Steve McNair was brilliant in his return to the field last week.

Last week's game between the Titans and the Rams, the biggest so far this season, matched a 5-1 team against a 6-0 club. But the expectations for the Titans and the Rams were less than great going into Week 1. The Dolphins, however, have had great expectations, and so has coach Jimmy Johnson, who is now in his fourth year in Miami and running behind in his three-year program to get the Dolphins to the Super Bowl.

As for the Titans, you can't discount the importance of them finally having a home. Playing true home games has given Tennessee a tremendous amount of confidence. In addition, the Titans have proven the value of a good backup quarterback. Neil O'Donnell stepped in and did a great job in Steve McNair's absence. O'Donnell won four of his five starts, allowing the Titans to stay in position to lead the AFC Central.

McNair, now back at the helm, brings that added dimension of running the football. His athleticism will be a big concern for the Dolphins.

If McNair drops back in the pocket, he will not run as effectively outside the red area. But in the red zone, with the Dolphins playing man-to-man against the Titans' running backs and receivers, McNair can hurt the Miami defense by running the ball.

Both McNair and Dolphins quarterback Damon Huard will get shots at making big plays in the passing game. At the same time, the Titans like to run with Eddie George, even though he has yet to post big numbers this year. In Miami, Johnson has placed an emphasis on rookie Cecil Collins running the football.

The Titans and the Dolphins are at their best when they rush the passer, bring pressure and use a lot of different defensive looks. The two teams play similar, aggressive styles of defense, favoring man-to-man coverage. Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse is the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He's just playing sensational football.

Meanwhile, Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas is on his way to another Pro Bowl, excelling against both the pass and the run. This will truly be a mano-a-mano football game.

Here are the keys for both teams in Sunday night's game:

Tennessee Titans
1. Deep shots: McNair needs to throw the ball downfield to Kevin Dyson and Yancey Thigpen, who should be in single coverage against Miami cornerbacks Sam Madison and Terrell Buckley. I don't expect the Titans to run the ball with any more success than they have.

If the Titans can gain 100 yards on the ground, that would be a good day. But the rules today favor deep passing. I would like to see more teams go deep like the Titans do, especially with talent like Dyson and Thigpen. The Dolphins will be called for defensive holding or pass interference at least three times in the game. The corners will either yank a receiver down or fight someone, but Johnson doesn't mind. He will take a penalty rather than getting beat for a touchdown.

2. No third and longs: The Titans will be prone to turnovers if they find themselves in a lot of long-yardage situations against an aggressive, attacking defense like Miami's. If the Titans face third-and-long, McNair will need to show how well he throws the football in the face of the blitz against single coverage. To me, that will be the key part of the offense for Tennessee.

3. Stop the run: Fisher prefers the old Bears' "46" defense, moving two linebackers over to one side and creating pass-rush situations and problems. But the Titans defense must keep the Dolphins from establishing a ground game outside the red zone. Johnson has made more of a commitment to the run with Collins. He wants to move the ball methodically, consume time on the clock and get the Dolphins offense in a position to score points in the red zone.

Miami Dolphins
1. Go get it, Gadsden: The key will be getting Oronde Gadsden, a tall receiver, matched up against the Titans cornerbacks in the red zone. Look for Huard to go to Gadsden with a lob pass toward the corner. He will throw it in the air and let the big guy go after the ball.

Miami offensive coordinator Kippy Brown has done a good job with Huard, who has shown a lot of poise hanging in the pocket, finding receivers and getting rid of the ball. He gives them enough mobility to create a problem with the pass rush, but he won't hurt them running the ball. He is no Steve McNair. His mobility buys him time to make plays throwing the ball.

2. Tony, Tony, Tony: Tony Martin is the Dolphins receiver most capable of stretching the field with his speed. Miami must take shots using Martin downfield at least three times because he will be matched in single coverage against one of the Titans cornerbacks. The receivers will play a large part in the outcome.

3. Stop George: Even though the Titans have not run the ball well, they will still hand the ball to George and try to get some production the ground. So the Dolphins, ranked No. 2 in football against the run, must focus on him. The two defenses believe in putting a lot of defenders near the line of scrimmage. Led by Thomas, the Dolphins rely on a quick front seven and will play as many as eight men in the box, daring the Titans to challenge downfield.

Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He breaks down the Sunday night matchup every week for ESPN.com.