49ers vs. Titans: 4 bold predictions for Thursday Night Football
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers will intercept Ryan Tannehill twice
Sacking the quarterback isn’t the only thing the Niners should look forward to during the game.
Two years ago, it would have been weird to associate Ryan Tannehill with being a turnover-prone quarterback. But ever since the Titans watched All-Pro running back Derrick Henry depart with a foot fracture earlier this season, Tannehill has suddenly been tasked with shouldering the bulk of the offensive load.
The results have been mixed, at best, and there have been some awfully ugly moments, too.
Read More: What 49ers can learn from Titans loss to Steelers
Tannehill enters Week 16 tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 14, not a stat the 2019 edition would have known too well. Additionally, his 3.1 interception percentage is in the top five of all qualifying quarterbacks, and it’s generally understood any signal-caller even flirting with the chance of being above 3.0 is worthy of the turnover-prone moniker.
Tannehill certainly is in that category now.
Pro Football Focus’ turnover-worthy-play metric for Tannehill jumps from 2.3 percent when he’s not pressured to 5.3 percent when he’s facing pressure, meaning pass-rushers like Nick Bosa don’t always have to get home for sacks to influence the outcome of the play.
Instead, look for that pressure to create a multi-interception game from Tannehill.