The 49ers scored 37 points in a comfortable win over the Titans
The San Francisco 49ers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward had two incompletions on the first drive, leading to a three-and-out. Brock Purdy went 5-for-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown. George Kittle had a 23-yard reception, and Jauan Jennings caught a touchdown on third and goal to give the Niners an early 7-0 lead.
The Titans found more success on their second drive, picking up 17 yards and a couple of first downs. They were in San Francisco’s territory in a few plays. The Titans wound up gaining 63 yards, including a 22-yard run where Jason Pinnock and Curtis Robinson were nowhere to be found.
A 7-yard loss in the low red zone helped stop the Titans from reaching the end zone. They settled for a field goal to make it 7-3.
Purdy’s legs were responsible for an explosive play on the 49ers’ second drive. He rolled out and found Demarcus Robinson for a 30-yard gain. George Kittle ran over a safety en route to a 24-yard gain. Ricky Pearsall would return and end up drawing a pass interference call in the end zone. McCaffrey capped it off with a touchdown to give the Niners a 14-3 lead.
The Titans didn’t take long to answer that score. They dialed up a route combination, and Deommodore Lenoir chased the post when he shouldn’t have:
Ji’Ayir Brown did everything he could, but that wasn’t his play to make. That’s on Lenoir.
It looked as though the offense would stall, but Purdy found Pearsall on 3rd & 13. Purdy then scrambled for another first down. Up to that point, the 49ers were 6-for-6 on third down.
A 14-play drive ended in a field goal after Jennings couldn’t hold onto a 3rd & 11 pass. Eddy Pineiro’s kick was good to give the Niners a 17-10 lead.
Pineiro’s kickoff went out of bounds, but the play should never have happened. The ball began to move as he was kicking. Instead of blowing the play dead, the back judge didn’t see anything. Upton Stout was flagged for a holding call, giving the Titans a fresh set of downs before the half.
The drive should have ended shortly after. Ward overthrew his intended target, but Malik Mustapha, after getting two hands on the pass, dropped an easy interception.
The 49ers were lucky not to give up another touchdown, as Renardo Green was torched on a double move. Ward threw a poor pass, and the pass fell incomplete. The Titans’ 50-yard field goal was wide right, and the Niners would get the ball to begin the third quarter.
The Titans had six fewer yards than the Niners at the half, despite San Francisco running five more plays. The Titans achieved a first-down rate on 37 percent of their plays, which was the same number as the 49ers. That would need to change in the second half.
The 49ers wasted little time when they had the ball. McCaffrey broke a tackle and gained 14 yards. Ricky Pearsall had a 38-yarder where he ran away from the coverage. Jennings caught his second touchdown of the game, this one going for 13 yards. Purdy was under control, even when rolling out, which was promising to see. The Niners took a 24-10 lead.
After the defense got a much-needed stop, Purdy found Pearsall for 14 yards. Then, ‘ol reliable came through. Purdy got out of the pocket, used his patented pump fake, and went on to have the longest scramble of his career. That 26-yard gain should quell any injury questions moving forward.
The third quarter was a different story when discussing the yardage battle. The 49ers, after going up 31-10, had gained 341 yards compared to the Titans’ 177. They also ran 21 more plays up to that point. The 49ers went 95 yards on 15 plays, taking over nine minutes off the clock. They had a 31-10 lead.
The Titans lost five yards on their next drive and punted. The 49ers began the drive on the 44-yard line. Jeffery Simmons had been quiet all day. He made a play on third-and-long to give the Titans life. He sacked Purdy and hit his hand before Purdy could get rid of the ball. That turnover gave Tennessee a glimmer of hope.
Cam Ward took a shot down the field to Van Jefferson, who had a couple of steps on Deommodore Lenoir. Malik Mustapha looked to have a beat on the play, but grossly misjudged the ball. The next play may have been worse, where Simmons caught a touchdown. That trimmed the lead to 14.
Purdy found Jennings for a gain of 20 yards. And just like that, the offense was in Titans territory again. After stalling, Eddy Pineiro’s kick was no good. But Jeffrey Simmons committed a penalty to give the Niners life. It was 4th & 3, and the offense was doing whatever they wanted. It was a questionable decision to kick it.
Yes, you could make it a three-possession game, but why not rely on an offense that hadn’t been stopped all day? That’s your strength. The argument is moot because of the penalty, but the process was poor in hindsight.
A Dominick Puni penalty put the offense behind the sticks, meaning Pineiro would have another opportunity. Pineiro’s kick from 37 yards was good, and that made it 34-17 with just over nine minutes to play.
Tony Pollard picked up 20 yards right away, and the Titans were in the Niners’ territory. Tyjae Spears broke up a 20-yard run, and that put the Titans in the red zone. On 4th & 1, Ward kept it for a first down. The Titans would run it in to trim the lead to ten, 34-24.
Purdy connected with Pearsall on 3rd & 11 for 12 yards, then scrambled and hit Kendrick Bourne on a backyard football style of play for 11 yards. They kept the ball away from the Titans and bled the clock to the two-minute warning. Pineiro’s field goal with just over a minute to play gave the 49ers a 13-point lead, effectively icing the game. That score made it 37-24.
It was an impressive performance for Brock Purdy and the weapons. The defense will need to be better moving forward, but scoring 37 points off the bye week and getting Ricky Pearsall, who finished with 96 receiving yards, involved as often as they did was great to see.
Next up: The Colts.
Category: General Sports
