BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Gary Anderson exorcised some playoff demons. So did the Tennessee Titans against the Baltimore Ravens.
Anderson drilled a 46-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining, giving the Titans a dramatic 20-17 victory over the Ravens in the AFC wild card round.
Titans quarterback Steve McNair struggled for the much of the contest against the Ravens' vaunted defense, but the NFL's co-MVP was at his best when he had to be to set up the 44-year-old Anderson.
Taking over at his own 44-yard line with 2:44 remaining, McNair went 3-of-3 for 22 yards on the winning drive. His 13-yard completion to Derrick Mason moved the Titans to the Ravens' 33.
Four plays later, Anderson split the uprights with his longest kick of the season to give the Titans the win. The NFL's all-time leading scorer and oldest player kicked a 45-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter.
"There was a certain amount of pressure, but I have been in these situations before," Anderson said. "The leg doesn't have the Tiger Woods 5-iron anymore, but I still have confidence in myself."
"Once you know you can get into his range, we knew we felt good about it," McNair said.
Even though he has been a model of consistency throughout his career, Anderson is best known for one of his misses. In the 1999 NFC championship game with the Minnesota Vikings, Anderson had a streak of 39 consecutive field goals snapped when he missed from 38 yards in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta eventually advanced with a 30-27 victory in overtime.
McNair threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Justin McCareins in the third quarter for the Titans (13-4), who stopped a five-game losing streak against their former division rivals. One of the the losses came in the divisional round of the 2000 playoffs, when the Titans were the top seed.
"It was great to just get this burden off us," Titans cornerback Samari Rolle said. "Nobody in here doubted we could win. We got tired of hearing 'They don't want to play Baltimore' and 'Five straight losses.' It's not even the same team."
McNair, who appeared to aggravate a right calf injury, completed 14-of-23 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. It matched his most interceptions in a game since November 2002 against Baltimore.
Tennessee will meet New England or Kansas City next weekend in the divisional playoffs.
Anthony Wright threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap with 4 1/2 minutes remaining for the Ravens (10-7), tying it at 17-17.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Wright was intercepted by cornerback Samari Rolle in his own territory, setting up Anderson's 45-yard field goal with 9:13 remaining that gave the Titans a 17-10 lead.
But Wright, who was making his first career playoff start, responded by going 5-of-6 for 80 yards on the drive that ended with his pass to Heap.
With the Titans stacking the box to shut down Jamal Lewis, Wright attempted 37 passes, completing 20 for 214 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
"It's always disappointing to come this far and not win," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Every team in the playoffs, except for one, is going to come away with this feeling and it's not a good one."
Lewis, whose 2,066 yards this season were second in the NFL history, was limited to 35 on 14 carries against the league's top run defense.
"I knew they were going to soften up sooner or later, but we just didn't stick with it," Lewis said. "I think they did soften up in the fourth quarter, but we didn't pound it like we should."
"You can't discredit him for what he did, but when the playoffs come, it's a new season," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "We don't have the No. 1 rush defense for no reason."
It was a much better afternoon for Eddie George, who was able to carry the load despite playing the second half with a dislocted left shoulder. He carried 25 times for 88 yards.
"He surpassed the 10,000-yard mark last week and has never missed a ballgame," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "That is why he is a warrior."
One of McNair's interceptions was returned 56 yards for a touchdown by free safety Will Demps in the first quarter, tying it at 7-7.
Baltimore, which did not register its initial first down until the final five minutes of the opening half, took a 10-7 lead into intermission on a Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal.
McNair put the Titans back on top, 14-10, with 7:59 left in the third quarter with a 49-yard TD pass to McCareins down the left sideline.
