Six Things That Stood Out for Titans in Saturday Night's Preseason Win Over the 49ers

NASHVILLE – The Titans kicked off the preseason on Saturday night with a 17-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Here’s a look at six things that stood out in the contest:

1-2 Punch in Running Game

The Titans look different without Derrick Henry in the backfield. On Saturday night, the team took the field without their workhorse of past seasons as the page officially turned. I thought the tandem of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears looked good vs the 49ers, however, and the Titans hope it’s a sign of things to come. Pollard carried the ball four times for 35 yards (8.8 ypc) in the contest, and Spears scored on a nifty four-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as he bounced to the outside and found the end zone. “He’s been a great brother to work with,” Spears said of Pollard. “We’re still working, and we still have a lot of things to clean up. But we’re off to a great start.”

Levis Debut, and His Big Hit

Titans quarterback Will Levis had a chance to show off his progress in the preseason opener, and he played long enough to make a few plays. Levis completed 4-of-5 passes for 35 yards, including a 22-yard toss to receiver Calvin Ridley. Levis also managed to find the end zone. Before that scoring run: Levis took a big hit from 49ers linebacker Dee Winters on another run, as he attempted to score. My take: Levis needs to pick his battles as a runner, because the last thing the Titans want to see is Levis injured in the preseason. Levis was pleased with the performance of the first-team group, but he acknowledged he got some free advice from others after taking the hit. “I got some people telling me: It’s preseason, get down,” Levis said. “I was trying to make something happen, but I have to be smarter.”

Calvin Ridley’s Explosiveness

Ridley didn’t play much in his preseason debut, but he was in there long enough to show why the Titans went out and got him in free agency. Ridley caught a short pass from Levis across the middle, and he escaped pursuit to race 22 yards for a first down, putting his speed on display. Ridley has dazzled in training camp practices, and Titans fans got a sneak peek of what’s to come on Saturday night. “We were trying to get the ball to Calvin two or three times there,” Titans Coach Brian Callahan said. “It was good to just get Calvin going and you see just how explosive he can be with the ball in his hands.”