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Titans-49ers Live Updates, Analysis

Tennessee (9-5) has lost more than it has won of late. The opposite is true of San Francisco (8-6).
David Boclair|
Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

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Tennessee TitansSan Francisco 49ers

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans typically have a pretty good idea of what they’re up against when they play on Thursday night.

This time is an exception. The matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at Nissan Stadium is their first Thursday night game against an NFC opponent since 2008, when they faced Detroit in a Thanksgiving contest.

Eight of their last 10 were against teams from their division, either Indianapolis or Jacksonville, teams they face twice a year every year. The exceptions during that span (2012, 2017) were both games against Pittsburgh, a team that happens to show up on the schedule more often than not.

The last time Tennessee and San Francisco played was 2017.

“You are trying to get in as much as you can,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said of this week’s preparations. “You don’t want to burn yourself out, so to speak. Rest and recovery is huge. Still [you] want to be prepared. [You] still want to see what they have done on tape.”

The Titans are 9-5 but have lost three of their last four. The 49ers are 8-6 and have won five of their last six.

So, regardless of how much Tennessee learned about the opponent during a short week, it needs to figure out how to win again.

On to kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

Tennessee wins the coin toss and defers its option until the second half. San Francisco will get the ball first.

The opening kickoff reaches the end zone for a touchback. 49ers’ ball at the 25.

Buster Skrine starts at cornerback opposite Kristian Fulton. Jackrabbit Jenkins, who missed the last two games with an injury, apparently will be a situational sub in this one.

(9:57) The 49ers march down the field in nine plays – and never faced a third down – to a touchdown. Jeff Wilson capped it with a 1-yard run after Deebo Samuel’s 23-yard catch-and-run, which was the longest play of the possession. Scoring drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:03. SAN FRANCISCO 7, TENNESSEE 0

San Francisco joins Arizona, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and New England as the only teams to score a first-quarter touchdown against Tennessee this season.

Second-round pick Dillon Radunz starts at left tackle in place of Taylor Lewan. It is his first NFL start after limited playing time (all at guard) in the first 14 games.

(6:31) A draw on third-and-15 from the 47 elicits some boos after it nets just three yards. Three plays earlier Ryan Tannehill connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for 14 yards on third-and-11. Tannehill was sacked for a loss on eight yards on the subsequent first down, which created another long-yardage situation.

(5:48) Brett Kern’s first punt of the night is a touchback.

(3:54) A screen pass to Kyle Juszczyk gains 26 yards to the Tennessee 40. To make matters worse, a facemask penalty against Kristian Fulton adds 15 yards.

(1:36) Jackrabbit Jenkins intercepts a pass in the end zone and foils San Francisco’s chance for an early double-digit lead. Jenkins is the third cornerback but playing outside in the nickel with Buster Skrine in the slot.

San Francisco’s offense has run 17 plays and gained 132 yards but still has not faced a third down.

(0:12) A.J. Brown’s first touch is an end-around (officially it’s a pass because the ball went forward) on third-and-3 from the Tennessee 27. It loses three yards. The Titans will punt again to start the second quarter. 

The Titans had 11 yards on nine plays in the first 15 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER 

(12:16) The 49ers finally face a third down. It is third-and-4 from the Tennessee 35. It’s a handoff to JaMycal Hasty for three yards.

(11:35) San Francisco goes for it on fourth down and keeps moving with an 11-yard reception by Deebo Samuel.

(9:40) Another third down. This one third-and-11 from the 21. Jimmy Garoppalo’s 4-yard scramble is negated by a face mask penalty that makes it third-and-26 from the 36.

(8:35) The 49ers settle for a 48-yard field goal attempt after a 6-yard Deebo Samuel reception. Robbie Gould’s kick is good. Scoring drive: 11 plays, 33 yards, 6:19. SAN FRANCISCO 10, TENNESSEE 0 

(6:42) A.J. Brown with receptions on second and third down for 11 and 4 yards, respectively, and the Titans overcome a chop block penalty against Dillon Radunz and Aaron Brewer that cost them 13 yards on the first play of this possession.

Brown now has three receptions for 12 yards.

(4:50) Back to Brown on third down. This time on third-and-2 from the 44. It’s incomplete and the Titans have to punt for the third time.

Tannehill has targeted Brown on four of his eight passes so far.

(3:56) The Titans defense finally starts to look like the Titans defense. San Francisco goes three-and-out capped by a Denico Autry sack for a loss of 7 yards.

(3:14) Mike Vrabel calls a timeout before the punt because he wants a video review. It appears Garoppolo fumbled on the sack. No review. Presumably, officials ruled forward progress had been stopped.

(3:07) After a short punt (30 yards), Tennessee starts at the San Francisco 45. 

