A.J. Brown Takes Over as Titans Top Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers on Last-Second FG

The Tennessee Titans are on the verge of clinching the AFC South.

Tennessee defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in Thursday's showdown at Nissan Stadium despite going scoreless in the first half. A.J. Brown led the comeback effort before Randy Bullock kicked the winning 44-yard field goal for the victors, who improved to 10-5 and snapped a recent slump that saw them go 1-3 in their previous four games.

They will also clinch the division title if the Indianapolis Colts lose to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

A solid showing from Deebo Samuel wasn't enough for the 49ers, who fell to 8-7 and saw their two-game winning streak end. They are still in the middle of a crowded NFC wild-card race that now features four teams with seven losses.

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Notable Player Stats

• Ryan Tannehill, QB, TEN: 22-of-29 passing for 209 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 3 carries for 22 yards
• A.J. Brown, WR, TEN: 11 catches for 145 yards, 1 TD
• Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, SF: 26-of-35 passing for 322 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
• Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, SF: 14 carries for 45 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches for 12 yards
• Deebo Samuel, WR, SF: 9 catches for 159 yards; 5 carries for 32 yards

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Titans' Second-Half Turnaround Spurs Victory

The Titans appeared to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders for much of the season, but injuries to Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and Brown, among others, caught up to them of late. However, Jones and Brown were back in the lineup Thursday as they looked to put some of the recent struggles behind them and move toward a division title.

Yet the offense did anything but click out of the gate even with the return of the pass-catchers.

Tennessee punted on all four of its first-half possessions as Ryan Tannehill only found success on short checkdowns and a long run from D'Onta Foreman was called back for a penalty. There were even boos from the crowd when a drive that started in San Francisco territory ended with yet another punt.

Fortunately for the Titans, their defense kept them within striking distance before everything switched after intermission.

Tennessee started the second half with a field goal and then tied the game by parlaying a turnover into a Foreman touchdown. It turned into the Brown show from there, as the talented playmaker came down with a jump ball on a free play, converted a key third down while perhaps getting away with offensive pass interference and then hauled in a go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing play.

While San Francisco came back to tie the game, the second-half offense for the Titans would not be denied.

Tannehill escaped the pocket for a long run into field-goal range, which set the stage for Bullock's winning kick. There was plenty to clean up from the first half, but the team that took the field in the second half looked playoff-ready.

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49ers Collapse After Missed Chances

The 49ers may be behind the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams in the standings, but they entered Thursday's game looking every bit the part of Super Bowl contenders of late with a chance to build on their recent momentum against a fellow playoff contender.

They wasted no time doing just that with a beautiful nine-play, 75-yard first drive featuring surgical execution until Jeff Wilson Jr. capped it off with a score.

Yet the first half was largely defined by missed chances for the visitors, as Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception in the end zone on San Francisco's second drive before he missed a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk for a potential touchdown on its third possession.

That third drive stalled with a field goal as the 49ers seized a 10-0 halftime lead on the back of their defense, but the offense failed to put the game away early when they had multiple chances to do just that.

Those missed chances became all the more crucial when Garoppolo threw another terrible interception and then missed Brandon Aiyuk on fourth down for a turnover on downs during a disastrous third quarter.

Despite all that, San Francisco's offense battled back to tie it in the final minutes when Samuel broke free to set up an Aiyuk touchdown.

It still wasn't enough, though, as the defense that kept the 49ers afloat when the offense was struggling to capitalize was unable to engineer a key stop down the stretch. A desperation lateral on the game's final play came up short, and the NFC West team was left to think about all those missed opportunities.           

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What's Next?

Both teams are home in Week 17 when the 49ers face the Houston Texans and the Titans play the Miami Dolphins.