San Francisco 49ers: Four Quarters with Titan Sized

The San Francisco 49ers return home to face the Tennessee Titans who are fighting for a playoff spot in the AFC. Time for four quarters!

After winning their previous two games on the road, the San Francisco 49ers head home to take on the Tennessee Titans who are playing for a playoff spot after losing to the Arizona Cardinals last week. The Titans are 8-5 but have a 3-4 record on the road so the 49ers, who are now a much different team with Jimmy Garoppolo, are in line to play spoiler again.

We had the pleasure of teaming up with Matias Wodner and Will Lomas, site experts of FanSided’s Titan Sized so huge shoutout to them.

Throughout this article, you’ll see “four quarters” where every quarter has a question and answer. Let’s dive in!

First Quarter

What is the one thing that each team needs to focus on to win this game?

Titan Sized:  The Titans need to be able to run the ball effectively if they want to come away with a win. The state of the passing game for the Titans is not in a good place, so they’ll have to open up holes and get solid performances from both DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry (and Marcus Mariota) if they want to put points on the board.

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49ers: The 49ers need to limit Marcus Mariota as much as possible, especially if he tries getting out of the pocket. The running defense as a whole will have to be huge so they can force Mariota to pass.

Second Quarter

What player will make the biggest impact on offense or defense?

Titan Sized: The biggest impact player for the Tennessee Titans this week will probably be safety Kevin Byard. People say that the second year safety is playing at a Pro Bowl level, and that is underselling him. He is a turnover machine, being tied for the lead in interceptions with six and being third in the NFL in terms of fumble recoveries. Not only does he make the impact plays, but he does the little things right as well.

49ers: Expect to see Garrett Celek make an impact in this game. He only had two catches last week but one went for 61 yards while the other was a touchdown. Celek may be in for another touchdown this week.

Third Quarter

What one player on offense will sneakily have a big game?

Titan Sized:  Sneaky is a hard word to use with the Titans offense right now because they are so predictable. A sneaky option is Rishard Matthews. When Matthews is clicking with Mariota they are good for a big play or two every game. Last week we didn’t get to see that because Matthews has been hurt, and with a full week of practice this week it could be just the second time this season Matthews goes over 100 yards receiving.

49ers: He’s been playing lights out recently but has been going unnoticed every week. Over the last two weeks, Marquise Goodwin has receiving yards totaling 205. He had a 106-yard performance last week that was quietly done and he will have another one of those big, yet quiet performances this week.

Fourth Quarter

Predictions! Better performing QB? Who leads in sacks? Who forces a key turnover? Final score?

Titan Sized:  Garoppolo performs better, solely because the 49ers are more attackable on the ground and the Titans will try to run early and often, while the Titans are hard to be run on on defense and can be attacked through the air. The Titans have racked up 20 sacks over the last three weeks and Garoppolo has gotten sacked twice in each of his two starts. The Niners only have 25 sacks on the year, so I’ll give the edge to the Titans in the sacks department. For the Titans, NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard has the best chance to make a big play on the back end. Final Score: Titans 20 – 16 49ers

49ers: Garoppolo has been on fire recently even though he has a depleted receiving core and a bad offensive line. Regardless, he’ll still perform better than Mariota although the Titans may lead in sacks. For the 49ers, Reuben Foster will come up with a fumble. Last week, Adrian Colbert was huge in sealing the win and this week is Foster’s turn as the San Francisco 49ers will pull a 20-17 win.

Next: Future Looks Bright After Second Straight W

The game kicks off at 1:25 PM PST on CBS this Sunday.