CLASH OF THE TITANS

When the NFL schedules came out, the Halloween matchup between St. Louis and Tennessee looked like an afterthought, not a showcase game.

Then the Rams and Titans began winning.

The Rams (6-0) are the NFL’s only undefeated team, while the Titans (5-1) are tied atop the AFC Central and already have a road victory over Jacksonville, a preseason Super Bowl pick by many.

Both teams see today’s game as a chance to validate their records, because only one victory among their combined 11--the Titans’ 20-19 win over the Jaguars -- came against a team with a winning record.

“A lot of people are saying we haven’t played any good teams, and we’ve had an easy schedule,” Rams cornerback Todd Lyght said. “But there’s no easy games on Sunday no matter who you play.”

It’s easily the biggest game in a very long time for both franchises.

St. Louis, coming off a 34-3 victory over Cleveland, started the season as the NFL’s losingest team of the 1990s. But that was before backup quarterback Kurt Warner stepped in and ignited an offense that could end up rewriting the league’s record book.

Tennessee, which got a new nickname, new uniforms and a new stadium this year, hasn’t had a winning season since 1993 and is trying to end a three-year string of 8-8 finishes. The Titans have won two straight and are coming off a bye.

Knowing much of the country will see them on television for the first time today only adds to the excitement for the teams.

“Guys look forward to playing in big games and being watched and being the talk of the NFL,” Lyght said. “It makes it nice when you can have that success and all the things that go along with that success.”

The Titans defense must try to slow down the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, which already has 28 touchdowns and ranks behind only Indianapolis with 387.7 yards a game.

But whom do they target? Marshall Faulk, coming off a season-high 133 yards rushing against Cleveland? Or Warner, who has 18 TD passes and only three interceptions? And do they double-cover receiver Isaac Bruce, who is averaging 16.8 yards per catch, and single Torry Holt and Az-Zahir Hakim?

“They’ve got so many weapons, the best thing we can do is just contain everyone,” cornerback Samari Rolle said.

Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who missed the last five games because of back surgery, isn’t surprised by Warner’s success. He watched him put up big numbers in Arena Football.

“When you have good guys around him like he does, you can’t expect anything less,” McNair said.

One of the keys to the Rams’ success has been a quick start. St. Louis has outscored opponents 66-9 in the opening quarter and has scored touchdowns on each of its last seven first-quarter possessions.

The Titans, who rank in the middle of the pack on defense, haven’t allowed a touchdown in the first quarter since the opener. And they have been good at holding quarterbacks in check: only one has thrown for more than 300 yards against them since Thanksgiving 1997.

Defensive tackle Mike Jones, a former Ram who practiced against Warner last season, said the Titans must pressure him.

“He’s dangerous when he’s able to sit back and pick you apart with the guys he can get the ball to,” Jones said.

Tennessee tried to keep St. Louis guessing this week by holding off on declaring whether McNair or Neil O’Donnell would start. Coach Jeff Fisher said he might not decide until today after warmups.

The Rams coaches prepared their defense for the mobile McNair and pocket-passer O’Donnell, who went 4-1 in five starts as McNair’s replacement.

Coach Dick Vermeil, whose defense has given up a league-low 63 points, said McNair is more difficult to defend.

“You have to account for his running ability. He’s the best running quarterback in football. He can run like a fullback,” Vermeil said.

Eddie George, Tennessee’s Pro Bowl running back, may finally be on track. He topped 100 yards for the first time in 13 games when Tennessee defeated New Orleans two weeks ago.

But George alone won’t beat the Rams, Lyght promised.

“They’re not going to be able to just ball-control us the entire game,” he said. “For them to win the game, they’re going to have to put the ball up in order to score points.”

Just the way the Rams do.