49ers vs. Titans: Biggest studs, duds from flop of a Week 16 loss

Dud: Punter Mitch Wishnowsky

Only the 49ers’ defensive dominance in the first half kept punter Mitch Wishnowsky from being a complete flop in Week 16, but he nevertheless winds up as an easy Week 16 dud.

If for no other reason than the shanked punt off the right side of his foot that went for a mere 30 yards from the Niners’ 15-yard line.

Completely botched.

Luckily, San Francisco’s defense bailed him out, along with penalties on the Titans, to prevent Tennessee from taking full advantage of starting its drive on the 49ers’ 45-yard line towards the end of the second quarter.

Yet the hand-in-glove nature of all these plays, the Titans’ ensuing punt ensured the Niners would be buried too deep within their own territory to stage some sort of dramatic scoring attempt with all three timeouts before halftime.

San Francisco, in full hindsight, probably wishes Wishnowsky had booted that punt deep. All other things being equal, the 49ers likely would have tried to score before the half and very well could have, meaning the end result might have been vastly different.

Shoddy.