49ers fall 19-13 in preseason opener to Titans

The San Francisco 49ers came out of their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium without a win, but they at least saw a few standout performances to hang their hats on.

The Titans, who played their starters early on against a 49ers lineup comprised mainly of backups, put together a 13-7 lead at halftime before holding on during a largely uneventful second half for a 19-13 win. Among the top performers for the 49ers was starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who saw his first game action since his college days at Indiana University after missing the 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL, and rookie wide receiver and second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling.

Rourke, who was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers in 2025, connected on 12-of-14 passes for 101 yards in the first half before leaving the game with a rib injury. Stribling finished with seven catches for 63 yards before departing the game in the first half and looked very much like a player who will be able to fill a similar role to former 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings, who departed the team in free agency.

Other young players who stood out for the 49ers were rookie defensive tackle and fourth-round pick Gracen Halton, who notched a tackle for loss while bringing pressure against Titans first-teamers early in the game, and second-year wide receiver Jordan Watkins, who caught six passes for 59 yards.

Cam Ward started the game at quarterback for the Titans and finished with 57 yards on 5-of-12 passing before leaving the game in the second quarter.

Rourke, 49ers hang tough against Titans starters in first half

Rourke and the 49ers began the game with possession at their own 34-yard line and moved across midfield before their opening drive ended with a punt. The highlight of the drive came on a fourth-down scramble for Rourke where he ducked out of the way of the Titans' pass rush before picking up a first down, but a holding penalty on offensive lineman Robert Jones three plays later negated a 21-yard completion to Watkins and pushed the 49ers into a hole they couldn't dig out of.

The Titans took over at their own 5-yard line, then their first-team offense marched downfield on an 11-play, 95-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by running back Tony Pollard. Key plays on the drive included a 12-yard run by Pollard on the first play; an 18-yard completion to wide receiver Calvin Ridley on a third down play; and a 16-yard completion to tight end Gunnar Helm followed by a 25-yard run by running back Tyjae Spears. Pollard ran in from four yards out to cap the drive.

The 49ers punted back to the Titans after four plays on the next possession then got the ball back after forcing a Titans punt in five plays. Rourke and the 49ers took over at their own 32-yard line as the second quarter got underway, then flipped the field on a 32-yard completion on 3rd-and-5 to Stribling.

Rourke followed that up with another third-down conversion on a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Malik Turner on a 3rd-and-11, then he connected with Stribling again on a 3rd-and-6 for an 11-yard completion to the Titans' 4-yard line. A three-yard run by Rourke moved the ball to the 1-yard line before the 49ers moved backwards on a delay of game penalty, then a pass interference call in the end zone on the Titans put the ball back at the 1. Running back Patrick Taylor finished the drive on the next play with a touchdown run to tie the game at 7.

The Titans gave their starters a third series on offense, but the 49ers held firm on defense to force a punt after four plays. Adrian Martinez took over at quarterback for the 49ers after the punt and led the 49ers to two first downs before turning the ball over on downs at the Tennessee 44-yard line, then Mitchell Trubisky took over at quarterback for the Titans with just under four minutes left in the half. The Titans moved 35 yards in seven plays before tacking on a 39-yard Joey Slye field goal to take a 10-7 lead, then the 49ers took over at their own 30-yard line with 1:15 remaining.

A third down completion to wide receiver Trenton Irwin for 18 yards followed by a 10-yard run by Martinez put the ball at the Titans' 42-yard line, then a nine-yard completion to Watkins moved the 49ers to the 33. A four-yard run by running back Sincere McCormick gave the 49ers a first down at the 29-yard line, but two incompletions followed by Martinez stepping out of bounds on third down for a 14-yard loss stuck the 49ers with a 61-yard field goal attempt by Edy Pineiro. The kick fell short, giving the Titans possession at the 49ers' 49-yard line with 13 seconds remaining in the half. The Titans then moved to the 37-yard line to give Slye a 55-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining. Slye hit the kick with room to spare, giving the Titans a 13-7 lead as the game moved to halftime.

