Sports

TITANS, RAVENS BRACE FOR PHYSICAL FOOTBALL

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – If you like seeing finesse football, watch something else.

When the Ravens and Titans lock up in today’s AFC divisional playoff game there will not be much razzle-dazzle. Instead, it will be smash-mouth, defense-first, whoever gets to 10 points first wins.

This game is a rematch of a Week 5 meeting the Titans won 13-10. Today doesn’t figure to be much higher scoring.

MATCHUP: TITANS-RAVENS

“I think you have to assume that, but stranger things have happened,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’re doing the same thing the Ravens are doing right now: We’re game-planning. We’re trying to get our players prepared to play the best game of the year thus far. I think if you look at the numbers and the matchups, one could assume it might be a low-scoring game. But, like I said, anything can happen once you get to the playoffs.”

These two teams are very similar. Both have a stout defense, offenses that rely on the running game and a quarterback who doesn’t make many mistakes. The Titans finished second in scoring defense this season, the Ravens third.

“They haven’t changed, per se, because I think the personality of their team is still the same,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “They’re still a physical football team. They play really hard. The schemes are basically the same. But, they’ve gotten better. They get better every single week. That’s what good football teams do, and they’re a much better team than they were when we played them last time.”

The Titans will be without All-Pro center Kevin Mawae, though defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch were listed as probable on the final injury report.

This game has brought back memories in Tennessee and Maryland of their playoff meeting after the 2000 season. The Titans were the No. 1 seed that year, too, but the Ravens came to Nashville and won, 24-10, on their way to a Super Bowl title.

“It hurt more than losing the Super Bowl the year before that, just because we knew whoever won that game would probably win the Super Bowl,” said Samari Rolle, a Titan then and a Raven now. “But they deserved it. That’s the best defense in NFL history, and they outplayed us that day, so they deserved to win. I’m glad I’m on this side now.”

Another player in this game with memories of that 2000 Ravens defense is Titans quarterback Kerry Collins. As the quarterback of the Giants, Collins had a nightmarish game in Super Bowl XXXV, throwing four interceptions. Collins has enjoyed a career rebirth this season in Nashville, but he does see reminders of that 2000 defense when he scouts these Ravens.

“They’re similar, yes,” Collins said. “It’s hard to say that any defense is better than the one I played in the Super Bowl in 2000. They were phenomenal. This defense is certainly very good in their own right, but that defense I think will be the best I’ve ever played.”

Collins’ counterpart at quarterback in this game is rookie Joe Flacco. The Ravens have gained trust in the New Jersey native as the season has gone on, and he validated that last week by winning his first playoff game.

“Joe is special because Joe can keep his eyes downfield, feel the rush and escape,” Fisher said. “That’s something you just can’t teach, and he’s instinctive there. If he is flushed or pressured, he’ll move around in the pocket, but he’s always got his eyes downfield and he knows where his check downs are and he’s making good decisions with the ball.”

brian.costello@nypost.com

NFL MATCHUPS, TREND STATS

EXPANDED BETTOR’S GUIDE