The streaking San Francisco 49ers head to the Nissan Stadium in Nashville to take on the slumping Tennessee Titans in this week’s Thursday Night Football matchup.
San Francisco has won and covered the betting spread in five out of its last six games played and three of those wins have come by at least an 18-point margin. The 49ers are 8-6 on the season and 3rd in the NFC West. San Francisco is currently the 6th seed in the NFC and they head to Tennessee after beating the Atlanta Falcons 31-13 last weekend.
Tennessee has lost three out of its last four games and they have dropped back in the race for the top seed in the AFC. The Titans are currently 9-5 on the season and they are one game ahead of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South and are the current third seed in the AFC. The Titans blew a 13-3 lead and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-13 in their most recent game.
San Francisco took a 17-10 lead against Atlanta late in the first half and never looked back. The 49ers scored on their first possession of the second half to take a 24-10 lead and never let the Falcons get closer than 11 points. They outgained Atlanta 397-275 and won the battle of first downs 23-13 while using up 30:27 of possession time against 9:33 by the Falcons.
Jimmy G completed 18 of 23 passes for 235 passing yards with one touchdown. Jeff Wilson rushed for 110 yards on 21 carries with one score while George Kittles had six catches for 93 receiving yards. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (groin), safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee), running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) and defensive lineman Maurice Hurst (calf) did not join practice last Monday.
San Francisco is ranked 13th in passing offense at 240.0 yards per game. They are 7th in rushing offense at 126.6 yards per game this season. The 49ers are the 13th best scoring team in the NFL at 25.7 points per game and they have the league’s 19th best scoring defense at 22.4 points per game allowed.
The Titans blew a double-digit halftime lead and went scoreless in the second half as they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh scored 16 second-half points and ended the Titans’ final possession on downs at their 10-yard line. Tennessee outgained Pittsburgh 318-168 and beat the Steelers 22-12 in first downs while also dominating the possession time 39:08 to 20:52.
Ryan Tannehill threw for only 153 yards without a TD and had one interception. D’Onta Foreman rushed for 108 yards on 22 carries while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had four catches for 32 yards. Wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring), tackle Taylor Lewan (knee), linebacker David Long Jr. (hamstring), and defensive lineman Larell Murchison (knee) all didn’t practice Monday.
Tennessee ranks 23rd in passing offense at 202.8 yards per game. They have the league’s 4th best rushing attack at 142.3 yards per game. The Titans are 15th in the league in scoring at 24.1 points per game this season and they are ranked 16th in scoring defense at 22.1 points per game allowed.
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The 49ers are 5-2 SU in seven road games played this season. Tennessee is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. The Titans are 5-2 SU in seven home games played this season.
Head to head, the 49ers have won 8 out of the last 11 meetings between these two teams. The Niners are also 4-1 SU in their last five road games against the Titans.
The 49ers have gotten back in the playoff hunt with five wins in their last six games and their ground game has been a big reason for their recent success. San Francisco is averaging close to 150 rushing yards per game during that period and is the NFL’s 4th best rushing team since mid-November. Their rushing attack will be tested by the Titans who are ranked 2nd in the league in rush defense.
Meanwhile, the Titans have lost grip of the AFC Top seed with thee losses in their last four games. Ryan Tannehill has been averaging less than 150 passing yards in his last three games and has not thrown more than one TD pass in his last six games. This is going to be an issue in this game because San Francisco’s Nick Bosa has recorded at least one sack in his last six games and Arden Key 0.5 sack in six of his last seven.
Between the 49ers’ running game getting going against the Titans’ rush defense and Ryan Tannehill breaking out of his slump against Bosa and company, I like the former to happen.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games played. San Francisco is 4-0 ATS in their last four games played on grass, 4-0 ATS in their last four games after picking up more than 350 yards in their previous game, 4-1 ATS in their last five games as road favorites, 5-1 ATS in their last six games as betting favorites, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning record, and 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games against the AFC.
The Titans are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. Tennessee is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game, 2-6 ATS in their last eight Thursday games, 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 Week 16 games, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing less than 150 passing yards in their previous game, but 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as betting underdogs.
Tennessee has been dealing with injuries at the wide receiver position and that’s one of the reasons why Tannehill has struggled in recent weeks. A.J. Brown could be back to play here but Julio Jones is still listed as questionable. Tennessee has leaned on D’Onta Foreman who has delivered back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for the Titans. However, San Francisco has a Top 10 rush defense which could force the Titans to go to Tannehill.
Tannehill has been struggling as of late though and he will be facing Nick Bosa and the San Francisco defense that is ranked 6th in the league in sacks and 7th in passing defense. Jimmy G. has thrown 10 TDs with only 3 interceptions in his last six starts and he will be up against a Tennessee defense that has had issues defending the pass. I’ll lay the points here and pick the road team.
Prediction: 49ers
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the 49ers. The under is 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a winning record, 4-1 in their last five games on the road against an opponent with a winning home record, 6-2 in their last eight games when allowing less than 90 rushing yards in their previous game, and 4-3 in their last seven road games.
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Titans. The under is 5-2 in their seven home games played this season, 4-1 in their last five games played on grass, 4-1 in their last five December home games, 6-2 in their last eight home games after allowing less than 150 passing yards in their previous game, and 4-1 in their last five home games after picking up more than 150 rushing yards in their last outing.
San Francisco has scored at least 30 points in five out of their last six games, all victories. However, I respect Tennessee’s second-ranked rush defense which should be able to make some stops and keep the 49ers under their recent scoring average.
Meanwhile, Tennessee has scored 13 points in each of their three losses during their last four games. With San Francisco’s ability to defend against the run, the Titans will be forced to go to Tannehill here and the Niners aren’t the ideal opponent to bounce back from, with Bosa on the other end.
These teams have combined to score an average of 46 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. But with all the injuries considered and Ryan Tannehill’s current struggles, this one should fall below the total.
Prediction: Under 44
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