prepare for in only seven days. Callahan keeps expanding the formations. On Sunday, he put two receivers -- sometimes even tight end Doug Jolley -- stacked one behind the other on each side of the line of scrimmage, creating confusion for a zone defense. He sometimes uses six and seven offensive linemen on plays to go big on the offensive line. He has plays designed to pass from those big formations. Each week, the Raiders can jump into a pound-it-out-running attack or stay with their specialty -- passing the football. 4. Youthful enthusiasm: As experienced as the Raiders are with their thirty-something-year-old players, many of the young Raiders are coming on at the right time. Porter is emerging as one of the game's more exciting big-play threats. Jolley is a tough tight end to cover on crossing routes. Napoleon Harris is gaining more confidence as a middle linebacker. Outside linebacker Eric Barton, who is on the field almost every down, is one of the most underrated defensive players in the league. 5. Licking their lips: Jerry Rice and Tim Brown sense a Super Bowl in the making. Against the Titans in Week 4, Rice caught seven passes for 144 yards and Brown had six catches for 90. They know they can have big days against the Titans secondary, which had trouble containing the Steelers receivers Saturday night. At home, Rice and Brown are planning on big days before their home fans. Five reasons the Titans will win
1. Get on his back: Steve McNair might not have won the regular season MVP award, but he's clearly one of the most valuable in the playoffs. Before, he used to rely on Eddie George to carry the offense. Not anymore. His ability to scramble and throw deep and just lead has carried the team. McNair might be the NFL's toughest player. He went five weeks without practicing and kept improving as games went along. He's handled injuries that would sideline others and he doesn't even blink. Though voters bypassed him during the regular season, it will be hard to not consider him the most valuable player in the playoffs.

	Wycheck

2. The Wycheck factor: The Titans now are causing coverage problems for defenses. For a couple of games, defenses were doubling wide receiver Derrick Mason or tight end Frank Wycheck or both. Against the Steelers, Wycheck drew single-coverage and had his best day of the season catching 10 passes. Knowing that defenses will have to pay more attention to Wycheck could open up more in the passing game for McNair. 3. Run Eddie, run: At some point, Eddie George has to look like the dominating back of the past. Sure, he's been bottled up for only a little more than 3 yards a carry. Sure, he couldn't finish the Saturday night game against the Steelers because of a concussion. But George is a warrior and a big-game player. McNair is good enough to get Tennessee a second-half lead, and George is good enough to bring home a victory. 4. Defense lining up for victory: The Titans' defensive line can give any team problems, particularly at the end. Jevon Kearse, even with his availability limited during the playoffs coming off his broken foot, can be a disruptive force. Kevin Carter draws double-team blocking on his side, and that allows some of the other linemen to get single attention. Don't be surprised if defensive tackles John Thornton or Albert Haynesworth step up in a big game to collapse the middle of the Raiders offensive line. 5. Isn't that special: The Titans won't make the same mistakes they made in their last game against the Raiders, a 52-25 loss. They fell behind, 21-0, in the first quarter because of a couple of special teams breakdowns. Phillip Buchanon had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Terry Kirby had a 79-yard touchdown on a punt return. For one, the Raiders don't have that kind of fire-power on special teams anymore, with Buchanon and Kirby both out. Second, the Titans special teams have tightened up. John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.