Recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes and the 49ers defeated the Tennessee Titans 37-24 at Levi's Stadium, scoring on each of their first five possessions for the first time since the 2021 season. Purdy completed 23 of 30 for 295 yards and added 44 rushing yards. Jauan Jennings scored touchdowns on his first two receptions; George Kittle caught a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons recorded a strip-sack, forced fumble, and caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in the same game. The 49ers improve to 10-4; Tennessee falls to 2-12.[1][2][3]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
Two weeks of rest agreed with Brock Purdy. Sunday at Levi's Stadium he played the kind of football he had been threatening to play since his Week 11 return, an afternoon where the offense scored on its first five possessions and the only suspense the rest of the game was the final margin.
'For us every single game, with the guys that we have on the field, that is our standard is to go out to move the ball, put up points,' Purdy said after. Kyle Shanahan, asked about his quarterback's mobility, slipped into a joke: 'But when it works, we call him Michael Jordan. We like cleats and being able to drive the ball like that.' Christian McCaffrey, the other version of the offense's identity, was straightforward: 'Brock was awesome today. He did a great job commanding the huddle, made some plays with his feet, which were great.'
Jauan Jennings caught two touchdowns. George Kittle caught one. The 49ers' run game produced enough to keep Tennessee out of nickel for the first three quarters. The 49ers converted 9 of 15 third downs and rolled to 37 points before the final whistle. 10-4. Two games left in the regular season after Indianapolis on Monday night. The four seed is still there to take.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
49ers 37, Titans 24. Margin: +13. Fourteen-game record: 10-4, +51 differential.
- Purdy: 23-of-30 for 295, 3 TD passes; 44 rushing yards.
- Jennings: TDs on his first two receptions (4y in Q1, 13y in Q3).
- Kittle: 1-yard TD in Q3.
- 49ers scored on first five possessions for first time since 2021.
- Third downs: 9 of 15 converted.
- Jeffery Simmons (TEN): strip-sack, forced fumble, AND a 1-yard TD reception.
- 49ers 10-4 (4th straight win); Titans 2-12.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (ESPN AP)
A 37-24 win at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers improve to 10-4 with their fourth straight win.
How it unfolded
The 49ers opened on a touchdown drive: Purdy to Jennings for 4 yards. The second possession ended on a Pineiro field goal. The third on another touchdown, this one a McCaffrey rush. The fourth on a field goal. The fifth on a touchdown to Kittle from 1. The 49ers had scored on each of their first five possessions for the first time since the 2021 season. Tennessee's Cam Ward, behind a depleted offensive line, scrambled together two touchdown drives in the middle quarters to keep it from getting completely out of hand: a touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm in the second quarter, then a touchdown pass to defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the fourth on a goal-line trick play. Purdy's third touchdown pass, a 13-yarder to Jennings in the third quarter, put it out of reach.
The turning point
The opening five possessions. The 49ers' offense, the version that had been threatening since Purdy returned, took the field at peak and stayed there. Tennessee had no answer.
By the numbers
Purdy 23-of-30 for 295, three TD passes, 44 rushing yards (with a 26-yard scramble), no interceptions. Jennings two TD catches. Kittle eight catches for 88 yards and the goal-line TD. Cam Ward 170 yards passing and two TDs; Tennessee's first TD pass to Helm and the trick-play TD to Simmons. The 49ers converted nine of fifteen third downs.
Personnel watch
Brock Purdy played his cleanest game since returning. Jauan Jennings, healthy through three straight, looks like the receiver the offense thought it was getting in August. Kittle continues to be the engine on both sides of the run game. The 49ers' defense generated three sacks on Cam Ward and held a Tennessee passing game that had been heating up to under 200 yards.
What it means
10-4. The 49ers clinched their playoff berth with the win. The four seed remains the target. Indianapolis on Monday night next, then the Bears at home on Sunday night, then Seattle for the NFC West in Week 18.
