The first half was nerve-wracking for the now 10-4 San Francisco 49ers, who let the 2-12 Tennessee Titans hang around to the tune of a seven-point lead at halftime. But the offense finished off a game
in which it scored on seven of its eight offensive drives, en route to a 37-24 win.
Both the run game and defense struggled, with Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson averaging just over 3 yards per carry, and the defense unable to keep the Tennessee offense at bay.
But it was the passing game that won the game on Sunday for the 49ers, and because of it, all three stars came from the 49ers’ pass attack. Here are the three stars from the 49ers’ tenth win of the season:
Third star: WR Jauan Jennings
While George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall finished with more receptions, targets, and yards, Jennings was Brock Purdy’s favorite target in the end zone on Sunday.
Jennings only had three receptions on five targets in the win, but two of the three receptions put points on the board for the 49ers, resulting in Jennings’ fifth and sixth touchdown receptions in his last six games.
While Jennings’ first target of the game resulted in an incomplete pass, he would find paydirt on the very next play, putting a finish to an opening drive that took 12 plays and covered 70 yards. The receiver started his route by going to the inside, but quickly cut back out, using his size to power through safety Kevin Winston Jr. Once Jennings got through the safety, Purdy got the ball to him, holding onto the pass as Winston brought him to the ground to put the 49ers up seven to open the scoring for San Francisco.
Jennings would only see one more target in the first half – an incompletion –, but Purdy would reward his patience to start the second half. With San Francisco holding onto a seven-point lead at the half, the offense put together a quick drive to open the third quarter. On the fourth play of the drive, Jennings was lined up in the slot and ran an out route along the goal line. Once the receiver broke outwards near the end zone, it was a race between him and safety Amani Hooker to the pylon.
It would be a race Jennings won, hauling in the pass for his second reception and second touchdown of the game.
Jennings would finish his day with a big 20-yard reception to help what turned out to be a field goal-scoring drive, to extend the 49ers’ lead to three scores in the fourth quarter, helping put the game out of reach. After a slow start to the season, Jennings has returned to form, and Sunday was just the latest of his stellar performances.
Second star: WR George Kittle
While Jennings had more touchdowns, Kittle was Brock Purdy’s favorite target, and Kittle repaid the quarterback with a big game on Sunday.
Kittle finished with a team-high eight receptions on nine targets, only behind Ricky Pearsall with his 88 receiving yards. The tight end made the first big play for the offense when Purdy found Kittle for a gain of 23 on the third play of the game, the biggest gain on a drive that would result in a touchdown nine plays later.
It wouldn’t take long before Kittle would make his next big play. Receiving a pass in the flats from Purdy, Kittle had the type of catch and run 49ers fans have come to expect from the tight end. The tight end turned upfield after receiving the short pass and ran through cornerback Kendall Brooks en route to a 24-yard gain. Three plays later, the 49ers would again find the endzone to go up 14-3 after two possessions.
Kittle’s last big play of the game was the one in which he scored his lone touchdown of the day, putting the final touch on a 15-play, 95-yard drive. With the 49ers knocking on the door with the ball at the goal line, Kittle would use a nice route to shake loose from cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. to score the touchdown that proved to be the game-winner, capping off the big day from the tight end.
Kittle would add a couple more catches for 11 yards after his score, but it was just the icing on top of a solid game from the tight end.
First star: QB Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy’s arm is why he earned Sunday’s No. 1 star, but his standout play against the Titans came with his legs.
Early in the third quarter, Purdy dropped back looking to go deep, but Tennessee’s secondary had everything covered. Purdy turned and moved the pocket to the left, but when a pump fake got linebacker Cedric Gray to leave his feet, it was go-time. The pump fake gave Purdy just enough space to outrun a fully extended Gray, sprinting past the first down marker and gaining 23 yards on the play, resulting in the longest run of the 49ers’ season.
While his highlight play came with his feet, Purdy had his best game of the season with his arm. He finished the game completing 23-of-30 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns. But where Purdy made his money on Sunday was on third downs.
The 49ers finished Sunday with nine conversions on 15 third-down attempts, and Purdy was at his best with the 49ers facing fourth down. San Francisco’s open drive lasted 12 plays and finished with Purdy finding Jennings in the endzone on a third-and-goal after Purdy helped convert two other third downs earlier in the drive. On the next drive, while facing a third-and-3, Purdy connected with Demarcus Robinson for a 30-yard pass to flip the field and aid a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown scoring drive to put the 49ers up two scores.
After a third-down completion to Pearsall extended a field goal scoring drive at the end of the first half, Purdy would use a third-down pass to put the game away. Near the end of the third quarter, the 49ers’ offense faced a third-and-goal at the one-yard line. Purdy would need to use a hop to avoid some pressure from former 49er Sebastian Joseph-Day, and with no feet on the ground, would find Kittle in the back of the endzone for his third touchdown pass of the game, for the score that put San Francisco up three possessions.
Not only was it Purdy’s best performance of the season, but it came at a good time, with the 49ers’ run game nearly non-existent, earning the quarterback Sunday’s No. 1 star.
Throughout the season, I will track the three stars of the season, tallying points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 15, the standings are:
- RB Christian McCaffrey – 14 points
- LB Fred Warner – 11 points
- TE George Kittle – 9 points
