*--* At a Glance How the Tennessee...

*--* At a Glance How the Tennessee Titans and the Oakland Raiders match up in today’s AFC championship game in Oakland: WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL Field position and ball control are the name of the game for the Titans, even though they have been opening things up more as the season has progressed. Steve McNair plays a controlled passing game. Raider outside linebacker Bill Romanowski has had a fairly calm season by his standards -- 66 tackles, four sacks, one interception and no wildly embarrassing outbursts. He’s still a playmaker WHEN THE RAIDERS HAVE THE BALL How to stop the league’s top-ranked offense? It’s one of the biggest mysteries of the season in the NFL. MVP Rich Gannon will pick teams apart across the middle, and when defenses start squeezing, he’ll go long. Oakland also has a massive line, anchored by 335-pound right tackle Lincoln Kennedy and 330-pound left tackle Frank Middleton. Middleton outweighs Tennessee defensive end Jevon Kearse by about 70 pounds SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker Joe Nedney of Tennessee could have won an Oscar for his flailing flip after being hit by Dewayne Washington of Pittsburgh in overtime last week. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski of Oakland is no angel. He has had numerous run-ins with the law, including a drunken-driving charge this season. But he has a huge leg. For as much as that helps the Raiders in field-goal situations, it’s even better on kickoffs. He led the NFL in touchbacks with 22

*--*