49ers at Tennessee Titans

Steve McNair threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns and the Tennessee Titans beat the 49ers 33-22 at The Coliseum. Drew Bennett caught two touchdowns. Ken Dorsey threw for 192 with two interceptions. Brandon Lloyd caught five for 79. Arnaz Battle caught seven for 75 with a touchdown. Kevan Barlow ran for 40 with a touchdown. The 49ers fell to 2-9 with the cross-conference road loss.[1][2][3]

Steve McNair went for 343 yards and three touchdowns Sunday morning at The Coliseum. The Tennessee Titans beat the 49ers 33-22 in the kind of cross-conference road loss where, even with Ken Dorsey producing the kind of game the year's offensive identity needed, the McNair-Bennett combination's three-TD afternoon was too much.

Dorsey threw for 192 with two interceptions. Arnaz Battle caught seven for 75 with a touchdown. Brandon Lloyd caught five for 79. Kevan Barlow ran for 40 with a touchdown. Drew Bennett caught seven for 95 with two touchdowns. The kind of cross-conference road loss where the visiting AFC team's volume passing was too much.

2-9. The kind of cross-conference road loss that, against a 3-7 Titans team, was the kind of result the line predicted. The Arizona Cardinals on the road next Sunday in another NFC West matchup. The kind of November where Alex Smith returns to the starting role next week. The kind of road loss where the year's identity tape, off the heartbreaking Seattle home loss, took another step backward.

Titans 33, 49ers 22. Margin: -11. Eleven-game record: 2-9, -150 differential.

* Steve McNair: 23-of-41 for 343, 3 TDs, 1 INT.
* Travis Henry: 13 carries for 86.
* Drew Bennett: 7 catches for 95, 2 TDs.
* Ken Dorsey: 23-of-43 for 192, 1 TD (Battle), 2 INTs.
* Kevan Barlow: 14 carries for 40, 1 TD.
* Arnaz Battle: 7 catches for 75, 1 TD.
* Brandon Lloyd: 5 catches for 79.
* 49ers 2-9; Titans 4-7.

A 33-22 cross-conference road loss at The Coliseum. The 49ers fall to 2-9.

How it unfolded

The Titans scored on their opening drive with a McNair touchdown to make it 7-0. The 49ers answered with a Joe Nedney field goal. Tennessee added two more touchdowns in the first half to push the lead to 21-3. The 49ers added a Dorsey touchdown to Arnaz Battle to make it 21-10 at halftime. The third quarter was a Titans touchdown to push the lead to 28-10. The fourth quarter was a Kevan Barlow short touchdown run to make it 28-17, then a Tennessee field goal to make it 33-17, then a 49ers late touchdown to close it 33-22.

The turning point

The Titans' two first-half touchdowns. With the 49ers' offense looking for the kind of competitive day Ken Dorsey produced against Seattle, Tennessee's quick scoring drives pushed the lead to 21-3 and made the second half a chase the offense could not catch up to.

By the numbers

Dorsey 192 passing on 43 attempts with a TD and two INTs. Kevan Barlow 40 rushing on 14 carries with a TD. Arnaz Battle 75 receiving on 7 catches with a TD. Brandon Lloyd 79 receiving on 5 catches. McNair 343 on 41 attempts with three TDs. Travis Henry 86 rushing. Drew Bennett 95 receiving with two TDs.

Personnel watch

Ken Dorsey's two-interception second start. Arnaz Battle's touchdown reception. Brandon Lloyd's productive game. Kevan Barlow's rushing touchdown. The kind of cross-conference road loss where the visiting AFC team's volume passing was too much for the 49ers' defensive identity.

What it means

2-9 with the Cardinals on the road next Sunday. The kind of cross-conference road loss where, against a 3-7 Titans team, the year's competitive identity continued its November fade. Alex Smith returns to the starter role for the Cardinals road game. The Ken Dorsey audition produced two reasonable starts and one bad finish.