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BALTIMORE (AP) -There are two distinct ways to look at Sunday's game between the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.
It's either a showdown between two teams seeking to fortify their role as surprise contenders in the AFC. Or, for those with a keen sense of history, it's the renewal of a rivalry that once was as intense as any in the NFL.
Around the beginning of the new millennium, the Titans and Ravens ruled the AFC Central. They played twice a year, and in the 2000 season they met for a third time, in the playoffs after Tennessee won the division with a 13-3 record and Baltimore finished as a wild-card entrant.
Ray Lewis wrestled a short pass away from Eddie George and took the interception 50 yards for a touchdown in a 24-10 victory. Then the Ravens beat Kerry Collins and the New York Giants 34-7 in the Super Bowl.
Two seasons later, Tennessee got revenge by knocking Baltimore out of the playoffs.
The AFC Central is gone. So are George, Steve McNair and Brian Billick - key figures in those Tennessee-Baltimore confrontations. But those Ravens who have been around a while will always remember the Titans.
"Those teams always come back up," Lewis said. "We were once in the division together to where we had one of the more classic rivalries, and now we're another type of rivals. They're playing great, great football over there, and we're playing good football. So here we go again."
Tennessee (4-0) is off to the best start in franchise history and one of only three unbeaten NFL teams. Baltimore (2-1) is playing far better than expected under first-year coach John Harbaugh and with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.
So, even if these teams didn't have the past to refer to, the game would be important. But they do have a history, and those who were part of it can't let go.
Immediately after the Titans beat Minnesota last week, it was rumored that Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher openly declared his hatred for the Ravens.
"Jeff didn't say anything like that. Someone else did," said linebacker Keith Bulluck, a Titan since 2000.
Who?
"It was me," Bulluck said.
