49ers news: Power ranking remaining opponents in 2021
By Peter Panacy
35. . 8-4. Previous: . Tennessee Titans. 3. team
49ers @ Titans, Week 16
This is where things get challenging.
The Titans are a case study in just how much things can change in the middle of a season and even on a week-to-week basis, just as Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk told us when he hopped on the Niner Noise Podcast not long ago.
Earlier this year, Tennessee looked absolutely unstoppable, riding the human wrecking ball that is running back Derrick Henry out to an 8-2 record. But then, Henry suffered a Jones fracture in his foot, potentially sidelining him for the rest of the season, which eliminated the Titans’ run-first, run-frequent offense and put far more pressure on quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
That wouldn’t have been so bad if Tannehill still had wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones at his disposal, but they’re both banged up and injured, and Tennessee has lost two games in a row before its Week 13 bye.
Including that shocker to the Texans in Week 11.
Jones and Brown potentially returning is something San Francisco will monitor ahead of a short-week Thursday Night Football game on the road, which doesn’t bode well for the 49ers anyway.
A healthy Titans team is more dangerous, and the short-week road travel is daunting. But Tennessee has been trending in the wrong direction as of late, putting their status as a to-beat AFC playoff team in doubt.