Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers Picks and Odds Dec 23
Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
WagerTalk NFL handicapper Andy Lang offers his Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers NFL Week 16 Thursday Night Football betting preview. At the time of posting, the 49ers have climbed to a 3-point road favorite in Tennessee, with the total sitting at 44.5 points.
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| NFL Week 16 | Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | San Francisco 49ers -3 at Tennessee Titans |
| Total: | 44.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:20pm ET / 5:20pm PT on Thursday, December 23 |
| Stadium: | Nissan Stadium in Nashville |
| TV: | NFL Network |
Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers Predictions
The Week 16 schedule will kickoff with the San Francisco 49ers traveling to Tennessee for a battle with the Titans at Nissan Stadium on Thursday Night Football.
The 49ers are now 8-6 after winning 5 of their last 6 games and are looking like a dangerous wild card team. The Titans are now 9-5 after losing 3 of their last 4 games and hold a one game lead over the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC South divisional crown. However, the Titans also own the tie-breaker as they beat the Colts twice, making their magic number two with three games left to play each. I keep a close eye as I’m holding a Titans to win their division future ticket. Let’s do a deep dive into this interconference matchup.
The San Francisco 49ers rolled the Atlanta Falcons in their last game and scored a 31-13 victory. They now sit at 6th place in the NFC Playoff picture, one game ahead of both the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans, and have a 91% probability of making the post-season.
Jimmy Garoppolo has had plenty of ups and downs in his NFL career between backing up Tom Brady in New England, going to a Superbowl with the 49ers and then dealing with a laundry list of injuries. This season Garoppolo is 8-5 as a starter and has thrown 18 touchdowns with only 8 interceptions for a completion percentage of 67.4%.
The 49ers have consistently run the ball regardless of who is healthy at running back, classic Kyle Shanahan. Now Deebo Samuel has transformed himself into a hybrid running back/receiver who has a rushing TD in five straight games. George Kittle has been a beast now that he is fully healthy and Brandon Aiyuk has also stepped up his game in recent weeks.
The Niner defense is getting healthy at the right time and has improved recently as well. On the season they have been solid and have allowed 22.4 points per game.
The Tennessee Titans are a team heading in a completely opposite direction of the 49ers and are coming off a frustrating 19-13 road loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their offense has been decimated by injuries starting with the centerpiece in running back Derrick Henry. D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard have filled in admirably, but they just don’t provide the same pop of a monster like Derrick Henry.
Wide outs AJ Brown and Julio Jones have both missed significant time, leaving quarterback Ryan Tannehill short on weapons. Julio Jones is questionable yet again this week while AJ Brown could return from the injured list, but don’t hold your breath.
The Titans scoring defense ranks similar to the 49ers, as they allow 22.1 points per game. Tennessee has been stout against run as they rank 2nd in the league, but haven’t faired as well against the pass ranking 19th.
This is a game featuring two teams heading in opposite directions. Injuries have plagued the Titans offensive skill players and its starting to take its toll. The Titans need to establish the run to have a chance at winning this game. However the 49ers are stout against the run, but they have also been great against the pass, allowing the 7th least passing yards a game. The 49ers also have the 6th most sacks in the league, while the Titans offensive line has been leaky to say the least.
The 49ers are 3-point road favorites with a total set at 44.5. San Francisco has played terrific football recently and they have all the momentum. I will recommend laying the three points with the 49ers, with the utmost confidence.
Official Play: San Francisco 49ers -3
🏈 The 49ers have attracted sharp money several times this season, and this week is no different. On this morning’s edition of WagerTalk Today, @artdice21 shared his thoughts on how the #NFL Week 16 betting market was shaping up.
📺 Full episode: https://t.co/9flDCclT00 pic.twitter.com/715fFrSrYd— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 23, 2021
Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers Analysis from GoldSheet
In retrospect, maybe it’s not all that surprising that the Titans offense is struggling. After all, what did we think might happen to an attack that removes perhaps the greatest running threat in a generation? Ryan Tannehill is also beginning to buckle from carrying the extra burden for the offense, now with five games of multiple turnovers in 2021, more than he had across the previous two seasons combined as a starter, while the Titans, perhaps guilty of pressing too much, guilty of giveaways on three straight possessions last week in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, SF is well-positioned in the NFC Wild Card race after winning for a fifth time in six weeks last Sunday vs. the Falcons, with Jimmy G keeping the Trey Lance crowd quiet until at least next season with a string of highly-efficient efforts and posting the fourth-best QBR since midseason, and sharp again last week when completing 18 of 23 in his latest effective performance. That’s not what we’re seeing lately from Tannehill, who isn’t quite the same without Henry to lean on as before.
NFL Week 16 Opening Line Report
The push toward the 2021-22 NFL playoffs is officially on. In this week’s edition of The Opening Line Report, Teddy Covers and Drew Martin break down the Week 16 betting market from three key angles: a) What were the look-ahead lines from last week; b) Where did the lines re-open after Sunday’s action; c) Where the lines are heading before kickoff this week. Join Teddy and Drew every Monday for this informative NFL betting exercise. We begin the Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers discussion at the 7:00 timestamp.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the NFL Week 16 games, including this Tennessee Titans vs San Francisco 49ers showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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