NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Eddie George wouldn't mind playing the Oakland Raiders every week.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection had a career-high 249 total yards and two touchdowns as the Tennessee Titans beat the Raiders 21-14 on Thursday night.

	Oakland's Napoleon Kaufman is dragged down by Tennessee's Denard Walker to end a 50-yard pass play.

George carried 28 times for 199 yards, his most since getting 216 against the Raiders in 1997, against an Oakland defense that had been giving up just 90.3 a game. He also caught a career-high six passes for 50 yards.

"It's just ironic," George said of his great games against Oakland. "It's just the next team on the schedule.

The Titans (10-3) started slow, looking like they were still reeling from last weekend's loss in Baltimore, their worst in two years. But Oakland (6-7) was just as bad, missing two field goals in the scoreless first half.

Coach Jeff Fisher had a feeling that George, who had topped 100 yards rushing in only three games this season, was ready for a breakout performance.

"He was possessed all week. He had that look in his eye beginning about 4 o'clock Sunday," Fisher said of George, who carried only eight times for 32 yards against the Ravens.

George said the entire team was bitter over that 41-14 loss to the Ravens and wanted redemption.

"I think I finally found that game where I can just cut it loose," George said. "And I wanted it tonight. I wanted the win. I think everyone in this room wanted to win.

"We were quite upset. We wanted to come out and prove something not only to the fans and the nation but ourselves that we're a good team. We can bounce back from a defeat like that."

The Raiders made adjustments trying to stop George, but it didn't matter as they missed several tackles on the 6-foot-3, 240-pound back.

"He came out the other end when people hit him," Oakland linebacker Sam Sword said. "You've got to wrap up a big back like that."

The Titans wanted to make a good impression in their first national prime-time game since moving to Tennessee. They started slowly but woke up enough in the second half to seriously dent the Raiders' playoff hopes.

Oakland outgained Tennessee 364 yards to 307. But Jevon Kearse sacked the Raiders' Rich Gannon on their opening play, and the Titans finished with four sacks and three turnovers.

GAME NOTES

The teams have played in a different city the last four games -- Houston in 1991, Los Angeles in 1994, Memphis in 1997, and in Nashville on Thursday night. Jackie Slater joined Bruce Matthews in a ceremony before kickoff honoring the Titans guard for breaking Slater's record for most starts by an NFL offensive lineman. Matthews moved into sole possession of No. 7 on the starts list with his 261st start. The game featured the NFL's two youngest coaches in Oakland's Jon Gruden (36) and Tennessee's Jeff Fisher (41). Jevon Kearse forced a fumble just before halftime, giving him nine this season. That matches Tennessee's total from 1998. His sack total of 11½ is the most by a rookie since Baltimore's Peter Boulware had 11½ in 1997. Eddie George topped 5,000 rushing yards in his career on his fifth carry and became only the ninth player in NFL history to do that in his fourth season. He topped 1,000 yards this season on the first drive of the third quarter, becoming only the seventh player to top that mark in each of his first four seasons.

"I feel like we lost an opportunity tonight to climb right back into the thick of things," Oakland coach Jon Gruden said. "But we didn't."

George had a hand in six plays on the opening drive of the third quarter to set up Steve McNair's 1-yard keeper for a 7-0 lead. The Titans gained almost as many yards on the possession (75) as they got in all of the first half (99).

Oakland almost responded on the kickoff, but a holding call negated Napoleon Kaufman's 92-yard return to the Tennessee 7. The Raiders shook it off and went 90 yards, in 10 plays for Zack Crockett's 1-yard plunge and a 7-7 tie at 2:36 of the third.

George came through on the next drive with a 39-yard run, his longest since Week 6 in a victory over New Orleans, and he also caught a 20-yard pass from McNair before putting Tennessee ahead to stay with an 8-yard TD run. He added a 19-yard TD after Dainon Sidney's interception.

"Eddie George is a good running back, one of the best in the league, and he showed it tonight," Raiders linebacker Richard Harvey said.

Gannon finally found Rickey Dudley on a 3-yard TD with 3:59 remaining, but it wasn't enough as Oakland's Darrien Gordon lost a punt off his mask with 57 seconds left.

Tennessee's offense was stuck in neutral in the first half except for George. McNair, who still has not thrown a TD pass since Halloween, either threw short or just behind receivers, prompting fans to chant for backup Neil O'Donnell. McNair was just 5-of-11 for 44 yards and one interception in the half.

Oakland had no problem moving the ball against a Titans defense that gave up 41 points five days ago.

But the Raiders couldn't get near the end zone. Michael Husted, who had missed 10 field goals coming into the game, was wide left and short on a windy night.

The Raiders had one last chance to take a lead going into the half, but Kearse stripped Gannon of the ball, and Samari Rolle recovered at the Tennessee 9 with 34 seconds left.