Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers began their winning streak after we started making weekly predictions. Coincidence? I think not. Let’s keep the good vibes rolling and discuss what we expect in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans.
For the second time since 1970, the NFL’s most sacked quarterback goes against the defense with the fewest sacks in Week 15 or later. Titans QB Cam Ward has taken 49 sacks. The Niners have only managed 16 sacks. Something has to give!
Kyle Shanahan had a telling quote on Wednesday when he said Ward is “extremely accurate when his first read is open.” That tells me that Robert Saleh is going to go out of his way to change the post-snap picture. The Browns did last week and walked into an interception.
Saleh has dialed back his simulated pressure usage since Fred Warner went down with an injury. The 49ers’ defense is among the least aggressive in the NFL at pressuring quarterbacks, so it’ll be interesting to see if there is a change in philosophy moving forward. If there was ever an offense to experiment against, it’s one that’s in the bottom three in the NFL in points, yards, rushing, EPA, fumbles, and third downs.
The Titans’ defense shouldn’t provide much resistance, though they have been the beneficiaries of turnover luck this season. Tennessee is second in the NFL in sacks per game, but the 49ers give up the fewest sacks in the league. Staying ahead of the chains is how you end up second in third-down efficiency and eighth in red zone efficiency.
Blocking Jeffery Simmons isn’t something anybody has done, so I don’t expect the 49ers to. Simmons will get his, but Ricky Pearsall gets a favorable matchup. The Titans leave cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. on an island like he’s Darrell Revis. He gave up a pair of touchdowns last week, and I expect Shanahan to get Pearsall isolated on Baker Jr., leading to a few big plays for Pearsall.
This is an interesting matchup for the 49ers’ defense. They don’t get sacks, but, as Kyle said, they are facing the team that has given up the most sacks.
I think the Titans are going to struggle with efficiency on Sunday, even against this current iteration of the 49ers defense. A turnover or two could be in the cards, and the 49ers offense should have a good game coming off the bye with the matchups presented in the secondary.
Getting off to a big start would be a big help in making Tennessee one-dimensional. But, the Titans also haven’t run the ball well all year, and with their young, drop-prone receiving core, I struggle to see how they’ll score enough points to make it a close game from start to finish.
Brock Purdy did a good job of taking care of the football against the Cleveland Browns. Things should come easier against Tennessee, but if...
