5 winners (and 2 losers) from 49ers' runaway victory over Titans

The outcome of the San Francisco 49ers' Week 15 bout against the Tennessee Titans went about as expected, a one-sided affair in which head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad imposed its offensive will against a rebuilding Titans team again looking at the reality of a top-three pick in the following April's NFL Draft.

The Niners never punted in the game, a testament to quarterback Brock Purdy's efficiency while getting big games from three of his top weapons: tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.

Yet the 37-24 win also revealed some notable problems, too.

San Francisco had plenty of defensive miscues and missed opportunities, including two dropped would-be interceptions by safeties Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown. Although those aren't exactly the big red flags coordinator Robert Saleh should be concerned about heading into the final three games of the regular season.

Perhaps if he and Shanahan check out our winners and losers from Sunday's action, they'll have a better idea on how to prepare for those final three bouts ahead of the playoffs.

Winners and losers from 49ers' win over Titans

Winner: QB Brock Purdy

Granted, Purdy wasn't exactly facing the league's most elite defense. But QB1 put together arguably his best performance of the season: 295 yards through the air, three touchdowns against no interceptions and a 2025-best 140.3 passer rating.

Oh, and he also had 44 yards rushing, too, including a 26-yard scamper that resulted in one of the funniest "boop" moments you might see:

At least Titans linebacker Cody Barton had some fun with it, too.

Purdy is a primary reason why the 49ers not only didn't punt but also why they also went 9-of-15 on third downs.

Winner: TE George Kittle

It's a bit weird to see Kittle not toward the top of fan voting for the Pro Bowl, but that's the reality for the veteran after missing the bulk of the season's first half with a hamstring injury, one that's cut into the numbers most voters use to determine their votes.

Week 15 should have filled those voters with some regret.

Kittle enjoyed a season-high 88-yard performance in vintage fashion, frequently tossing aside Tennessee defenders while also adding his sixth touchdown of the year.

While netting his third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign is well beyond reach, games like this serve to remind everyone just how good "The People's Tight End" still is.

Loser: 49ers run defense

Niner Noise had concerns about Titans running back Tony Pollard doing damage, which he did... albeit too late in the game.

Yet Pollard might have exposed a serious flaw in Saleh's current crop of defenders, magnified by injury-related absences of Sam Okuayinonu, Tatum Bethune and Mykel Williams.

While Okuayinonu and Bethune are eventually expected back, watching Pollard rumble forward for a whopping 104 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries (7.4 yards per rush) is pretty abysmal. In most other circumstances, and against better competition, that'd likely be the difference maker putting San Francisco's chances for a victory in the gutter.

The 49ers have a date with the Indianapolis Colts' star rusher, Jonathan Taylor, in a week's time. That'll reveal a lot.

Winner: WR Ricky Pearsall

A day after the Niners placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, essentially ending his San Francisco tenure, Pearsall stepped up in the most Aiyuk-like way possible with a team-best 96 yards on six catches.

While there's some concern Pearsall re-aggravated the knee that held him out for weeks earlier this season, Shanahan is nevertheless optimistic, and it's also refreshing to see the second-year pass catcher make a serious impact in the box score after multiple games of being denied such a chance.

To navigate the post-Aiyuk era, the 49ers are going to need aplenty from their top pick from the 2024 draft, and Sunday's win provided a case study in what that'd look like.

Winner: WR Jauan Jennings

Jennings might not have come close to either Pearsall or Kittle's target and yardage numbers, but it's never a bad day when one notches two touchdowns on the board.

Especially the opening score:

Jennings may play a bigger role with the Niners moving forward post Aiyuk after all, and Sunday's bout should reinforce that notion.

Loser: 49ers pass rush

Tennessee entered Week 15 having allowed 49 sacks, second most only behind the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, meaning the worst-ranked San Francisco pass rush should have had at least a few opportunities taking down rookie quarterback Cam Ward.

Close, perhaps. But the 49ers finished with precisely zero sacks in the game and only three quarterback hits.

As a result, the Niners remain in the NFL basement, both in terms of sacks (16) and pressure rate (13.6 percent).

Things won't get easier for San Francisco when it squares off against better offensive lines and far more experienced quarterbacks, meaning the lack of quarterback takedowns could end up being a glaring weakness entering the final stretch.

Winner: WR Kendrick Bourne

Veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne needed 18 more yards to hit a $500,000 bonus on the contract signed last September.

He had 17 in the game.

That said, Purdy made it a habit to target Bourne a bit more than over the previous three games, meaning the fringe receiver is likely going to hit that bonus soon after being notably iced out of the offensive game plan ever since Mac Jones handed back quarterbacking duties to Purdy.

Good news for Bourne.