Tennessee Titans takeaways from preseason Week 1 win over 49ers

Mike Moraitis

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Tennessee Titans takeaways from preseason Week 1 win over 49ers image

The Tennessee Titans opened up their 2024 preseason slate on Saturday night with a matchup against the reigning NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers.

After letting up an opening-series scoring drive, the Titans dropped 17 unanswered points and held a 17-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. However, the Niners didn't go away quietly into the night and had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter while trailing 17-13.

But the Titans managed to thwart San Francisco's comeback attempt by stopping Josh Dobbs and Co. on their final drive of the game to secure the preseason-opening win.

Here's a look at some takeaways from Tennessee's preseason Week 1 win.

Titans takeaways from preseason Week 1

First-team offense shines

The Titans had Will Levis and the first-team offense out there for two drives, and both ended with touchdowns.

The first drive saw the Titans capitalize on great field position thanks to a fantastic kick return and penalty that set Tennessee up at San Francisco's 15-yard line. Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard did most of the work on the ground, but Levis capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

The Titans had to do a lot more work on their second series to get into the end zone, with the drive starting at their own 36. Levis connected on a 22-yard pass to Calvin Ridley and Pollard broke loose for a 24-yard gain to set the Titans up at the Niners' 10-yard line. Two plays later, Spears punched it in for six.

Along with strong performances from Levis, Pollard and Ridley, the Titans saw good pass protection and run-blocking from the entire offensive line.

A promising start for the O-line

The Titans' starting offensive line is going to be watched very closely during the preseason after the disaster the unit has been the past few years.

Thankfully, the starting unit got off to a good start on Saturday night, as there was space in the run game (Pollard averaged 8.8 yards per carry) and pass protection was good (no sacks).

Nicholas Petit-Frere and Dillon Radunz started at right tackle and right guard, respectively, and played well in both facets.

Titans have a return game?!

The Mike Vrabel era rarely — if ever — produced positive results in the return game, which often made former special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman the bane of Titans fans' existence.

But we saw a much different situation in the first game of the Colt Anderson era. The Titans saw an impressive 63-yard kick return from receiver Kearis Jackson to help set up their first score, and rookie Jha'Quan Jackson added a 26-yard punt return that aided the second scoring drive.

Three defensive standouts

The Titans' defense, which was missing several starters, got off to a sluggish start but got better as the game progressed. Three players in particular shined on that side of the ball.

Chance Campbell was one of the biggest standouts of the entire game, as the third-year linebacker was all over the place, recording a team-high nine tackles to go along with one sack and one interception.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had a strong training camp and picked up where he left off, with the rookie tallying three tackles and an impressive pass defensed on a deep ball that saw him recover nicely after initially looking like he was beat.

Linebacker Otis Reese also helped his cause, with the second-year linebacker tallying four tackles (tied for second-most), including one for a loss. He also played a part in Campbell's aforementioned sack.

The Titans already have three spots locked up at linebacker with Kenneth Murray, Jack Gibbens and Cedric Gray, who didn't play in the preseason opener. It looks like there's going to be one heck of a competition for the final spot or spots.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.