Even though time has healed some of the psychological wounds inflicted on the Titans in the ignoble butt-whipping, a few scars remain, some veteran players acknowledged. Yet for a game that produced so many points, you won't get many words from the Titans, when asked to recall the rout.

Remember the Titans? Well, the Titans remember, alright, but prefer to do much of the mental inventory of recalling the Sept. 29 nightmare at Network Associates Coliseum with private brooding. It is, the Titans agree, a day that will live in infamy.

	“	Taking nothing away from those guys, because they are a great team, and we all know that. But they scored three times on returns, two punts and an interception, and we gave them that early touchdown after we had an interception. ”
		— Titans DE Kevin Carter, on the first meeting against Oakland

"Embarrassing," said offensive tackle Fred Miller. "Flat out embarrassing. And that's about all I have to say about it."

Indeed, the defeat was one of monumental measures for the Titans, the third contest of what would become an early-season four-game losing streak, but clearly the nadir of a stretch that nearly knocked Tennessee out of playoff contention barely a month into the campaign.

The 52 points represented the most ever surrendered during the tenure of head coach Jeff Fisher, the most allowed by the franchise since a 61-7 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1987. That game, more than a decade and a half ago, was personal, with Bengals coach Sam Wyche running up the score against detested Houston Oilers coach Jerry Glanville.

What transpired four months ago, however, was as much a product of the Titans' myriad foibles as it was the superior play of the Raiders. And so as Tennessee players reflect back on the contest, and try to glean from it some lessons for Sunday's conference championship tilt, they are looking as much at themselves as at their opponents.

And with good reason.

That the Raiders overwhelmed the Titans that day, by scoring 21 points in the first six minutes of the game, is reflective of a combination of Oakland brilliance and Tennessee butchery.

Oakland scored on its opening touchdown, a 17-yard pass to Charlie Garner, on its first play and following a Rod Woodson interception of a poorly-thrown pass by Steve McNair. The next two lightning-quick touchdowns both came on punt returns, one of 83 yards by Phillip Buchanon and the next one an 83-yarder by Terry Kirby.

"Heck, we had barely broken a sweat," recalled tight end Frank Wycheck, "and we're already 3 touchdowns behind those guys. That can be a little demoralizing, you know? Maybe the best thing we can take away from that game, when we review it, is that we didn't quit."

And perhaps that is the element of which the Oakland players will be most aware when they look back on the September contest.

These are not teams that face each other often but, in the playoffs, there isn't much secrecy involved in game-planning. Lessons learned from a previous encounter tend to be more about the mettle of an opponent, how it reacts to adversity, who stands tall when the battle is joined.

Having pored by now over videotape of the Titans, the Raiders know the obvious: that McNair is a far better and more patient pocket passer now than ever before in his eight-year career; that tailback Eddie George is a half-step slower to the hole; that weak-side linebacker Keith Bulluck is a stud defender of Pro Bowl caliber; that the Fisher-designed pass coverage schemes clearly rate among the most innovative in the league.

Week 4 -- Allen's Analysis

Eric Allen answered questions for ESPN.com follwing each game this season. In Week 4, the Titans traveled to Oakland and were routed by the Raiders 52-25. The win improved the Raiders to 3-0 and dropped the Tennessee to 1-3. Here's what Allen had to say following the game: Question on the Raiders: Will we see a shootout in Buffalo next week or will the Raiders slow down Bledsoe? It'll be a shootout, because Bledsoe is so hot right now. Steve McNair threw for 398 yards today, and Bledsoe will look to similarly exploit the Raiders' defense. It will be a shootout, but Rich Gannon and the Raiders will win. Question on the Titans: Other than getting Kearse back, what adjustments can their defense make? The Titans aren't playing fundamentally sound defense. Today, they weren't covering guys -- literally -- and the lack of a pass rush is obvious. It seems that the Titans have gotten old fast. They have a long way to go before they're back to their Super Bowl level of a couple years ago. Recap | Box Score

"The football stuff, you can see it (on tape), or just by seeing these guys play on television," said Woodson. "They aren't real subtle anyway. But by now, getting ready for a conference (championship) game, you like to think you have a handle on them. What we found out in that first game, and we'll do well to remember this time, is that they never quit."

Trailing by 31-7 at halftime, and by 38-7 when Woodson returned another interception 82 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter, the Titans scored 3 straight touchdowns in the second half to narrow the gap, before the Raiders answered with two Rich Gannon touchdown passes.

Despite the disparity on the scoreboard, the statistics for the game were very close, with the Raiders owning just slight advantages in first downs (24-23) and total yards (464-430). McNair threw for a career-best 398 yards and four Titans notched 4 receptions or more. Gannon put up 381 yards and 4 touchdown passes, as Jerry Rice and Tim Brown combined for 13 catches and 234 yards.

If the suspect Tennessee secondary is as porous this time around, the Titans almost certainly will fall short of a second Super Bowl berth in four seasons. But if Tennessee can tighten up on defense and, far more important, limit the kinds of killer mistakes it made the first time around, the game should be a very competitive one.

Winners of 11 of their last 12 games, yet still flying below the NFL radar it seems, the Titans look back at the first meeting with the Raiders and feel they have a simple formula for avoiding such ignominy.

Yeah, the defense can't afford to hemorrhage against the NFL most valuable player and his corps of big-play receivers. The offense has to move the ball and take advantage of an Oakland secondary where the starting cornerbacks are still gimpy. McNair must avoid the stretches of scattershot accuracy and the defense must corral not only Rice and Brown, but also Garner and No. 3 wide receiver Jerry Porter.

More than anything else, however, Tennessee must avoid beating itself.

"Taking nothing away from those guys, because they are a great team, and we all know that," said defensive end Kevin Carter. "But they scored three times on returns, two punts and an interception, and we gave them that early touchdown after we had an interception. We had breakdowns in every phase of the game -- offense, defense, even special teams -- and that doesn't happen to us very often. We shot ourselves in the foot.

"This time, we're aiming to play a lot better, believe me."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.