By Tony Moss, NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - The Tennessee Titans will be one of the teams on the Qualcomm Stadium field for an AFC First-Round playoff contest Sunday afternoon, though this game will be about the host San Diego Chargers, first and foremost.

It is the Chargers that enter Sunday's contest having seen 12 seasons come and go without a playoff win, a drought that dates all the way back to the team's AFC Championship season of 1994.

San Diego looked poised to end that dismal stretch last season, when the Bolts went an NFL-best 14-2 during the regular season and earned the top seed in the AFC. But the Patriots shocked the Chargers, 24-21, in an AFC Divisional Playoff, a defeat that eventually led to the firing of head coach Marty Schottenheimer more than a month later.

One year on, the man expected to lead San Diego to that elusive postseason victory is journeyman coach Norv Turner, who himself is appearing in the playoffs for just the second time in 10 seasons as a head man. Turner couldn't match his predecessor's regular season success in his first year with San Diego, but did lead the Chargers to a 6-0 finish to 2007 and a second consecutive AFC West title.

A prominent Bolt seeking his first playoff win is running back and two-time defending NFL rushing champ LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson currently ranks 18th on the all-time ground list with 10,650 yards, and joins O.J. Simpson (16th, 11,236 yards) as the only players in league history with 10,000 yards and no postseason wins on their resume'.

Looking to add to the misery of Turner, Tomlinson, and Chargers fans everywhere is a Tennessee club that makes its first playoff appearance since 2003.

The Titans managed to secure the second Wild Card berth in the AFC by winning their final three games, including a 16-10 win at Indianapolis last Sunday night.

That victory may have come with a major price, however, as quarterback Vince Young (quadriceps) and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (hamstring) both re-aggravated injuries that have placed their status for Sunday in question.

If Young is unable to play, veteran Kerry Collins would be in line for his postseason start since he opened the Giants' 39-38 loss to the 49ers in a 2002 NFC First-Round Playoff.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee has a 3-0 advantage in the all-time postseason series with San Diego, though none of those matchups is of recent vintage. The then-Houston Oilers defeated the Chargers for the AFL Championship in 1960 and 1961, and also won an AFL Divisional Playoff in San Diego in 1979.

The Chargers have a 22-13-1 lead in the all-time regular season series against the Titans, including wins in the last five head-to-head matchups. San Diego was a 23-17 road overtime winner when the teams met in Week 14, rebounding from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit to earn the triumph. The Titans were dealt a 40-7 setback when they last visited San Diego, in Week 2 of last season. The Titans/Oilers last defeated San Diego in 1992, when they blanked the Chargers by a 27-0 count in Houston. The franchise is 0-3 in series road games since last winning at Qualcomm Stadium in 1990.

Turner is 1-4 in his career against the Titans, going 0-2 while with Washington (1994-2000) and 0-2 while with Oakland (2004-05). Tennessee's Jeff Fisher is 0-4 in his career against San Diego, but is 4-1 head-to-head with Turner.

WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL

The quarterback position is the most pressing concern for Fisher heading into Sunday's contest, but by no means is it the only concern. Trusty tight end Bo Scaife has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a lacerated liver suffered against the Colts last week, running backs LenDale White (knee) and Chris Brown (back) are both ailing, wideout Roydell Williams is nursing an injured ankle suffered in practice, and center Kevin Mawae has a bad calf that has kept him out the last two games. The injuries to White (1110 rushing yards, 7 TD, 20 receptions), Brown (462 rushing yards, 5 TD, 19 receptions), and Mawae are of particular concern for a team that ranked fifth in the league in rushing offense (131.8 yards per game) during the regular season and went for 131 and two TDs on the ground against the Chargers in Week 14.

Collins (531 passing yards, 0 TD, 0 INT) appeared in six games this season and started one, a 38-36 win over the Texans on Oct. 21st. After relieving Young against the Colts last week, the veteran was 10-of-13 passing for 106 yards without a touchdown or turnover. Young (2546 passing yards, 9 TD, 17 INT, 395 rushing yards), meanwhile, was 14-of-18 for 157 yards before departing. The ex-Texas star posted a respectable 84.1 passer rating with four touchdowns and four interceptions during the month of December, also completing 64.4 percent of his passes over that stretch. Justin Gage (55 receptions, 2 TD) finished the year as Tennessee's leading receiver, and veteran Eric Moulds (32 receptions) could play a greater role this week if Williams (55 receptions, 4 TD) is still struggling with his ankle. At tight end, Ben Troupe (5 receptions) and Ben Hartsock (12 receptions) will have to fill the void left by Scaife. A quality Titans offensive line allowed 30 sacks during the regular season.

Whoever plays quarterback for the Titans must avoid mistakes against a Chargers defense that coaxed quarterbacks into more miscues than any other unit in the league. San Diego finished the regular season with an NFL-best 30 interceptions, including a league-leading 10 from Pro Bowl cornerback Antonio Cromartie (44 tackles) and five more from underrated safety Clinton Hart (85 tackles, 1 sack). Cromartie and linebacker Matt Wilhelm (97 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack) each had interceptions of Young in Week 14. Part of the complexion of the team's playmaking proficiency was the Bolts' elite-level pass rush, led by outside linebackers Shawne Merriman (68 tackles, 12.5 sacks), Shaun Phillips (68 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 2 INT), and the blossoming Jyles Tucker (12 tackles, 3.5 sacks). Merriman returned to the lineup last week following a two-game absence that followed a questionable low hit by Tennessee players in Week 14. and notched three tackles and a sack in the win over the Raiders. Tucker, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Wake Forest, was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after totaling three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown versus Oakland.

