San Francisco was in total control of the game through the first two quarters and came out guns blazing on offense as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connected on each of his first five pass attempts, including a big play on a 23-yard gain to receiver Deebo Samuel to setup the game's first touchdown. Playing without rookie running back Elijah Mitchell who missed his third straight game with a knee injury, Jeff Wilson Jr. got the start and answered the call with a 1-yard touchdown to put his team ahead, 7-0. The Niners offense which didn't face a single third down on their initial possession (11-plays), would march just as easy on their second possession after a big play from fullback Kyle Juszczyk who's 26-yard reception turned into a 41-yard gain after a face-mask penalty against the defense. Several plays later, the 49ers would setup shop for a 2nd and goal from the 8 yard-line. It would be there where San Francisco would commit their first of many blown opportunities. Looking to connect with tight-end George Kittle, Garoppolo's pass was intercepted in the end zone, ending the scoring threat and marking Jimmy G's first red zone interception since 2019.
Though Tennessee's offense failed to do anything with the takeaway and was forced to punt, the damage was still done as Garoppolo never looked the same from that point on. The Niners would add to their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal one possession later, but only after Garoppolo missed his target on a deep pass to a wide-open Juszczyk who was streaking down the right sideline but was overthrown. What should've easily been a 17-0 lead, was only a 10-0 advantage for the Niners who walked off the field and into the locker room at halftime having dominated through the game's first two quarters. However, the game would quickly turn into a tale of two halves as Tennessee came out firing on all cylinders to open the third quarter. After four offensive possessions and only four punts to show for through the first two quarters, head coach Mike Vrabel was able to get through to his Titans team at halftime. With the Niners leading by 10+ points for a seventh straight game, Tennessee chipped away at San Francisco's lead with a field goal to open the second half. Showing some signs of life, the Titans defense would get yet another gift just one play into the Niners' ensuing possession when Garoppolo air-mailed a pass intended for Deebo Samuel and into the arms of a Titans defender.
Taking over in the red zone, the Titans would find the end zone several plays later to tie the game at 10-all. In a matter of less than two-minutes, the 49ers quickly saw their 10-point lead evaporate and all momentum shift to the side of Tennessee. Making it across mid-field on their next possession, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan faced a difficult decision to go for it on 4th and 1 which then turned into a 4th and 6 following a false start penalty on 49ers All-Pro Trent Williams. Even that wouldn't stop Shanahan as the decision to gamble would backfire once Garoppolo was unable to connect with Brandon Aiyuk for the first down. Making matters worse, the San Francisco defense would have the Titans pinned back on several third and long's on their next drive, including a third and 23 & a third and 10, but were unable to come up with a stop on either play. Having to play without their whole left side of the offensive-line, Tennessee did catch a break in time for Thursday's game by getting a pair of starting wide-receivers back in A.J. Brown who's been out since Week 11, and Julio Jones. Marking the first time since Week 9 that Titans QB Ryan Tannehill would have both targets at his disposal, the game would quickly turn into the A.J. Brown show as the star receiver came up with both receptions when facing those aforementioned third and long's.
Rewarding him for his big third down conversions, Tannehill continued to feed Brown, including on an 18-yard strike in the end zone that gave Tennessee a 17-10 lead, their first of the game. In need of a response, the 49ers would get just that two possessions later. The Niners entered Thursday night's game with a league-leading five drives of 90+ yards and they would get another late in the fourth quarter, embarking on a 9-play, 95-yard touchdown-scoring drive to tie the game at 17-all. Fueled by a 56-yard play from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel which left the Niners duel-threat wideout winded and on the sideline for the remainder of the drive, Jimmy G found Brandon Aiyuk all alone in the back of the end zone for the easy score. Taking over with less than two and a half minutes in regulation would be the Titans offense led by Tannehill who entered the game with 12 game-winning drives since joining the franchise in 2019, the most in the NFL in that span. With a number of dink and dunk plays through the air and on the ground, Tannehill would wait until his team's final drive to show off his athleticism as he broke free for a 23-yard scramble up the middle to put his team in field goal range. Kicker Randy Bullock would take it from there, splitting the uprights from 44-yards out for the game-winning field goal. With only 4-seconds remaining, the Niners would be in need of a Music City Miracle of their own, but came up short as time expired as Tennessee escaped with the 20-17 victory.
After committing four turnovers a week ago in Pittsburgh, the Titans registered a clean sheet on Thursday as the 49er defense was unable to force a single turnover, eventually losing the turnover battle -- 2-0, both on a pair of Jimmy Garoppolo interceptions. With the win, Tennessee improved to 10-5 on the year, completed their mission of clinching the AFC South Division. Meanwhile, the loss by the 49ers dropped them to 8-7 on the year and clinched a playoff spot elsewhere in the conference for the Dallas Cowboys. In the loss, Garoppolo threw for a game-high 322 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions compared to Tannehill's 209 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Deebo Samuel hauled in 9 receptions for 159 yards, while also adding 32 yards on five carries for San Francisco. A.J. Brown made his return to the field a memorable one, catching a game-high 11 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Neither team did much on the ground, with the Niners' Jeff Wilson Jr. leading all rushers with only 45 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in a game played without Tennessee's All-Pro running back Derrick Henry.
Week 17 Preview: The Niners will return to Levi's Stadium to play their last home game of the season when they welcome the visiting Houston Texans (4-11). Facing another one of Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan's previous employers, the Texans are riding their first two-game winning streak of the season after upsetting a depleted Chargers team behind a pair of strong performances from rookie QB Davis Mills and a career day from running back Rex Burkhead who carried the ball 22 times for a personal-best 149 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. With L.A. missing several key players due to Covid issues, Houston took advantage of the holes in the Chargers' lineup and put up their highest point total of the season. Not to be taken lightly, Houston can not be overlooked by a 49ers team that can ill afford dropping another winnable game against an inferior opponent with the playoffs on the horizon. With a chance to flush the disappointing loss at Tennessee, the Niners control their own fate in the NFC Wild Card picture after both the division rival Rams and Cardinals clinched playoff spots in Week 16 on Sunday.
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