NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Brian Callahan era is off to a good start as the Tennessee Titans defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17-13 in the teams preseason opener at Nissan Stadium.
First Quarter
Titans fans got their first chance to see Dennard Wilson and the defense as they took the field to open the contest. It wasn’t a great start for the two-tone blue as 49er quarterback Brandon Allen orchestrated a 11 play, 74-yard drive capped off with a Jordan Mason four-yard scamper into the endzone to give San Francisco an early 7-0 lead.
The Titans responded immediately with their first kick return using the new NFL kickoff rule. Second-year pass catcher Kearis Jackson took the kickoff and broke several tackles in route to a 63-yard return. Following the return, and an unsportsmanlike penalty assessed to 49ers Jalen Graham, the Titans were set up in perfect field position at the San Francisco 15-yard line.
The 49er defense received a healthy dose of Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard before Will Levis concluded the drive with a quarterback sneak to even the score 7-7.
Second Quarter
It didn’t take long for the Titans offense to put up points. After forcing a San Francisco punt, Levis found Calvin Ridley over the middle of the field, and Ridley turned on the jets for a gain of 22 yards.
Tennessee’s one-two punch at running back was one of the highlights of the night as Spears made a cut and sped into the endzone to give the team a 14-7 lead four seconds into the quarter.
The Titans defense came alive in the second quarter behind an outstanding effort from third-year linebacker Chance Campbell. Campbell recorded a couple of tackles and a quarterback sack to help Tennessee take the 14-7 lead into the halftime locker room.
Third Quarter
There was not much action on either side in the third quarter, but the Titans offense sputtered coming out of halftime after the 49ers recovered a Mason Rudolph fumble.
Despite the fumble, Rudolph had a pretty solid outing going 10/17 for 126 yards. The former Pittsburgh Steeler played 40.1% of the offensive snaps leading all Titans quarterbacks.
Fourth Quarter
Malik Willis was the final quarterback to take the field for Tennessee. Willis was able to string together some positive drives including the first drive of the fourth quarter which led to a 34-yard Brayden Narveson field goal to give the Titans a double-digit lead 17-7.
San Francisco responded quickly as former Titan quarterback Josh Dobbs led the offense down the length of the field. Dobbs registered his lone touchdown of the evening as he scrambled into the endzone for a 49er touchdown. San Francisco attempted a two-point try put was unsuccessful.
The Titans were unable to generate much more on offense giving the 49ers one final chance to get the preseason win. Similar to a couple of drives prior, Dobbs engineered San Francisco’s offense into Tennessee territory. On the final play of the game Dobbs heaved a Hail Mary into the endzone that was picked off by the linebacker Campbell. It was the perfect ending to a great night for the third-year man out of Ole Miss.
Takeaways
- Will Levis and the offense were very efficient scoring on both of their series.
- The Titans one-two punch at running back will be something to keep an eye on this year.
- Chance Campbell finished the night as the leading tackler with nine total tackles, one sack, and one tackle-for-loss.
- Kearis Jackson had two kick returns for 81 yards, and Jha’Quan Jackson had one punt return for 26 yards.
What’s Next
The Titans will host two joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks ahead of their Saturday preseason game at Nissan Stadium.
Follow Parker Kelley on Twitter/X @parker_kelley10
Photo courtesy of ESPN
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