49ers can't close the gap during sleepy second half

As is often the case in NFL preseason openers, the second half took a lackluster turn as the teams brought their deepest reserve players onto the field. Will Levis took over at quarterback at the start of the third quarter for the Titans, who opened the half with a five-play, 19-yard possession before punting the ball to the 49ers. A three-and-out sent the ball back to the Titans, who turned in a three-and-out of their own with the help of a third-down sack from 49ers defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo.

The 49ers took over at their own 45-yard line after the punt and put together a seven-play, 21-yard drive that ended in a field goal from Pineiro. A 15-yard completion to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge on a 3rd-and-8 moved the ball into Titans Territory, then short gains from McCormick and running back Khalil Herbert set Pineiro up from 52 yards to cut the lead to 13-10 with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter.

The Titans responded with an 8-play, 35-yard drive that ended with a 53-yard field goal from Slye to give them a 16-10 lead. The 49ers answered with a 10-play, 61-yard drive that moved the ball to the 12-yard line before a turnover on downs, then got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with 8:45 remaining in the game after a Titans punt.

Another punt followed for the 49ers, then with Hendon Hooker in the game at quarterback, the Titans put together a nine-play, 52-yard drive that ended in another long field goal from Slye, this one from 58 yards to open up 19-10 lead. The 49ers took over at their own 28 with 2:23 remaining and put together one last scoring drive -- a ten-play, 49-yard drive that culminated in a 41-yard field goal from Pineiro with 48 seconds remaining -- then the Titans ran out the clock after a failed onsides kick attempt to seal the game.

Game Notes

Aside from Rourke, the most notable injury in the game for the 49ers was to cornerback Jack Jones, who left the game in the first quarter with a hand injury. Jones had been making waves with a solid training camp... In addition to Rourke, Taylor, Stribling, Turner, and Watkins, starters for the 49ers on offense included LT Austin Pleasants, LG Robert Jones, C Drake Nugent, RG Connor Colby, RT Brandon Parker, and TE Brayden Willis. Starters on defense included Jones, Okoronkwo, DE Romello Height, DT Sebastian Valdez, DT Alfred Collins, LB Jaden Dugger, CB Darrell Luter, NB Jakob Robinson, S Marques Sigle, and S Ashtyn Davis... Next up for the 49ers will be a road preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The game will kickoff at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT on Thursday, October 20.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 04:46 — TEN 7, SF 0
  T. Pollard 5 yd. run (J. Slye kick) (11 plays, 95 yds, 5:10)
• Q2 08:44 — TEN 7, SF 7
  P. Taylor 1 yd. run (E. Pineiro kick) (11 plays, 68 yds, 6:16)
• Q2 01:25 — TEN 10, SF 7
  J. Slye 39 yd. Field Goal (7 plays, 35 yds, 2:34)
• Q2 00:02 — TEN 13, SF 7
  J. Slye 55 yd. Field Goal (3 plays, 12 yds, 0:13)
• Q3 06:22 — TEN 13, SF 10
  E. Pineiro 52 yd. Field Goal (7 plays, 21 yds, 3:20)
• Q3 02:52 — TEN 16, SF 10
  J. Slye 53 yd. Field Goal (8 plays, 35 yds, 3:31)
• Q4 02:28 — TEN 19, SF 10
  J. Slye 58 yd. Field Goal (9 plays, 52 yds, 3:51)
• Q4 00:51 — TEN 19, SF 13
  E. Pineiro 41 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 49 yds, 1:35)

Game and Player Stats

Mentioned in this article: Tatum Bethune, Connor Colby, Alfred Collins, Ashtyn Davis, Jaden Dugger, Jalen Graham, Wesley Grimes, Gracen Halton, Romello Height, KhaDarel Hodge, Jack Jones, Nick Martin, Sincere McCormick, Drake Nugent, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Will Pauling, Ephesians Prysock, Jakob Robinson, Kurtis Rourke, Marques Sigle, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jalen Stroman, James Thompson, Sebastian Valdez, Corliss Waitman, Garret Wallow, Jordan Watkins, Brayden Willis