San Diego was a middle-of-the-pack 16th in the league against the run (107.1 yards per game) during the regular season, and gave up 113 yards to White when it took on the Titans last month. The Chargers have dealt with injury problems along their three-man front, but it appears that nose tackle Jamal Williams (39 tackles) and ends Igor Olshansky (49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT) and Luis Castillo (33 tackles, 2.5 sacks) are close to healthy as the playoffs begin. Inside linebackers Stephen Cooper (108 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) and Wilhelm have made numerous tackles behind that trio this season.

WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL

The 28-year-old Tomlinson (1474 rushing yards, 60 receptions, 18 TD) may not have a postseason victory of which to boast, though it would be inaccurate to say that his production has declined in the playoffs. The future Hall-of-Famer has appeared in just two playoff games all-time, and has totaled 203 rushing yards, 117 receiving yards, and a pair of touchdowns in losses to the Jets in 2004 and Patriots last season. This year, Tomlinson became the first player since Edgerrin James in 1999-2000 to win the NFL rushing title in back-to-back seasons. Against the Titans in Week 14, Tomlinson rushed 26 times for 146 yards and scored the winning touchdown on a 16-yard burst in overtime. Michael Turner (316 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Darren Sproles (164 rushing yards, 2 TD, 10 receptions) spell the perennial Pro Bowler.

If the Titans wish to spring the upset on Sunday, controlling Tomlinson and forcing San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers (3152 passing yards, 21 TD, 15 INT) to put the ball in the air would be a good place to start. Rivers has been bothered by a sprained knee of late, and has had notable moments of dubious decision-making this season. Rivers threw for 228 yards against the Titans when the teams met in Nashville, but also fired a pair of interceptions and sustained four sacks in the contest. Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates (75 receptions, 9 TD) remains Rivers' top target, with wideouts Chris Chambers (35 receptions, 4 TD) and Vincent Jackson (41 receptions, 3 TD) his best threats on the outside. Rivers has put up three straight 100-plus passer rating performances, and has not thrown an interception since the Tennessee win.

The potential loss of Haynesworth (40 tackles, 6 sacks) could be critical to a Titans defense that ranked fifth in the league against the run (92.4 yards per game) but was not nearly as strong in that area when the NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate missed three games due to injury earlier in the season. Tennessee allowed an average of 160 rushing yards in those contests, and lost all three by double digits. Linebackers Keith Bulluck (88 tackles, 5 INT) and David Thornton (122 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) have also had a major hand in the run-stopping effort this year.

Tennessee was active in both the pass rush and in the secondary this year, with the team's totals of 22 interceptions and 40 sacks both ranking near the top of the league. Safeties Calvin Lowry (57 tackles, 2 INT), Michael Griffin (54 tackles, 3 INT), and cornerback Nick Harper (77 tackles, 3 INT) all posted interceptions against the Chargers (including one off of backup Billy Volek) in Week 14, while end Kyle Vanden Bosch (60 tackles, 12 sacks) led the pass rushing effort with three of the team's five sacks. End Antwan Odom (21 tackles, 8 sacks) is second on the team in sacks, behind Vanden Bosch, and has three QB takedowns in his last two games.

SPECIAL TEAMS

San Diego has one of the most dangerous return men in the game in Darren Sproles (27.2 kickoff return avg., 1 TD, 9.5 punt return avg., 1 TD), who against the Colts became just the second player in NFL history to return both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the same quarter. The kicking game is led by punter Mike Scifres (46.1 avg.), one of the league's best in terms of hangtime, distance, and directional ability. On placements, Nate Kaeding (24-27 FG) has been great in regular season play this season, but has missed critical field goals in both of San Diego's playoff losses of the last four years.

The Titans have little to worry about in the kicking game, where Rob Bironas (35-39 FG) is headed to the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in field goals made and punter Craig Hentrich (42.0 avg.) remains one of the best in the business. Tennessee has not been overly explosive in the return game, with young Chris Henry (20.9 avg.) handling kickoff returns of late and fellow rookie Chris Davis (9.5 avg.) fielding punts. The Titans allowed just one return for a touchdown all-year, an 80-yard punt return for a score by the Broncos' Glenn Martinez in Week 11.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

These two teams played a tight game, one that the Titans probably should have won, just four weeks ago. The circumstances were much different in that one, however, as San Diego was on its second leg of a two-week road trip, and Tennessee was a much healthier club at that time. The Chargers have clearly matured over the past six weeks or so, have been dominant at Qualcomm Stadium since September, and aren't going to let a relatively easy shot at their first playoff win since 1994 fall by the wayside against an inferior opponent. Look for San Diego to roll before an appreciative home crowd.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Chargers 31, Titans 10