Tennessee Titans @ San Francisco 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 37, Texans 24
Writer: Pranav Babarjung
A cakewalk matchup for San Francisco was actually a one-score game going into the half, but ended up in a blowout as expected. Strong performances from Brock Purdy and George Kittle blazed the trail to victory. On the other side of the ball, Tony Pollard had himself a day. Despite inconsistent play, Cam Ward wound up with two TDs, including one to defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Three Up
- George Kittle — Kittle led all 49ers pass catchers in receptions in addition to finding the end zone.
- Brock Purdy — Purdy passed for three TDs and was the 49ers’ second-leading rusher.
- Tony Pollard — Pollard totaled over 100 yards on the ground and got in for a score.
Three Down
- Elic Ayomanor — The early-season waiver winner had only one look through the whole game.
- Tyjae Spears — This was entirely Pollard’s backfield. Spears didn’t get any real receiving work to make up for the lack of touches, either.
- Chig Okonkwo — Okonkwo did lead the team in targets, but Gunnar Helm emerged to take some away, hindering Okonkwo’s startability.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Cam Ward: 18/29, 170 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Cam Ward played inconsistently in this contest. While under pressure, he made some bad decisions, including two passes straight to defenders that in all honesty should have been interceptions. Ward did, however, have good downfield vision, and wasn’t afraid of the deep ball, however inconsistent it was. A deep pass to Gunnar Helm resulted in one TD and another to Van Jefferson set up the second. In the face of a tough Chiefs run defense next week, Ward could be an interesting streaming play.
Running Back
Tony Pollard: 14 Carries, 104 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
From the start of the game, it was clear that this offense would run through Tony Pollard. He amassed 42 yards on the first drive alone, and looked explosive and shifty through the whole game. Even when caught, he consistently fought for an extra yard or two. This was his second game in a row with 100 scrimmage yards.
Tyjae Spears: 3 Carries, 34 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 2 Yards
Tyjae Spears‘ usage trended downwards. With only five low-value touches, he is not startable. He got the red-zone touches on the first drive, but split them with Pollard on subsequent drives.
Kalel Mullings: 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Gunnar Helm: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 49 Yards, TD
Gunnar Helm was the only offensive pass catcher to find the end zone. He scored on the same drive he was called for two offsides penalties. The rookie may see more targets as he builds trust with Ward.
Van Jefferson: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 43 Yards
The fact that Van Jefferson was the second-leading receiver with only one reception should give an idea of how much Ward spread the ball out. His reception set up Jeffrey Simmons‘ score. Ward overthrew a wide-open Jefferson for what would have been a 40-yard house call at the end of the first half.
Chig Okonkwo: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 33 Yards
Chig Okonkwo led the Titans in targets, but still had an unproductive performance. Helm’s increasing target share is not encouraging for Okonkwo’s future use.
Chimere Dike: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 17 Yards | 1 Carry, -7 Yards
Three of Chimere Dike‘s targets were in the red zone, but no score this week. His carry accounted for San Francisco’s ONLY TFL.
Elic Ayomanor: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Jeffery Simmons: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard, TD
James Proche II: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 23/30, 295 Yards, 3 TDs | 7 Carries, 44 Yards, Fumble (LOST)
Brock Purdy just elevates the 49ers’ offense to another level. He was under pressure fairly often, taking five hits and two sacks, including a fumble. While scrambling he somehow made things work. Two of his three touchdown passes were while on the run. All in all, a solid QB performance in the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 22 Carries, 73 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Christian McCaffrey had a down day by his standards. He still eclipsed 20 touches, but logged a season-low one target. He still managed to get in the end zone to save his fantasy day.
Brian Robinson Jr.: 9 Carries, 21 Yards
Kyle Juszczyk: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ricky Pearsall: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 96 Yards
On his first reception, Ricky Pearsall immediately left the game to get his ankle taped up. He returned to catch five more balls for 96 yards to lead all 49ers pass catchers. He made some impressive contested catches, but may have reinjured his PCL on his final reception, leaving his status for Week 16 unknown. This was his best showing since Week 3.
George Kittle: 9 Targets, 8 Receptions, 88 Yards, TD
George Kittle was a YAC monster and led the team in targets and receptions. As soon as he got the ball in his hands, he rumbled downfield to get some more. He scored on a 1-yard reception where he realized Purdy was scrambling and abandoned his route to get open.
Jauan Jennings: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards, 2 TDs
Despite having only five targets, Jauan Jennings got it done with two TDs. Four of his five targets were in the red zone, and he was targeted in the end zone on back-to-back plays to get his first score.
Demarcus Robinson: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 36 Yards
Kendrick Bourne: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards