NFL: Niners fall short as Titans kick their way to last-second win at home

Nashville, Tennessee - The Tennessee Titans are cruising their way to the upcoming playoffs, kicking off Week 16 of the NFL season with a big home win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a touchdown against the 49ers.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a touchdown against the 49ers.  © imago/Icon SMI

The Titans slipped by the 49ers on Thursday night 20-17 for only their second win in the last five games.

For San Francisco, a win would’ve helped them, but they can at least hold onto one of the three NFC Wild Card spots for the next few days.

The Niners did play great, for the most part, in the first half as they slowly built a 10-0 lead and appeared as if they had a decent grip on the game.

That was, until the third quarter when Tennessee finally answered back with 10 points of their own. They made two consecutive drives to tie the game as the action headed into the fourth and final quarter.

The Titans opened the fourth with another touchdown to take their first lead of the game before the Niners finally found the end zone to knot things up again with just over two minutes to play.

But Tennessee seized the opportunity for glory with a game-winning 44-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation for the win.

The player spotlight

Titans placekicker Randy Bullock booted through the game-winning field goal for his team on Thursday night.
Titans placekicker Randy Bullock booted through the game-winning field goal for his team on Thursday night.  © imago/Icon SMI

The Titans were able to get away with the win thanks to the efforts of placekicker Randy Bullock (32).

His numbers this season haven’t been among the league’s best, but when the opportunity presented itself, he delivered.

The 10th-year special teams player was the first one to score points for the Titans and also the last one to get on the scoreboard, booting through the game-winning 44-yarder.

Bullock was 2-for-2 in field goals and also hit both of his extra-point kick attempts.

The big picture

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Despite losing to the Titans, the Niners can breathe a little at least until Sunday.

That’s when a handful of teams in the NFC Wild Card race play games that could either keep San Francisco in the sixth seed or possibly knock them out of playoff contention completely by the end of the night.

The Vikings and Eagles are both scheduled to do battle Sunday afternoon. Wins by both teams will certainly knock the Niners down, leaving them on the outside, looking in.

Next Sunday, the Titans (10-5) will stay at home to host the Dolphins (7-7), while the Niners (8-7) will also be at home to take on the Texans (3-11).

Cover photo: imago/Icon SMI

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