Hello there everyone. So I emailed Fooch the other day after I realized that Ninjames (that slacker) had not been doing the Madden simulations every week. He then gave me the privilege of doing it so here I am. I make sure I have the most updated rosters, take out injured players from the depth chart, and make sure everything else is good with the rosters. So for this simulation, I took Nate Clements, Michael Spurlock, Joe Staley, and Demetric Evans out of the depth chart. The player out with injury for sure on the Titans side is Javon Ringer, and everyone else is questionable so I left them in there.

So here is how this works. The game is Madden 10 for the PS3. I set up the week's matchup in Madden with 14 minute quarters and 25 second clock run-off for a more realistic amount of plays. I set the difficulty on All-Madden, sit back, and watch the matchup and give you guys a play-by-play. Let's jump into this shall we?

1st Quarter

The Titans win the toss and elect to receive. Mark Jones has a nice return to the 32 yard line before getting tackled by Reggie Smith.

Titans first drive:

For the first play of the game Vince Young hands off to Chris Johnson who uses his breakaway speed to bounce to the outside and run for a nice gain to the Titans 48 yard line and a first down. The next play is the same, another run to towards the right, but Manny Lawson will have none of that and tackles Johnson after a 4 yard gain. On 2nd down Young hands off to Johnson again, this time to the left that Johnson breaks for an 8 yard gain and another first down. We can see the Titans game plan already. On first down Young gives it to Johnson yet again but only gets 2 yards before Patrick "Bam Bam" Willis stuffs him. On 2nd and 8 we finally see a pass, which the 49ers were clearly not expecting. Young dumps it off to a wide open Bo Scaife who has plenty of room to run and does so for a nice 24 yard gain. The Titans are already at the Niner 16 yard line. The next play we see Young drop back and deliver a nice pass over the middle to Washington who makes a leaping catch in the end zone, and appears to have the touchdown... but the ref calls it incomplete! He only got one foot down. So the Titans go back to their original game plan and give the ball the Johnson, but Aubrayo Franklin denies him any yards and stuffs him for only a 1 yard gain. It is now 3rd and 9 and the defense needs to step up and make a play... Vince Young drops back to pass and appears to be in no man's land and about to be sacked, but not before he dumps it off to Lendale White for a well designed screen pass and runs in for the easy touchdown. Titans up 7-0.

Robinson returns the kickoff from the 1 only to get tackled at the 22 yard line.

49ers first drive:

First play is a handoff to Frank Gore up the middle for no gain. On 2nd down Alex Smith holds the ball for entirely too long and is the victim of a coverage sack. 3rd down and 16. We see the Niners in a shotgun formation (let's hope this is because of Raye reading Florida Danny's posts). Alex Smith delivers a nice pass to wide open Josh Morgan on a curl route who then fights his way to a 49er first down! The ball is on the 49er 34. On first down Smith hands off to Gore up the middle for a 2 yard gain. On 2nd and 8 tha play is a stretch to Gore for 1 yard. So now we have another crucial 3rd and long play. The Niners line up in a shotgun formation and it's a play-action to Gore. Smith drops back, and tries to dump off to Gore who had plenty of room to run, but it bounces off an offensive lineman and falls incomplete. 4th down.  

Andy Lee delivers a nice punt and the punt unit delivers good coverage as they wrap up Mark Jones and stick the Titans at their own 25. Young drops back and throws to Washington over the middle for a 12 yard gain and another first down. Tarell Brown is having some difficulties in his coverage on Washington. Young hands off on the stretch play to Chris Johnson who is stuffed by Lawson and only gains 1 yard. On 2nd and 9 Vince Young throws another nice pass over the middle to Justin Gage for a 29 yard gain. Titans ball at the Niner 35 yard line. Another slant by Washington, another Titans first down as they get to the 49er 21 yard line. Young is picking apart this secondary. Who would've thought? The next two plays are Johnson runs up the middle. One is stuffed by Takeo Spikes for a 1 yard loss and the other is a 1 yards gain. On 3rd and 10, Young drops back and delivers 10 yard pass to Ahmard Hall for a 1st down and the Titans are knocking on the door at the 11 yard line of San Francisco. Play action to Johnson, Young throws but Parys Haralson meets Bo Scaife at the ball and forces him to drop it. Young throws a dangerous pass to the end zone on 2nd down that Tarell Brown should have picked off. 3rd down and 10 at the 11. Young gets a day and a half to throw and throws a TD pass to Britt who has all day to get open. 14-0 Titans.

