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BY STEVE DeSHAZO

Few observers would have pegged Tennessee and Arizona as Super Bowl contenders before the season, but both teams can start making their playoff plans.

With seven weeks left in the season, the Titans (9-0) and Cardinals (6-3) have seemingly insurmountable four-game leads in their respective divisions--and no real reason to fear a turnaround.

Both have plenty of motivation to keep playing well. Tennessee would like to match New England's perfect regular season of 2007, and Arizona is in the running for a first-round bye.

With playoff bids all but certain, coaches Jeff Fisher (Titans) and Ken Whisenhunt (Cardinals) would love to rest some of their older players in the final weeks of the regular season. But history and circumstance suggest that's a risky proposition.

Both teams' huge leads are the result of good health, strong play--and weak opposition. Arizona's three rivals in the NFC West (San Francisco, St. Louis and Seattle) are each 2-7.

The Titans also have benefited from struggles by their division opponents. Five-time defending AFC South champion Indianapolis is 5-4, due largely to age and injuries, and Jacksonville (4-5) is arguably the NFL's most disappointing team.

Barring a collapse, Tennessee could wrap up home-field edge for the AFC playoffs by Dec. 14, when the Titans complete a three-game run against Detroit (currently 0-9), Cleveland (3-6) and Houston (3-6).

If the Titans are still unbeaten at that point, Fisher may have to keep playing his regulars in pursuit of perfection. If they stumble before then, he could give veterans a little time off.

But with a likely first-round bye, he'll need to be careful to avoid the rust that plagued the Colts in 2005, when they went from 13-0 to a first-round elimination.

This is all new to the Cardinals, who have had one winning season since 1984 and have made the playoffs in just one non-strike season (1999) since 1975.

Arizona has veterans like MVP candidate Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James who have experienced playoff success elsewhere. So have head coach Ken Whisenhunt and lieutenant Russ Grimm.