By Terry McCormick, sports@timesfreepress.com

NASHVILLE — In the postgame interview room beneath Soldier Field on Sunday, Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins explained the large gash across his nose.

It seems he shot a six-point buck last Friday, and the recoil from the muzzleloader caught him squarely in the face.

His Titans now have the feeling of being the hunted. With a 9-0 record after their 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears, they have become the trophy prey of the NFL

“I was kind of hoping that we were getting every team’s best shot before, but it’s getting more fun each week, because other teams are coming out gunning for us,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said Monday. “Even yesterday, that first couple of series against the Bears, they came out real tough like they were kind of going to push us around. That’s how their offense was acting.

“Then everything settled down and the story was told. That definitely gives other teams extra motivation to try and beat us. But little do they know, we’re not trying to go undefeated. We’re trying to win as many games and get home-field advantage for the playoffs.”

The Titans have a leg up on the AFC in the race for home-field advantage, holding a three-game lead over four teams after Indianapolis’ victory Sunday at Pittsburgh.

“I just started to pay attention to that yesterday on the plane, watching that Pittsburgh-Indy game,” Bulluck said. “It’s all about what we do first. The years before we were more in a position to worry about if this team does this, whereas now we just have to keep playing consistently good football and everything else will take care of itself.”

Coach Jeff Fisher, of course, is preaching that his Titans continue to take the old “one game at a time” approach and to be especially wary of the Jaguars team they visit this Sunday. Jacksonville is only 4-5 but has been hampered by injuries.

“Look what Jacksonville did to Indy (in week 3) when they went to Indy,” Fisher said. “They answered the call there and found a way to win that thing. It was at the end, but they found a way to win it despite the fact that they were very banged up. This is a tough place to play for us, and we’ll get their best shot.”

Playing with pain

Bulluck didn’t practice any of last week because of cracked rib cartilage and will probably go through the same routine this week. But that didn’t stop him from having a strong game Sunday with 12 tackles.

“It’s one of those things that can’t get any worse,” he said of the injury. “I do my healing through the week, and Sunday I went out there and played.”

Bulluck admitted he needs about three to six weeks to heal and estimated that he currently is about 90 percent.

Having made 106 straight starts, Bulluck said he would pull himself from the lineup only if it risked further injury or hurt the team.

“For the most part, if I’m out there, there’s only one way I can play,” he said. “I’m not going to go out there where I feel the opposing team can take advantage of me or my team with me playing with a slight injury.

“I do think there are a lot of soft people in this game today. Some of the injuries I hear that go around the league and why people aren’t playing, some people, it really doesn’t matter that much to them. I think even if we were 0-8, I probably would have still went out there, because that is my opportunity to play football, and you don’t get too many.”

Other injury updates

Titans cornerback Nick Harper will have tests run on his injured ankle. Harper was replaced in Sunday’s game by Eric King.

Both fullback Ahmard Hall and receiver Justin McCareins suffered concussions and will be monitored throughout the week.

Also, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, inactive Sunday to rest his injured groin, will be day-to-day.

‘We’re getting there’

Collins said this group of Titans has the potential to be his best team in 14 years in the NFL, rivaling the 2000 New York Giants who went to the Super Bowl and the 1996 Carolina Panthers, who reached the NFC championship game in just their second year of existence. But, he said, there still is much unfinished business.

“We’re getting there,” he said. “So much of what makes a good season is what happens in the second half of the year. So far it’s been good and we’ve done what we needed to do. But there’s a heck of a lot of football left to play.”

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