No Practice Is Just Perfect for McNair

Maybe Steve McNair should skip every Tennessee practice.

After sitting out all week because of rib, shin and toe injuries, McNair threw three touchdown passes, ran for a game-tying two-point conversion and helped set up Joe Nedney’s 38-yard field goal in overtime that gave the Titans a 32-29 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.

“Steve did a tremendous job of guiding the team to victory,” said receiver Derrick Mason, who had 12 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. “His ribs are battered. His feet are hurting and he still scrambled to put us in position [for the game-tying score]. To me, Steve is the best quarterback in the NFL.”

McNair, who was 30 for 43 for 334 yards, also is why the Titans (7-5) have won six of seven and are in the thick of the playoff chase, unlike the Giants (6-6).

“We can’t even look at the playoffs anymore,” Giant running back Tiki Barber said after their second straight loss. “We don’t control what happens anymore. We have to rely on other teams to lose. The one thing we can control is to win.”

McNair didn’t know until game time whether he was going to play.

“I felt I was going to play as long as I didn’t take a hit or aggravate it any further,” said McNair, who bounced back after throwing three interceptions in a loss to Baltimore last week.

The Giants had their chances to put away the Titans late in the fourth quarter when they had first and goal at Tennessee’s one following a 34-yard pass play from Kerry Collins to Amani Toomer.

But the Giants lost a yard in three plays and settled for Matt Bryant’s 19-yard field goal to take a 29-21 lead with 2:21 to go.

McNair made the Giants pay for not punching the ball in, leading an 81-yard, 12-play scoring drive. He connected with tight end Frank Wycheck on a nine-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds to play. After a video review upheld the catch, McNair strolled into the end zone on a quarterback draw to tie the score at 29.

The Giants received the overtime kickoff and got to the Titan 46 going into a stiff wind. But Toomer was called for offensive pass interference, nullifying a gain to the 32.

The Titans took over at their 20 and McNair passed to Drew Bennett for 12 yards, John Simon for 23 and Mason for 12. A 14-yard run by Robert Holcombe eventually set up Nedney’s winning kick with 10:00 to go.