Revitalized Titans Underdogs At San Francisco

NFL News - November 3rd, 2009 - Written by Scott

Suddenly, the Tennessee Titans seem to have a new life.

In a case study of how a quarterback change can dramatically swing the momentum of a previously unflattering season, head coach Jeff Fisher decided to heed the advice of his owner and insert Vince Young into the offense. And in his first start since Week Two of last season, Young was error free and helped his team to it's first win of the year.

Now, they travel all the way to the west coast to face a declining San Francisco 49ers team, a case study in itself about how a quarterbacking change can sometimes be inconsequential. The Niners are four-point favorites in the game, with a payout of -110 across the board, according to BetUS. But this game doesn't seem as winnable for San Francisco as it did a week ago.

Alex Smith was given the reigns of the offense after Shaun Hill dropped two of his last three against Minnesota and Atlanta. Smith was put into the game two weeks ago against the Houston Texans after his team fell behind 21-0 early, and managed three touchdown passes in a 24-21 loss. But his first start neither wowed, nor disappointed, losing to the Colts by four and the Niners now find themselves in a critical point in the season. They are 3-4, losers of three-straight after starting the year 3-1, but still have a chance to get back into the winnable NFC West race. A win on Sunday slingshots them into a four-game stretch against the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks -- teams with a combined 13-15 record. San Francisco could really use a win because they will be on short rest the next week, when they meet the Bears on Thursday night.

The Titans are hoping for a similar run to recover a season that was supposed to end in a playoff berth. They were 13-3 last season but started as one of three winless teams up to last week. With Young in the lineup, they trounced the Jaguars by 17, a game in which Young completed 10 of 15 passes with a touchdown.

But that's not to overshadow Chris Johnson's monster day on the ground. He led the league in rushing yards with 228, the second time he's gained 200 yards this season, and was the main reason why Tennessee snapped the skid. He his first in the NFL in rushing yards (824) and is on pace for almost 2,000 for the year.

However, San Francisco has one of the best run defenses in the league, standing alone in second place just below Pittsburgh. Patrick Willis is fifth in the league with 67 tackles.

San Francisco's running game hasn't been quite as smooth, but Frank Gore appeared to finally be healthy after suffering a foot injury in Week Three. He ran for 91 yards last week, the majority of that coming on a 64-yard scamper in the first quarter. Tight end Vernon Davis caught a touchdown in that game and leads the team with 375 yards through the air. With the score he now has the most receiving touchdowns in the league (7).

The Niners will be without two of their key starters for the game. Left tackle Joe Staley is out with a damaged knee suffered on the first play last week, and cornerback Nate Clements will be out with a broken shoulder blade. Both players are expected to be out for about six weeks.

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