PITTSBURGH -- LenDale White stomped on one on national television.

Defensive end Jevon Kearse used it to blow his nose.

The Terrible Towel, a symbol of the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans since 1975, received the treatment of an unwelcome house guest during the holidays at LP Field on Sunday.

"My team has been in a position of where it has been down for years, and we've gradually come back to the top. I don't care. You know what I'm saying. I really don't care ... Anybody that's going to come through here in the playoffs, we plan to stomp them out. That has to be our stand," linebacker Keith Bulluck said after the Titans' 31-14 victory over the Steelers.

Despite playing at home, the Titans (13-2) were underdogs to the visiting Steelers (11-4).

But what the Titans really didn't appreciate was the amount of Terrible Towels in the stands during the game.

"They'd been waving their towels all day, so it was our turn to wave some towels," rookie running back Chris Johnson told the Chattanooga Times Free Press after the game.

Johnson scored a 21-yard touchdown on fourth and inches to put the Titans ahead 17-14.

While the Titans aren't sweating any repercussions over disrespecting the Terrible Towel, history might not bode too well for the men from Music City.

In 2005, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his feet with one after scoring a touchdown.

That was the last time the Bengals would get into the endzone that day as the Steelers would rally to win 31-17.

Cleveland running back Earnest Byner stepped on one prior to a 1994 playoff game, but it was the Steelers who stomped on the Browns 29-9.

The Steelers, No.2 in the AFC, and the Titans (No.1) have both clinched first-round byes in the playoffs.

If both teams win their divisional games, that would set up a playoff meeting between the two for the first time since 2002.

The Steelers finished the regular season 10-5-1 that year before the Titans knocked them out of the playoffs 34-31 in overtime during a divisional round matchup in Nashville.

Kicker Joe Nedney missed a 31-yard field goal attempt for the Titans in overtime, but a running into the kicker penalty on cornerback Dewayne Washington gave him a second chance -- this time from 26 yards -- and the win.