NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Titans should beg the NFL to let them play the Cincinnati Bengals at least once every year.

The Titans rested Steve McNair and his aching chest, and backup Billy Volek responded by throwing for two touchdowns and 210 yards as the Titans beat the Bengals 27-20 Sunday for their first victory at home this season.

Gary Anderson kicked two field goals, and Chris Brown also ran for a touchdown and for 147 yards, his fifth 100-yard performance this season. The Titans snapped a two-game skid with their ninth victory in 10 games against their old AFC Central foe Cincinnati (2-5).

Tennessee (3-5) sacked Carson Palmer four times, hit him repeatedly, batted down four passes behind the line and forced him into an interception and a fumble.

Still, the Titans nearly blew a 14-point lead as Palmer tried to rally the Bengals in the final 2:35, marching them to the Tennessee 9.

But tackle Albert Haynesworth sacked Palmer on first-and-goal, knocking the ball loose, and end Juqua Thomas recovered to seal the victory.

The Bengals wanted to ride the emotion from their 23-10 victory last week in their first Monday night game since 1992, and looked good on the opening drive as Palmer hit all six passes to set up a 28-yard field goal.

Tennessee, which had lost five of the last six, kept the Bengals in the game after building leads of 13-3 and 27-13, the last on Brown’s 1-yard run at the end of the third quarter.

Safety Madieu Williams pulled Cincinnati within 13-10 after stepping in front of Volek’s pass for Derrick Mason and returning the ball 51 yards at the beginning of the third quarter. Shayne Graham later tied the game at 13 with a 50-yard field goal.

After Brown’s TD put the Titans up 27-13, Palmer hit T.J. Houshmandzadeh on a short pass that he turned into a 62-yarder to the Tennessee 6 after Titans safety Tank Williams missed the tackle. Rudi Johnson scored on a 6-yard run on the next play.

Palmer finished 20-of-36 for 247 yards, while Rudi Johnson had just 57 yards on 17 carries.

Tennessee went three-and-out on three of its final four possessions.

With McNair wearing warmups on the sideline, Volek played well enough as he drove the Titans to two field goals that gave them a 6-3 lead. Tennessee held the Bengals to just 17 yards in the second quarter as the Bengals at one point backed themselves from their 35 to the 12 with three straight penalties before going three-and-out.

The Titans led 13-3 at halftime after they ran out the final 6:24 with a drive kept alive twice converting fourth downs, including Volek’s 1-yard TD toss to Meier as time expired.

AP-ES-10-31-04 1627EST