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Three Takeaways From Titans' Expected Loss vs. 49ers

The Tennessee Titans were able to put up 24 points against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Titans

Coming off their best offensive performance of the season, the Tennessee Titans once again surpassed 20 points. The San Francisco 49ers defense may be down a few key pieces, but they're still no joke. Having improved to 10-4, it's clear just how good that team really is.

The Titans now sit at 2-12 after dropping their fifth road game of the year. They'll return home in Week 16 against a Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs team in a game that could be extremely interesting.

Regardless, there were a few things that stood out when the Titans traveled to Levi's Stadium. They hung in there for quite a bit, but a couple of late scores made the scoreboard look not as bad as it truly was.

1. Titans Need This Version Of Tony Pollard

In the last two weeks, Pollard has been up to par. When Tennessee signed him, this is the veteran they expected to lead their backfield. In his last two games, he has 265 yards with three touchdowns.

Pollard is well on his way to another 1,000 yard season, something that didn't seem possible at the start of the year. When Pollard gets going, it makes Cam Ward's life so much easier. As long as he can keep this up, the Titans will have to seriously consider keeping him around.

2. Cam Ward Needs Competent Receivers

Chimere Dike is primarily a special teams guy, not a wide receiver. Van Jefferson has been horrendous all year long. Elic Ayomanor leads the league in drops. Calvin Ridley has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Gunnar Helm was shaken up against the 49ers. Tyler Lockett requested his release.

Clearly, there are a few problems with the options Ward has. He was able to slightly get back on track as his completion percentage rose to 62.1%, but he's still missing quite a few throws. Sure, drops aren't helping his case, but it's as much on Ward as it is his receivers, or lack thereof.

3. Titans Defense Needs An Overhaul

Seemingly every week, quarterbacks are able to do whatever they want against this Titans secondary. Every time these players step out onto the field, they're getting picked apart. Brock Purdy looked nearly flawless as he finished 23/30 for 295 yards with three touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey was questionable going into the game, but he had 22 carries for 73 yards with a touchdown. He wasn't effective in the passing game, but he didn't need to be as Jauan Jennings hauled in a pair of touchdowns and George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall finished with 88+ yards.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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