(1:55) D’Onta Foreman’s 32-yard run to the 1-yard-line is negated by two penalties: holding against Geoff Swaim and a facemask against Foreman on an attempted stiff-arm. It is first-and-20 from the Tennessee 43.

(1:27) The Titans can’t overcome the penalty and have to punt from the San Francisco 43. The 49ers call their first timeout to preserve some clock. 

(0:00) The 49ers got the ball at their own 10 and got as far as the 33 before the end of the half.

It’s San Francisco 10, Tennessee 0 at halftime.

The Titans have been held scoreless in the first half for the second time this season. The first was their loss to Houston on Nov. 21.

The offense has 55 yards on 21 plays. Ryan Tannehill is 10-13 for 40 yards. A.J. Brown has five receptions (seven targets) for 24 yards. Dontrell Hilliard is the leading rusher with 15 yards on three carries. 

THIRD QUARTER

The Titans will get the ball first. It’s a touchback. First down at the 25. 

(8:49) The offense converted third downs with receptions by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (24 yards) and A.J. Brown (18 and 13 yards). The drive finally stalls at the San Francisco 20, however. Tennessee’s first points come from a 38-yard Randy Bullock field goal. Scoring drive: 13 plays, 55 yards, 6:15. SAN FRANCISCO 10, TENNESSEE 3

The Titans had as many yards on that possession as they did the entire first half.

(8:45) San Francisco's first play of the half is an interception. Jimmy Garoppolo misses Deebo Samuel and hits Amani Hooker, who returns it to the San Francisco 18. 

(7:17) D’Onta Foreman runs it in from three yards for the touchdown. Scoring drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 1:23. TENNESSEE 10, SAN FRANCISCO 10

In a span of 1:32, Tennessee goes from a 10-point deficit to a tie game.

(3:17) Rookie defensive lineman Naquan Jones is hurt. He has been credited with four tackles, which ties his career-high, in this one as well as a pass defenses.

(2:15) The 49ers line up to go for it on fourth and less than a yard but are called for a false start. They elect to go for it anyway, and Garoppolo’s pass to Brandon Aiyuk is incomplete.

Tennessee Takes over at its own 41.

(0:00) The quarter ends with a 42-yard reception by A.J. Brown on third-and-22. San Francisco jumped offside, Ryan Tannehill took his shot with the free play and made the 49ers pay. The fourth quarter will start with Tennessee at the 49ers’ 30-yard-line. 

(13:06) The next play is Tannehill to Brown for a touchdown, and the Titans have their first lead. Scoring drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:51. TENNESSEE 17, SAN FRANCISCO 10

Brown now has 10 catches (15 targets) for 127 yards and one touchdown. The rest of the Titans have eight catches (10 targets) for 41 yards.

(9:31) The 49ers punt after a holding penalty and a Bud Dupree sack made it second-and-29, which was too much to overcome. The punt is downed at the Tennessee 3. 

(5:44) The Titans punt it away, and Kern's kick is downed at the 4. An 18-yard completion to A.J. Brown (who else?) got the offense some breathing room, but the drive ends short of midfield when Brown throws incomplete on a questionable trick play on second down, and Tannehill is sacked on third down. 

(2:20) San Francisco ties it up with a 2-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Aiyuk. The big play was a 56-yard catch-and-run by Deebo Samuel that got the 49ers down to the Tennessee 6. Scoring drive: 8 plays, 95 yards, 2:28. TENNESSEE 17, SAN FRANCISCO 17

(1:20) The Titans cross midfield when Ryan Tannehill scrambles for 23 yards to the San Francisco 31. The 49ers call timeout with 1:05 to play as the clock is now an issue for them. 

(0:54) Three runs force the 49ers to exhaust their timeouts, gain five yards and set up Randy Bullock for a 44-yard field goal attempt. The Titans let the clock run down to 0:09 before they call timeout.

The kick is good.

Scoring drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 2:16. TENNESSEE 20, SAN FRANCISCO 17

(0:04) After a touchback on the kickoff, the 49ers have one chance to pull off something truly unexpected. They can’t do it. A series of laterals got them as far as midfield before they gave ground, and the Titans got the stop.

A.J. Brown finished with 145 yards and one touchdown on 11 receptions. That was more than half of Tennessee’s total offense for the contest (278 yards). 

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David Boclair
DAVID BOCLAIR

David Boclair has covered the Tennessee Titans for multiple news outlets since 1998. He is award-winning journalist who has covered a wide range of topics in Middle Tennessee as well as Dallas-Fort Worth, where he worked for three different newspapers from 1987-96. As a student journalist at Southern Methodist University he covered the NCAA's decision to impose the so-called death penalty on the school's football program.

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