By Shawn Clarke, Contributing NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - Jeff Fisher took over as head coach of the Houston Oilers back in 1994 and he didn't make a playoff run until the newly-named Tennessee Titans reached the Super Bowl in 1999.

Fisher and the Titans captured their first division title the following season, and he's one win away from leading the franchise to its third division championship during his lengthy tenure, and first since 2002. Tennessee has a favorable matchup Sunday afternoon, when the Cleveland Browns pay a visit to LP Field in a showdown between old AFC Central rivals.

The Titans are well rested after improving to 11-1 on the season with a 47-10 pounding of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. A ground attack led by rookie Chris Johnson and LenDale White responded in dramatic fashion after Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season versus the New York Jets on November 23.

Tennessee had a chance to clinch the AFC South last weekend until Indianapolis squeezed out a 10-6 victory over the Browns this past Sunday.

So now the Titans just need to win on Sunday to end the rival Colts' five-year reign of division supremacy. Even if the Titans lose and Indy drops a decision to Cincinnati, Tennessee will win the AFC South. Tennessee also owns a two- game lead on Pittsburgh with four to go in the battle for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Titans will host the Steelers on December 21.

Fisher's squad can clinch a first-round bye with a win and a New York Jets loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Cleveland is fighting for a respectable record this season, as it sits 4-8 and second to last in the AFC North standings. The club has lost two in a row and four of five games, including Sunday's tough setback to the Colts at home. The Browns were already without quarterback Brady Quinn due to a fractured finger, giving Derek Anderson his job back before he went down for the season with a torn MCL in his left knee against Indianapolis. Quinn recent underwent surgery on his right index finger, while Anderson is not expected to go under the knife.

Anderson started the first eight games of the season after a sensational 2007 campaign, but Quinn took over after Anderson lost his winning touch. Now Ken Dorsey gets the starting nod for head coach Romeo Crennel, the journeyman quarterback's first since November of the 2005 season against Tennessee as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. The former Miami-Florida star will be making the 11th start of his six-year career.

Cleveland bolstered its depleted quarterback situation by signing Bruce Gradkowski on Tuesday. Gradkowski played his first two NFL seasons with Tampa Bay and went to training camp this year with St. Louis.

The Browns will try to play spoiler on Sunday and have an admirable 3-2 record on the road this season. They have won two straight as the guest and will also pay a visit to Philadelphia in Week 15.

SERIES HISTORY

Cleveland has a 33-26 lead in the all-time regular season series with Tennessee, and has won three in a row over the Titans including a 20-14 home victory in the most recent meeting, in 2005. Tennessee's last win in the series came in C-Town in 2001, and the team is 0-2 in home games against the Browns since last winning one in Nashville in 2000.

The Browns and Titans met twice per season as members of the AFC Central from 1970 through 2001.

In addition to the regular season series, the former division rivals met once in the playoffs, a 24-23 Oilers win at the Browns in a 1988 AFC First-Round playoff.

Fisher is 6-5 in his career against the Browns, while Crennel is 1-0 versus both Fisher and the Titans for the first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE BROWNS HAVE THE BALL

Crennel had no choice but to give Dorsey the starting nod for Sunday's game with Quinn and Anderson highlighting the names on the infirmary list. Dorsey went 0-for-3 with an interception in relief of Anderson against the Colts. He will have to revert back to his days as a Miami Hurricane in order to get anything accomplished against a tough Tennessee defense. Dorsey, a seventh- round draft pick of the 49ers in 2003, was 38-2 as a starter at Miami-Florida, which won the national championship in 2001. He will make the 11th start of his career for Cleveland's 29th-rated passing offense, but will be without tight end and team receptions leader Kellen Winslow (43 receptions, 3 TD), who will miss Sunday's game with a high ankle sprain. Winslow will keep his left ankle in a walking boot for up to a week and be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Steve Heiden (19 receptions) will most likely start again at tight end. Braylon Edwards (42 receptions, 3 TD) leads the Browns in receiving yards and is averaging 84 per game over Cleveland's last two road tests. Edwards hasn't reached the end zone in four straight games and has two 100-yard receiving games in 2008.

Tennessee is one of the toughest teams to throw on, as evidenced by its fourth-rated pass defense. It held the Lions to 131 yards through the air on Thanksgiving and also posted an interception. Cornerback Nick Harper (47 tackles, 2 INT) was back in action and finished with four tackles and three passes defensed. Top cornerback and interceptions leader Cortland Finnegan (57 tackles, sack, 5 INT) had three stops on Thursday. Finnegan is tied for second in the league with five picks in 2008. Safeties Chris Hope (63 tackles, 1 sack, 4 INT) and Michael Griffin (57 tackles, 1 sack, 4 INT) will pose as big threats against Edwards and any other Cleveland receiver given a chance to catch a pass.

Since the Browns' are without their top two quarterbacks, they will be feeding the ball to running back Jamal Lewis a lot. Lewis (793 rushing yards, 4 TD) had 77 yards on 24 carries -- his second-highest total of the season -- last week, but it wasn't enough to help Cleveland run past Indianapolis. Lewis hasn't reached the 100-yard rushing mark this season and will most likely fail in his bid on Sunday against the stout Tennessee run defense. The bruising veteran has been kept out of the end zone in each of the past six weeks. Lewis needs 207 yards to become the first Cleveland running back since Mike Pruitt to gain 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons. Jerome Harrison (244 rushing yards, TD) will spell Lewis at times and is a faster option for Crennel out of the backfield.

