The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a Week 14 bye, the latest possible week NFL teams can take that week-long break, and so is the Niner Noise Podcast, which is back to dive into the Niners' next game.
San Francisco will host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, a 2-11 team that is in the hunt for its second straight No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. The Titans took former Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and it's been a struggle for their offense for much of the season as he acclimates to the pros.
With four games left to go, the podcast spends a lot of time talking not only about the Titans game, but also the three contests to follow, and the impact all four matchups will have on the remainder of the 49ers' season and playoff hopes.
Before all that, your hosts -- Niner Noise contributors Robert Morrison and Akshaj Dwivedula -- have a lot of roster news to get into, with players added to the roster and practice squad, including the addition of a linebacker who once spurned the Niners for another team in free agency.
You can listen to the full episode below:
The implications of those moves are pretty clear, and your intrepid hosts get into what they all mean as the 49ers begin the final quartet of games on Sunday against Tennessee.
One of the topics of discussion is the Indianapolis Colts, whom the Niners will travel to face on Monday Night Football in Week 16, and their strange decision about their quarterback situation. Daniel Jones' season-ending Achilles' tear has led Indianapolis to an unprecedented choice, and the podcast takes great care in talking about it here, although there'll be more to discuss in next week's preview.
Eventually, the conversation does turn to the Titans game, a game the 49ers, according to Akshaj, "cannot lose" if they want to maintain their status in the NFC playoff picture. And although this is a two-win team, they are coming off that second victory last week against the Browns, and while the vibes around the game are generally positive from your hosts, there are reasons for concern because of that win.
All of these topics and more are covered on this latest edition of the Niner Noise Podcast, which you can find on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also head over to the pod's website and listen to episodes there. Please make sure you like, rate, and subscribe wherever you listen.