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— Thursday, December 23rd San Francisco 49ers @ Tennessee Titans
Week 16 of the NFL season kicks off the holiday weekend with a game full of playoff implications. At 8-6, the San Francisco 49ers currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the NFC, and Thursday night, they travel to face the 9-5 AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans. Kickoff on NFL Network is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
These teams haven’t met since 2017, when the 49ers won at home 25-23. The last meeting in Nashville came in 2013, also a San Francisco win. The 49ers are 9-5 all-time against the Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers franchise, with a 3-2 mark since the team moved to Tennessee.
Samuel, Kittle Lead Niners
The Niners are 7-7 ATS this season, and the total is 7-7 in their 14 games. They are 5-2 on the road, and they rank seventh in the NFL in rushing yards at 126.6 per game. The 49ers rank seventh defensively against the pass (213.3 ypg) and sixth in total yards allowed (321.8).
San Francisco has won five of six, and they have scored at least 23 points in all six of those games. The offense has put up at least 100 rushing yards in each of their last six wins, and they went for 162 against Atlanta on Sunday.
Jeff Wilson led the way against the Falcons with 110 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel took six carries for 29 yards and one touchdown. Of the healthy backs, Wilson has 249 yards on the season, while Samuel has 269 and a team-leading seven touchdowns.
Samuel is the top wideout as well, with 61 catches for 1088 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end George Kittle has a team-leading 63 catches for 750 yards and six scores, while Brandon Aiyuk has 42 catches for 585 yards and four touchdowns.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is 8-5 in 13 starts, completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,172 yards. He has 18 touchdowns on the season to eight interceptions. Last week he threw for 235 yards and one score while completing 18 of 23 pass attempts.
Titans Need To Turn Things Around
The Titans are 8-6 ATS on the season, with the total going 7-7 in their 14 games. They are 5-2 at home and rank fourth in the NFL in rushing (142.3 ypg), falling from the top after the injury to Derrick Henry. The Titans defense is second against the run (86.9 ypg) but 20th against the pass (242.3).
The Titans have just a one-game lead over the Colts in the South, though they do have the tiebreaker thanks to a season sweep. They have lost three of four and have scored just 13 points in all three of those losses. The Titans let a 10-0 lead slip away last week and lost in Pittsburgh 19-13.
Tennessee lost three fumbles last week, though running back D’Onta Foreman still had a big game with 108 yards on 22 carries. While filling in for Henry, he has 348 yards in six games, while Dontrel Hilliard has 228 yards.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was limited to just 153 yards on 23 completions on Sunday while throwing an interception and losing a fumble. On the season, he has completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,118 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The receiving corps has been a mess with injuries to both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones all season. Brown has 46 catches for 615 yards and three scores but didn’t play Sunday and is questionable for Thursday. Jones returned Sunday but didn’t have a catch, and he hasn’t found the end zone this season.
Betting Analysis
- San Francisco 49ers -3 (-115). Money Line -170
- Tennessee Titans +3 (-105). Money Line +140
- Total: 44 points. Over -115. Under -105
San Francisco has been a covering machine the last six weeks with five covers, and all but one of those was a blowout spread-wise. They can score, and without Henry, it has been tough for the Titans to put up big numbers. They haven’t gone over 25 points since November 7 and may be hard-pressed to keep up with the Niners in this one.
Betting Pick: 49ers -3 (-115)
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