The Titans defense held Detroit to 154 total yards, the lowest output by a Tennessee opponent since Dallas ended with just 95 yards on December 25, 2000. Defensive linemen Dave Ball (24 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT), Kyle Vanden Bosch (23 tackles, 4.5 sacks), Jacob Ford (12 tackles, 4 sacks) and Kevin Vickerson (14 tackles, 1.5 sacks) each had a sack on Thanksgiving. Ball recorded the first interception and touchdown of his career after picking off Daunte Culpepper and returning it 15 yards for a score in the first quarter. Stud defensive tackle and team sack leader Albert Haynesworth (44 tackles, 8.5 sacks) was a vital cog in stuffing the Lions' run game and will no doubt b used collapse the pocket on Cleveland. Linebacker and captain Keith Bulluck (75 tackles, 0.5 sacks) is expected to start his 110th straight game on Sunday.

WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL

Titans quarterback Kerry Collins had another relatively easy game on Thanksgiving, thanks to another strong effort by the team's run game. Collins (2125 yards passing yards, 9 TD, 4 INT) was 11-of-18 passing for 127 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He has six touchdown passes and just one pick over his last seven games and will try to get the Titans' 24th-ranked passing attack in gear Sunday at Cleveland. The Browns have a talented secondary, but must be able to contain tight end Bo Scaife (48 receptions, 2 TD) and wideouts Justin Gage (24 receptions, 4 TD) and Justin McCareins (19 receptions). Scaife leads the team in receptions and receiving yards (498), while McCareins led the wide receivers against the Lions with 43 yards on two catches. Reserve quarterback Vince Young saw action for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 1, completing his only pass to running back Ahmard Hall for 54 yards.

The Browns are not known for their pass defense, but were able to contain Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in a losing effort a week ago. Manning threw for just 125 yards against Cleveland's 17th-rated pass defense and was picked off by cornerback Brandon McDonald (55 tackles, 3 INT) and strong safety Sean Jones (40 tackles, 2 INT). McDonald also had two passes defensed and owns two interceptions over his last three games. Tennessee doesn't have much of a threatening aerial attack and will be matched up against a tough Cleveland secondary. Cornerback Eric Wright (51 tackles, 3 INT) and free safety Brodney Pool (46 tackles, 1 sack, 3 INT) will help out in coverage. Wright, McDonald and Pool are all tied for the team lead in interceptions. The Browns didn't record any sacks last week, which made the job a bit harder for the secondary.

Johnson (958 rushing yards, 7 TD) showed off his world class speed and White displayed his dancing skills with two touchdowns apiece on Thanksgiving. Johnson ran for 125 yards and scored twice in the first quarter and White had two touchdowns in the second period while finishing with 106 yards rushing for the Titans, who rushed 46 times for 292 yards, the third-highest total in team history. It was also the seventh game in franchise history in which two players topped 100 rushing yards. Tennessee is sixth in rushing this season, averaging 138.7 yards per game on the ground. Johnson is second in the AFC in rushing yards, while White (575 rushing yards, 13 TD) is tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns.

Cleveland had perhaps its best defensive showing against a tough Indy team, and played especially well against the run. The Browns are allowing 141.3 rushing yards per game this season, but held Colts running back Joseph Addai to 57 yards on 15 carries. The front line of Shaun Rogers (55 tackles, 4.5 sacks), Corey Williams (35 tackles, 0.5 sacks) and Shaun Smith (21 tackles) plugged Addai's running lanes and forced Manning to throw. The three combined for eight stops on Sunday. Cleveland, which hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in two straight games, has talented linebackers who match up well with Tennessee's weapons on offense. Leading tackler D'Qwell Jackson (115 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) had a team-high seven stops against the Colts and will team up with Andra Davis (60 tackles, 1 INT) and Kamerion Wimbley (48 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) in order to slow down Johnson and keep White at bay. Rookie linebacker Alex Hall (23 tackles, 3 sacks) is tied for first among AFC rookies in sacks.

FANTASY FOCUS

Most fantasy leagues are entering the playoff rounds, so this week is very important for those who own either Johnson, White or the Tennessee defense. The running back duo has been excellent this year and should have no problem against a Cleveland team that has already packed up for the offseason. The Titans defense was a big lift last week in Detroit and will produce similar numbers at home versus the Browns. Only insert Collins into the lineup in an emergency, since he is a risky choice as a starter. Lewis and Edwards are the only fantasy-worthy players for Cleveland, since both starting quarterbacks are out and Winslow is nursing an injured ankle.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Titans are so close to popping the corks on an AFC South title that Cleveland will pose as no threat this Sunday in Nashville. Tennessee is set up nicely to have a letdown this week, but its defense is too good to let the woeful Browns mount any sort of momentum. Haynesworth, Bulluck and Finnegan should have no problem defending the seldom-used Dorsey, while Johnson and White will put forth another colossal afternoon on the ground against a subpar Browns defense. Indy's reign as AFC South champions will finally come to a close Sunday, thanks to one of the best teams ever assembled in the history of the Houston/Tennessee franchise.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Titans 30, Browns 17