Titans Begin Final Quarter Of Season With First Place Packers
By David Doan December 12, 2001

The Titans meet another NFC Central foe this week in the Green Bay Packers, the first meeting of the teams since 1998 a 30-22 Packer win at Lambeau Field.

The Titans are coming off their first loss to a NFC team in 10 games, and this week the Green Bay Packers journey into Adelphia for a late season showdown.

While the Titans are going to try and make it ten out of eleven wins against the NFC, the Pack try to extend their December win streak to seven. Something has to give.

The Packers hope what gives is the Titan secondary, which is ranked last in the NFL against the pass. With Packers quarterback Brett Favre playing excellent and injury free, the secondary has its work cut out for it. Favre and the Packers are 2-0 this season against the AFC, and Favre has 699 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in those two games.

Packers Coach Mike Sherman said he knows the Packers success can be directly attributed to Favre.

'Brett is such a huge part of what we do and the fact that we have a quarterback that has been a mainstay for so long has allowed us to maintain,' Sherman said.

The Titans look to have some success of their own against a Packer secondary that is missing a key component as well. All-Pro safety LeRoy Butler is out for the season with a broken shoulder he suffered against Atlanta, and the secondary, while improved, still may be tested by the Titans sixth ranked passing offense.

'The loss of Butler was monumental at the time, but we have absorbed it and guys have stepped up,' Sherman said.