Tennessee Titans vs. San Francisco 49ers Preview

by Jimmy on Nov 6, 2009 8:53 PM CST in Tennessee Titans Previews

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We have talked about how the offensive line looked better last week against the Jaguars which begs the question of whether the line got better or just looked good against a weaker Jacksonville defense. They will get the chance to answer that question on Sunday. The 49ers defense leads the league in yards per carry on defense and are second in the league in yards per game allowed. Those numbers are even more impressive when you take into account that they have faced Adrian Peterson, Stephen Jackson and Michael Turner already this season.

This game will also be a good test for Vince Young. He was very proficient against the Jags, but the 49ers will prove a much tougher test. It is a pretty safe bet they will stack the box early in an effort to stop Chris Johnson. VY will get his chance to throw them out of that. The 49ers are ranked 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Hopefully Vince will be able to take advantage of some opportunities early in the game to loosen up the defense for CJ.

The 49ers offense goes through Frank Gore. Gore had a 364 yards on 65 carries this season. He is a big play guy (he has TDs of 79, 80 and 64 this season-61% of his yards for the season are on those 3 runs) so the Titans better tackle better this week than they did last week against Jones-Drew. San Francisco has some offensive line issues, and the Titans have been pretty good against the run. As long as they make tackles this week they should be able to at least contain Gore.

The 49ers are in a very similar QB situation to the Titans. They have turned back to their high draft pick from a few years ago that has been buried on the bench. Alex Smith replaced Shaun Hill two weeks ago against the Houston Texans. He had a great second half going 15 of 22 for 206 and 3 TDs. All 3 of those TDs went to another high draft pick that had been underachieving in tight end Vernon Davis. Davis has emerged with the resurrection of Smith catching 10 passes and 4 TDs in Smith's game and a half. Davis will present a challenge for the Titans' linebackers and safeties that are trying to cover him.

The other weapon the 49ers boast on offense is late arriving rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Crabtree, the 10th pick in April's draft, has wasted no time getting involved in the offense He has 11 catches for 137 yards in his two games. Hopefully Chuck Cecil will match Cortland Finnegan up with Crabtree for most of the day.

This game will be a challenge for the Titans, but it is a game they can win if the defense continues to improve, and the offense takes care of the ball.

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Comments

Hey mmam...

you can take all your stats…and cram em up your red and gold painted butt!! On paper, your right…but…games aren’t played on paper…they’re played on the field!! And on the FIELD…I would would take Young over Smith any day of the week!! (and I would take CJ over Gore, too.)

by titansfan4ever on Nov 7, 2009 9:16 AM CST reply actions

I was wondering when the 1 jackass Niner fan was gonna show up.

I am surprised it took so long.

Official MCM Hater!

Retire #9!

by gramsey712 on Nov 7, 2009 10:25 AM CST reply actions

I am a 49er Fan

Of course i WISH it to be a blow out in favor of the 9ers. However realisticly i know that this will probably be a close game depending on which face of both our teams shows up. While i agree with MMamcneill in spirit i dont want to come to your house and start a fight. However, i love starting friendly arguments :-)
Taking off the fan glasses for a moment and looking at the last 6 quarters for the 9ers and the last 4 quarters for the Titans (cuz less face it they now have completly different dynamics than before that) I think that the 9ers do have the edge based on current strengths vs weakness. Assuming both teams bring their best game, one big play by either team probably means the win for that team.
Both teams really look like they are starting to find themselves. However, i really do believe that the Titans need another week or two before they really come into their own and the Niners are really hungry for that win.

My GUESS is it will be 17-14 Niners If they contain CJ and your QB then, but one break out play by CJ or too many interceptions by Alex Smith could mean your guys win. either way i think it will be close and a good game to watch. Good Luck Titans!! all though no offense, I want you to lose:-)

by DCSMITH722 on Nov 8, 2009 12:02 PM CST reply actions