3 Takeaways as 49ers open 2024 preseason with 17-13 loss to Titans

Aug 10, 2024, 7:14 PM

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 10: Julius Chestnut #36 of the Tennessee Titans runs the ball in the first half of a preseason game against Curtis Robinson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers at Nissan Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

The 49ers are back in action after six months, but sadly, can’t start the preseason with a win.

The San Francisco 49ers fell to the Tennessee Titans on the road, 17-13, Saturday, opening their 2024 preseason campaign at 0-1. SF faced an uphill battle to secure the win from the jump, with the home side starting a majority of their starters through the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Red & Gold rested almost every starter, including quarterback Brock Purdy.

SF got out to an early lead on the first drive of the game, but their offense quickly stalled, punting five consecutive times. Tennessee had their moments, including multiple chunk plays that set them up for success in 49ers’ territory. They overcame the deficit to push their lead to 10 points in the fourth quarter.

But the road side rebounded thanks to some heroics from QB Joshua Dobbs. The 49ers would have a chance to win the game late, but a false start on rookie offensive lineman Drake Nugent halted their progress with no timeouts remaining. In the end, the contest concluded with a Dobbs’ hail-mark interception to seal the victory for the Titans.

Despite the loss, there were plenty of takeaways (both good and bad) from Week 1 of the preseason. Here’s three of the biggest ones for the 49ers.

Final from Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/shoPZjYgED

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024

Bell Cow Jordan Mason

It was short and sweet, but Jordan Mason put his stamp on being the 49ers’ No.2 option at running back.

The 2022 undrafted ballcarrier has come into his third NFL season hungry to make splash, and that he has thus far. Mason delivered in training camp to earn the right to be the starter Week 1 of the preseason, showcasing his skills as a complete RB.

His ball-catching attributes weren’t needed during his lone drive Saturday, but he did run with a purpose. Mason fishnet the day with six carries for 34 yards on the ground. He opened the scoring for the 49ers, punching it in from four yards away.

What’s more important is how Mason got those yards, showing a wonderful mixture of power and patience to find the holes in Tennessee’s defense. The Georgia Tech product has always been a downhill bruiser, but he needed to get better at maximizing his runs by finding the right creases.

That appears to be he case now, making a strong statement to be the 49ers’ backup to Christian McCaffrey. And given the state of SF’s RB room, it’s a very welcome sight for JP Mason.

Jordan Mason on the 49ers’ 1st drive of the season:

🔥 6 carries for 34 yards
🔥 1 TD
🔥 9.4 fantasy points

You can get CMC’s handcuff LATE in drafts 👀 pic.twitter.com/lH7EqUphNQ

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 10, 2024

Brandon Allen is the 49ers’ QB2…For Now

It’s no secret that Kyle Shanahan’s playbook is extremely complex. So it only makes sense that in Year 2 with the 49ers, Brandon Allen is finally starting to shine in it.

Allen got the nod to be the preseason starter Week 1 and delivered. He played the entire first half, ending 7/13 for 98 yards passing. Official stats don’t show the whole story however, with two deep strikes dropped by wideouts Tay Martin and Ronnie Bell. Should those have been completed, Allen is closer to 170 passing yards in two quarters.

The 49ers brought in Joshua Dobbs to add competition behind Brock Purdy after Sam Darnold departed for Minnesota. But through the early returns, Allen looks much more comfortable in this offense. However, Dobbs did have some flashes against Tennessee, including an eight-play, 70-yard drive that ended with an acrobatic rushing score for the quarterback.

The Passtronaut took flight 🚀

📱 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/VXM9sM2jDw

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024

Still, Brandon Allen has somewhat of a hold on the backup spot through Week 1 of the preseason, probably.

49ers’ Defense and Special Teams Woes

Tackling, tackling, tackling; That’s really it.

The 49ers’ have had issues dating back to last year with their special-teams coverage and those appear to have returned. The new kickoff saw a lot of missed tackles, allowing returns of 63 yards and 18 yards. It didn’t get much better on punts, allowing a return of 26 yards after multiple missed tackles.

The real problem. was on defense, allowing the home team to have 133 rushing yards, thanks in large part to missed tackles. Multiple times Tennessee would be backed up on third down, run the screen play, and get a huge gain because of poor tackling. The Titans ended the game with 336 total yards; That’s a lot for a preseason game.

Look, it’s early, and the 49ers don’t practice tackling in training camp. But, if these issues translate to the regular season, oh boy.