49ers will beat Titans if they do these 3 things Thursday night
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers have to stop Titans run game
Understandably so, the Titans have tried sticking with a run-first approach even after Derrick Henry went down with his injury and landed on injured reserve earlier this season, trying their best to get the most out of backup running back D’Onta Foreman, who is averaging an admirable 4.5 yards per carry over six games played this season.
But it’s proverbially “feast or famine” for Foreman, who managed 109 and 108 rush yards against the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in Weeks 12 and 15, respectively, but hasn’t crested 50 yards on the ground in any of his other games played.
After some issues defending against the run earlier this season, the Niners have been on a hot streak as of late, holding opponents to less than 90 team-wide rush yards in five of their last six games, getting that average-yards-per-carry-allowed number all the way down to a respectable 4.2, 14th best in the league entering Week 16.
The key here will be San Francisco to force Ryan Tannehill to throw the ball a lot. And while this potentially exposes a weak 49ers cornerback room, it also increases the chances of Tannehill adding onto his league-leading interception totals.
While also allowing the Niners’ potent pass rush to get home, which is understandably next on our list of must-do items for a San Francisco win.