• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Titans seek best start in franchise history

Sep 23, 2008 - 4:54 PM Minnesota (1-2) at Tennesssee (3-0), 1:00pm, EDT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Tennessee Titans have tried to curtail talk that they are now the favorite to end the Indianapolis Colts' five-year reign as AFC South champions.

The Titans, who already have a two-game lead in the division and are one of four six unbeaten teams in AFC, host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

"It's still young in the season," Titans linebacker David Thornton said. "It's just the first quarter. If we go out and lay eggs in the second, third and fourth part of the season, this strong start can really be in vain."

However, the Titans have a chance to establish a first Sunday. A victory will give them the first 4-0 start in franchise history, which dates to 1960, when the Houston Oilers debuted as one of the AFL's charter members.

Only two previous Oilers/Titans teams even started 3-0. In 1991, the Oilers lost at New England in Week Four, and the 1999 Titans dropped their fourth game at San Francisco. That season, Tennessee made the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance, losing to the St. Louis Rams.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher has said that he will stick with Kerry Collins as long as the Titans continue to winning. Since they are doing exactly that, he has no plans to fix what isn't broken.

Last week, the 35-year-old Collins won his second straight start after taking over for the injured Vince Young and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 35,000 yards. Collins directed an efficient offense that put together touchdown drives of 77, 68 and 74 yards.

Tennessee has been especially tough in the red zone, scoring on all eight trips inside the 20-yard line - seven touchdowns and a field goal.

"

"It's all well and good, but we need to get down there more," Fisher said. "We should be in there, after three games, maybe 12 to 14 times. But the good thing is that we're getting points."

On Sunday, the Titans will be facing a Vikings team that is coming off its first win of the season, a 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The matchup is a battle of two of the league's grizzled veterans. While Collins has sparked the Titans, 37-year-old Gus Frerotte stepped in for an ineffective Tarvaris Jackson, who was benched after two poor games, and energized the Vikings.

Frerotte completed 16-of-26 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown as Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak, dating to the end of last season.

Adrian Peterson, who was slowed by an injured hamstring during the week, ran for 77 yards on 17 carries after leading the league in rushing over the first two weeks.