[TomWilkinson]

The Tennessee Titans are improving, but against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts it may not matter. In the first matchup in early October Peyton Manning dissected the Titans defense for a 31-10 victory.

The Titans put a lot of pressure on Manning, but it was not enough. "I think we hit him nine or 10 times, and he didn't really like that," Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said Wednesday. "We plan on doing the same thing again."

"We had real pressure on him the first time we played him," defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "We had some hits on him. He's got that good clock in his head, and he can feel pressure and he knows how to avoid the rush and when to get rid of the ball." Vanden Bosch, who ranks second in the NFL with a career-high 10 1/2 sacks, believes the Titans played their most complete game last week in beating San Francisco 33-22. "I think we're at our best right now," Vanden Bosch said.

Statistically, the Titans rank 15th in total defense, allowing 315.3 yards per game, and they've held opponents under 300 yards in four of the last seven games. That includes Jacksonville on Nov. 20 when the Jaguars managed no offensive yards in the opening quarter.

"The group's playing pretty well together," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "That'll give us an emotional lift going into the ballgame. We feel like when the week's said and done, it's a good plan and it's just a matter of going up there and making plays."
Haynesworth missed the earlier matchup with the Colts and Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy said that was a big factor. "He is a very, very big part of what they do," Dungy said. "He is a tremendously big body and active player inside. You have to account for him when he is in the game. I know they have to feel better knowing that he is going to be playing."

The biggest improvement for Tennessee is in the secondary, where the Titans start rookie cornerbacks. Reynaldo Hill and Jones are starting to play well together.
"The guys know their assignments a little bit better," Dungy said. "They are playing a little bit more man coverage and playing more aggressively and blitzing a little more."