It’s finally time to watch an (almost) NFL game.
The Tennessee Titans make their season debut Saturday (6 p.m. CT, WKRN-2) against the San Francisco 49ers at Nissan Stadium. New coach Brian Callahan has made it clear that he expects regular players to be on the field in preseason games. That means this will be the first opportunity for fans to see quarterback Will Levis run Callahan’s offense and play alongside new teammates like receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd and first-round pick JC Latham.
Coming off a Super Bowl berth and back-to-back division titles, the 49ers probably won’t be letting their top players like receiver Deebo Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa play as often. But there’s still a lot to be learned from how the Titans look in their first extended game.
Here is The Tennessean’s scouting report and predictions for Saturday’s game.
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Let’s face it: Callahan and offensive coordinator Nick Holz won’t be running the full version of their scheme in the first week of preseason. Rather, it will be about seeing how Levis handles the flow, how smoothly the plays come together, how quickly the players get to the ball, and how functional the basic versions of the scheme are in terms of avoiding penalties and mental errors.
But we also shouldn’t underestimate how interesting it will be to see the stripped-down, stripped-down version of Callahan’s scheme. It’s been nearly a decade since the Titans adopted a pass-first identity, and even longer since the franchise did so with any degree of success. Seeing how Levis, Mason Rudolph and Malik Willis navigate the more quarterback-friendly future is priority one, and seeing if the reinforcements brought in to modernize the offense at every other position can actually do that is priority two.
Position battles to watch: QB2 (Rudolph vs. Willis); RB3 (Hassan Haskins vs. Julius Chestnut); Slot WR2 (Kyle Philips vs. Mason Kinsey vs. Jha’Quan Jackson); TE1 (Chig Okonkwo vs. Josh Whyle); RT2 (John Ojukwu vs. Jaelyn Duncan).
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Titans defense vs. 49ers offense: Is T’Vondre Sweat ready? How do the DBs mesh?
It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that the Titans’ defensive fortunes this season depend on how well Sweat and Jeffery Simmons work together. The duo have proven unblockable at times in training camp. Seeing how Sweat handles his first few game reps will be a big step in seeing if he’s an option for every situation and if the Titans can destroy the offense from the inside.
The other big storyline to watch is how aggressive and physical the new-found secondary is. With Chidobe Awuzie injured, L’Jarius Sneed and Jamal Adams limited in practice, and Quandre Diggs having less than a week of experience in the facility, it’s unlikely the starters will see much action. But coordinator Dennard Wilson’s philosophy is built around attackers in the backfield. It’s important to watch how that mentality plays out in the defensive backs who do line up.
Position battles to watch: OLB2 (Rashad Weaver vs. Shane Ray vs. Jaylen Harrel); IDL2 (Keondre Coburn vs Marlon Davidson); ILB2 (Chance Campbell vs. Luke Gifford vs. Cedric Gray); Outside CB2 (Tre Avery vs. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. vs. Gabe Jeudy-Lally); S1 and 2 (Amani Hooker vs. Quandre Diggs vs. Elijah Molden vs. Jamal Adams).
Offensive player of the game: Treylon Burks. This is the big opportunity for the former first-round pick. Don’t be surprised if he gets plenty of chances to prove himself.
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Defensive player of the game: Jarvis Brownlee Jr. The rookie has been all over the place in camp. He might take a penalty or two, but he might also get his hands on two or three passes for deflections, interceptions or breakups.
Sleeper to score a touchdown: David Martin-Robinson. Willis has built a good rapport with his tight ends in training camp. If the third-team players get more time in the second half, don’t be surprised to see the undrafted product from Temple find the end zone.
Result prediction: Titans 27, 49ers 20. The Titans have a much greater incentive to try in this game. The home team gets it done and shows a little offensive power in the process.
Nick Suss is the Titans reporter for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @nicksuss.