Robinson returns the kickoff to the 24. On the first play of the drive, Smith throws a short pass to Morgan for no gain. The next play Smith gets hit as he throws an incomplete pass. On 3rd and 10,  Crabtree runs a go route and Smith delivers a spot on pass for a 27 yard gain. 49ers are in Titans territory for the first time today at the Titans 49. On 1st down Smith feels pressure and slides for a 4 yard loss. End of the 1st quarter.

2nd Quarter

So a new quarter, and the Niners need a fresh start. On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Smith overthrows an open Josh Morgan. 3rd and 14. Alex drops back and throws quickly to Vernon Davis who runs a 5 yard curl route? Even the offensive linemen are giving Smith the "wtf?" look.

Andy Lee's punt goes into the endzone. Vince Young drops back and... Justin Smith on the sack! 2nd and 15. Justin Gage catches a 9 yard reception.  The Niners are getting zero pressure on Vince Young today and allowing him to pick apart the secondary. Vince Young overthrows Gage on what would have been another 1st down. A much needed three-and-out for this 49er defense.

Robinson has a very nice punt return for 16 yards. Niners start on their own 49. First play of the drive is a stretch to Gore to the right who is stuffed for no gain. Another Gore run, this time up the middle for 2 yard gain. On 3rd and 8, Alex Smith throws to Crabtree who would've had an opportunity to get the first down, but it bounces off his hands. A not so much needed three-and-out for the 49er offense.

Another Lee punt goes into endzone. The 3 plays for the Titans are all Chris Johnson runs of 5, 1, and 2 yards. The third straight three-and-out of the game.

Robinson has a nice return to the 49ers 37 yard line. Smith gets hit on 1st down as he throws incomplete. On 2nd down Alex Smith actually gets time in the pocket and hits a wide open Crabtree for a 34 yard gain. Niners are on the Titans 28 and knocking on the door for the first time today. Gore looks to be stuffed at the line, but breaks a tackle for a 3 yard gain. Gore gets the ball up the middle again for 2 yard gain. The Niners line up in the Split formation and Smith tosses to Gore to the left and fools the Titans defense for a 6 yard gain and a 1st down. The 49ers are on the 17. Gore gets the ball up middle and fights for 3 yards. Another toss to Frank Gore to the left for an 11 yard gain! The Niners are at the 3 and poised to score a touchdown. Smith is hit as he throws an incomplete pass on first down. The next play Smith overthrows Josh Morgan in the endzone and it falls incomplete out of bounds. On 3rd down Smith is hit as he throws yet again but it's called a fumble. I guess his arm was not going forward. But the Niners recover regardless.  Nedney kicks the 28 yard field goal. Why was Jimmy Raye passing the ball every down from the 3 when all he did to get there was run? 14-3 Titans.

Titans start at own 26. We see yet again 3 straight runs by Chris Johnson of 0, 2, and 4 yards. Three-and-out.

Robinson on the return puts the Niners on their own 29. Smith overthrows Crabtree by a mile who was 1-on-1 and had his man beat by a mile. On 2nd and 10, Crabtree gets a 4 yard reception over middle. On 3rd and 6 Smith throws to Morgan on a short in route for 5 yard reception and gets stopped just short of the 1st down . Another three-and-out.

Titans start on their 22 with about 2 minutes left in the half. Franklin stuffs Johnson for a 1 yard loss. It seems the Titans are ready to get started on 2nd half. The Niners stop Johnson again on the next two plays for yet another 3 runs and punt for the Titans. 43 seconds remain in the half.

Robinson returns the punt to the 49er 45. Smith gets hit as he throws  an incomplete pass. On 2nd down we see the same exact play and the same result. Alex is taking a beating today and getting no time at all. Crabtree catches a pass and fights for a first down but comes up 2 yards short. They run the clock out and that's the end of the half.

Halftime thoughts:

So far, we have seen one good drive by the 49ers, but other than that they have been getting shut down and Smith has gotten no time, although he has made some nice passes, especially to Crabtree who is on his way to his best game of the year. On the defensive side, when the Titans have decided to pass, they have excelled and Vince Young has had a field day out there. Clearly they are missing Joe Staley on that line and Nate Clements in the secondary. Titans have went to a strictly run gameplan to conserve their 14-3 lead.  Let's hope the Niners can get something going in the second half.

