Niners Nation
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...
