By DAVID CLIMER
The Tennessean

BALTIMORE - In times like this, you don't know whether to clap your hands or hold your nose. Remember the Tennessee Titans? Oh, yes. Those Titans.

A team that once elevated ugly football to an art form went back to its roots to unearth a victory over Baltimore, proving once again that beauty is in the eye of the scoreboard.

"I don't care if it was ugly, pretty, didn't smell good or anything else," said Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. "As long as we got a win and get a chance to keep on playing, that's OK with me."

These were the retro Titans, relying on defense and Eddie George to overcome their failings elsewhere. In a season when quarterback Steve McNair emerged as co-MVP in the NFL, it was an old recipe that roasted the Ravens Saturday.

So much for the notion that the Titans are only as good as McNair. On this day, McNair was more a liability than an asset. He was intercepted three times - with one of them returned by Ravens safety Will Demps for a touchdown - and probably left some MVP voters demanding a recount.

Yet, the Titans just kept running their fingernails up and down the chalkboard until Baltimore couldn't take it any more. For all of Ray Lewis' pregame dance steps and Brian Billick's sideline bombast, the Ravens' five-game whammy over the Titans was rendered null and void.

"You don't worry about playing pretty football at this time of year," said linebacker Keith Bulluck. "Man, we're in the playoffs. If it's ugly football, so be it.

"All I know is we're still playing. There aren't many teams in the NFL that can say that."

Conventional wisdom tells us, though, that the Titans won't go very far in the playoffs unless they significantly upgrade their offense. Whether they are sent to New England or Kansas City next weekend, the Titans probably are going to need more than 20 points to take a second step toward the Super Bowl.

But conventional wisdom only goes so far at this time of year. Logic is on an extended holiday break.

"With the competition and parity in the NFL right now, there are going to be a lot of hard-fought games like this," said Titans defensive end Kevin Carter. "I don't think any of the playoff games are going to be pretty, especially in the AFC."

Still, this was ugly even by Titans-Ravens standards. These teams seem to have a way of bringing out the worst in each other.

"We weren't expecting to come in here and blow them out," said Bulluck. "It's a 12-round bout. You just stay in the middle of the ring and you wait for the 12th-round bell to ring. You just keep throwing punches.

Added wide receiver Derrick Mason: "When we play Baltimore, you know it's going to come down to somebody making a play at the end to win."

And the Titans still know how to do that. This time, it was a three-and-out series by Tennessee's defense, supplemented by a personal-foul penalty against Baltimore's Orlando Brown, that got the ball back in the Titans' hands at their 37 with 2:44 remaining.

From there, McNair completed just enough short throws and George churned out just enough yards to position Gary Anderson for the winning 46-yard field goal.

And in a game that was so reminiscent of the past, what better way to win it than with the foot of a 44-year-old kicker?

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