3rd Quarter

Niners get the ball first. Arnaz Battle successfully fields the kick return without fumbling and returns the ball to the 30. We see a shot of Alex Smith ranting on the phone to Jimmy Raye about how he his getting no time in the pocket. Or maybe he is ordering a pizza. Gore runs to the right for no gain. Gore up the middle for another run and a 1 yard loss. On 3rd and 11, Snyder blows his block and lets Jevon Kearse by for the easy sack.

Andy Lee punts and Mark Jones returns it to the Titans 30 yard line. Young throws a 5 yard pass to Ahmard Hall. Young is still getting all day to make decisions. On 2nd and 5 Young finds nobody open and throws the ball away. Young to Scaife for a 7 yard reception and a first down. Ball on their own 42. Vince Young throws over the middle but Patrick Willis jumps and intercepts the ball! He starts to run but he gets stripped and fumbles! Chris Johnson recovers and Titans get a new set of downs on their own 47. Just when the Niners had an opportunity it slips away. At least he wasn't pulling a Dre Bly. Play-action pass to Washington for an 11 yard gain. Sopoaga stuffs Johnson on the next play. On 2nd and 9 Young gets pressure and has to throw away but still gets hit hard by Patrick Willis. Tight throw into coverage on third down and the ball bounces off Shawntae Spencer's hands. 4th down. Bironas kicks a 58 yard field goal!? 17-3 Titans

Robinson returns the kickoff to the 49er 27. Pitch to Gore to right for 2 yard gain. The Niners line up in a shotgun spread formation... and it's a draw to Gor for 4 yards. On 3rd and 4 Smith gets hit as he throws and its yet another three-and-out.

Titans start on their 23. Willis with a nice stuff and a loss of 3 yards for Chris Johnson. Spencer knocks down a deep pass with very nice coverage. 3rd and 13 and Chris Johnson with a short reception over the middle. 4th and 7 and the Titans are forced to punt..

Robinson returns the punt to Niners own 40. Smith delivers a beautiful pass to Vernon Davis over the middle for a 21 yard gain and gets them to the Titans 39 yard line. Smith feels pressure quick on the next play and throws dangerous pass into coverage that almost gets picked off. On 2nd and 10 we see another pass into tight coverage bounces off a Titans defender's hands. 3rd and 10 and Crabtree has man beat one on one but Smith overthrows him by a mile again. Joe Nedney will not be outdone and kicks a 56 yard field goal. 17-6 Titans

Titans start on their own 26 and the Niners desperately need to make a play. Chris Johnson on the stretch to the left but Goldson stuffs him for no gain. Chris Johnson finds a little room up middle for 5 yards on 2nd down. Britt catches a 13 yard reception for a 1st down as the Niners fail to make the play they needed to. Titans are at their 42 yard line.  Young drops back and throws to Ahmard Hall who is covered by Lawson one on one. Lawson dives for the knockdown but whiffs. Hall sees daylight and takes it to the house. 24-6 Titans.

Battle kneels down in the endzone for a touchback That's twice he has successfully caught a kick return. All in one game too. Gore gets the ball up the middle 3 yard gain. Davis  gets open on a nice out route for a 15 yard catch and a first down at the 38. Smith gets hit as he throws yet again... On 2nd down Smith holds on to the ball forever and gets sacked He had plenty of space to scramble and make a play. End of 3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

3rd and 15. Bruce has a one on one on a go route but shows his age and can't get separation and the pass is knocked down. The 49ers go for it on 4th down on a desperation attempt, but Smith dumps off to Gore who gets tackled short of the 1st down marker. Turnover on downs.

Titans start on the Niners 38. Young throws a 16 yard bullet to a wide open Justin Gage. Ahmard Hall gets the handoff to the left for 5 yards. On 2nd and 5 Johnson is stuffed by Haralson for 5 yard loss. Johnson finds room and runs up the middle and almost gets a first down put comes up 1 yard short. HUGE hit by Bam Bam. Bironas with the short field goal. 27-6 Titans

Robinson returns the kick to the Niner 27. Smith underthrows Bruce on 1st down and almost gets picked off. Morgan catches a nice ball from Smith for 18 yard reception. Niners at their 45 and Alex gets hit as he throws... incomplete. The next pass gets deflected and it's now 3rd and 10. Smith gets hit again as he throws and the ball lobs into the air and falls incomplete. 4th and 10. Bruce on the reception, clearly has a first down, but fumbles. The ball rolls back 2 yards behind the marker. Niners recover but it's a turnover on downs.

