Nashville, Tenn. ? Maybe now Steve McNair will get the attention the Tennessee Titans think he deserves.

After all, this is a quarterback who shrugs off a thumb injury as all in a day’s work and puts his team within one win of the Super Bowl.

In a league where quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Rich Gannon and Michael Vick are headline acts, McNair plays on a smaller stage. He did not make the Pro Bowl, nor for that matter did anyone on the Titans.

“I’m so glad we’re able to advance so people can really appreciate Steve’s performance and what he’s done this year,” Titans running back Eddie George said. “Now we’re on a bigger platform. It allows people to appreciate him for the type of player he is.”

His composure and grit were on full display Saturday night when the Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-31 in overtime to advance to the AFC title game. He drove the Titans downfield in the extra period to set up Joe Nedney’s winning field goal, a 26-yarder that came on a third attempt.

McNair slammed his right hand into a helmet in the fourth quarter, numbing his thumb. Doctors cut off a piece of hanging flesh from the thumb and bandaged the finger.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Sunday it was not a bad wound, although he initially thought the thumb might be bent.

Once bandaged, McNair told Fisher he was going to finish what he started. He says he usually plays better injured.

“So sometimes I look forward to it. It happens,” McNair said. “This is the style of play that I play — being physical, running the football, making adjustments on the pass, avoiding the rush. Those sorts of things go with the total package of a quarterback.”

McNair is a big reason why Tennessee has been able to make a turnaround from a 1-4 start and advance to the AFC championship game for the second time in four years.

A succession of injuries — turf toe, sore ribs, tight back — kept McNair from practicing the final five weeks of the regular season. He still led the Titans to five straight victories and a first-round bye.

Against the Steelers, McNair was 27-of-44 for 338 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second-best passing performance this season.