Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season is here and most of the league is battling to secure a playoff spot. This week’s Thursday Night Football matchup is an inter-conference collision as the San Francisco 49ers hit the road to take on the Tennessee Titans. Both are looking to move forward towards clinching a postseason appearance, which should make for some entertaining football tonight.
Here’s everything you need to know, including statistics, betting odds (BetOnline) and analysis heading into tonight’s 49ers vs Titans Thursday Night Football matchup.
49ers vs Titans General Information and Statistics
Tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup will be played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee — where the Titans are currently 5-2. Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. EST and the game can be viewed on FOX and the NFL Network, as well as multiple streaming platforms.
The 49ers are averaging 25.7 points per game this season, which is the 13th-best average so far this season. Meanwhile, the Titans average 24.1 PPG, which ranks 15th-best. Defensively, San Francisco is surrendering 22.4 PPG (19th) while Tennessee has been giving up an average of 22.1 PPG (16th).
Thursday Night Football: 49ers vs Titans Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, December 16
- San Francisco 49ers (8-6) vs Tennessee Titans (9-5)
- Moneyline: 49ers (-163) vs Titans (+143)
- Spread: 49ers -3.0 (-116) vs Titans +3.0 (-104)
- Total: 44.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
- Head-to-Head: 49ers are 4-2 against the Titans in their last six games.
The complete odds list and prop bets are available at BetOnline.ag.
49ers Look to Continue Winning Ways
The 49ers will enter the NFL’s Week 16 Thursday Night Football matchup as the 3-point favorites as they look to continue their winning ways. San Francisco has won five of its last six games and is pushing hard for a postseason appearance.
A big part of the 49ers’ recent hot streak is due to their success running the ball. It’ll be interesting to see if that continues against a Titans team with the best run defense in the NFL, surrendering an average of just 49.3 rushing yards over their last three games. San Francisco will also be without No. 1 running back Elijah Mitchell again as he continues to nurse a knee injury. Jeff Wilson Jr. will once again be the starting RB, so it’ll be crucial for him to try and replicate his Week 15 performance that saw him rush for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
If the Titans shut the 49ers’ run game down, the team will likely have to rely on the passing game to get things down. That means getting more production from WR Deebo Samuel, who has just seven catches for 109 yards in his last four games. It could also be a difficult Thursday Night Football game for George Kittle, with Tennessee giving up the fourth-fewest yards to tight ends this season.
Nevertheless, San Francisco has been figuring out a way to win no matter the circumstances lately, so only time will tell if that pattern continues tonight.
Thursday Night Football: Titans Get Reinforcements
After a hot start to the 2021 NFL season, injuries have plagued Tennessee’s key offensive stars. Fortunately, standout wideout A.J. Brown is expected to return to the lineup tonight following a stint on the injured reserve. The Titans went 1-3 since his injury, so his return to help while also taking pressure off of Julio Jones.
The truth is that the Titans need some kind of boost to help out their offense. Tennessee has lost three of their last four games, scoring exactly 13 points in each of those losses. Besides, the team’s only win over that stretch came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is hardly anything to write home about. With the Titans finishing with fewer than 200 passing yards in five of their last six games, it’s clear that Ryan Tannehill must be better — especially with six interceptions in his last four games.
As mentioned earlier, the Titans have one of the best run defenses in the NFL and that needs to continue against a rush-heavy offense like the 49ers own. Only once in Tennessee’s last nine games has the opponent rushed for over 100 yards, so it’s like we have an “unstoppable force vs immovable object” situation brewing for Thursday Night Football. If The Titans offense can shake off the cobwebs while the defense continues being as stout as it has been, Tennessee has a decent shot at pulling off a Week 16 upset.