Titans start on their own 47. A play-action pass, but Young lobs pass into 49ers defenders after Sopoaga hits him and Willis picks it off. He returns it to the Titans 47 and doesn't fumble this time.

Gore runs it up the middle(?!) for a 3 yard run. Even Cris Collinsworth knows this is dumb. You know it's bad if he is insulting you. Bruce gets a nice 20 yard reception to the 24... but Barry Sims is called for holding. He dragged him down to the ground with him. Morgan on the reception but is hit as he catches it and it falls incomplete. 3rd and 17... Smith is hit as he throws... incomplete pass. 4th and 17. Smith gets sacked and he fumbles. Titans recover but its overturned and he was ruled down by contact. Regardless it's a turnover on downs and the Titans ball at the 49er 37.

Ahmard Hall gets 6 yard catch and the Titans are trying to add insult to injury. On 2nd and 4 Chris Johnson has a 2 yard run up middle. 3rd and 2. The Niners bring the house, and Hawkins is WIDE open, catches it and never turns back. Touchdown.  34-6 Titans

Robinson return to 27. Holding on Eric Heitmann on 1st down. 1st and 18. Davis jumps up and snatches a 17 yard catch just 1 yard short. Smith scrambles (FINALLY) for a 4 yard run 1st and 10 at the 39. Gore with the stretch to the right for a 1 yard loss. Holding on Gore on the next play and now it's 2nd and 21. The refs really don't want the Niners to have any success. Lob to Vernon for a 7 yard reception. 3rd  and 14. Brandon Jones gets his first reception against his old team but only for 10 yards. The Niners have given up and punt the ball.

Titans start on their own 21. Chris Johnson with 5 yard gain to the right, then a 1 yard run up middle, then a no gainer up the middle.

Robinson returns the punt to the Niners' 44. Morgan with a 9 yard catch. Davis  with a 27 yard catch. Morgan with a 1 yard catch. Battle with a 10 yard catch... (wtf?) Niners are within the 10 and gets hit as he throws an incomplete pass. On 2nd down Smith throws a terrible pass into the end zone right to Hope and gets picked off. The Titans run out the clock.

Final Score: Titans 34 - 49ers 6

Titans -- 14 | 0 | 10 | 10 - 34

49ers --   0  | 3 |  3  |   0 - 6

Post Game Stats

Titans | Stat | 49ers

342 | Total Offense | 250

75 | Rushing Yards | 30

267 | Passing Yards | 220

11 | 1st downs | 11

2 | Turnovers | 2

 42% | 3rd down percentage | 17%

28:54 | TOP | 27:06

Alex Smith -- 20/44  244 YDS  0 TD  1 INT  53.6 rtg          Vince  Young -- 17/27  272 YDS  4 TD  2 INT 108.9 rtg     

Frank Gore -- 17 ATT 41 YDS  2.4 ypc                           Chris Johnson -- 29 ATT 70 YD 2.4 ypc

Vernon Davis -- 6 REC 89 YDS                                      Ahmard Hall -- 4 REC 80 YDS 1 TD

Josh Morgan -- 6 REC 50 YDS                                      Justin Gage -- 3 REC 54 YDS

Michael Crabtree -- 4 REC 72 YDS                               Kenny Britt -- 2 REC 22 YDS 1 TD

Justin Smith -- 1 Sack 5 Tackles                                   Jevon Kearse -- 2 sacks

Patrick Wills -- 2 INT 7 tackles                                       Kyle Vanden Bosch/Tony Brown -- Each 1 Sack

                                                                                     Chris Hope -- 5 tackles 1 INT

Post-Game Thoughts:

Well the 49ers fell 14-0 early in the first quarter and never really got anything going. As said before, they had a couple decent drives, but all they could get out of them were field goals. Alex Smith made some nice throws, but never got any time to do much of anything. On the other side, Vince Young got all the time in the world most of the game and picked apart the 49er defense. Nate Clements' absence was surely missed. Also, the play calling was suspect at best on the 49ers side of the ball and rarely made much sense.

As we all know, the keys to victory tomorrow will be containing Chris Johnson and protecting Alex Smith. In this simulation they did the former for the most part, but Smith was taking a lot of shots. Let's hope that this simulation represents the opposite of what will happen tomorrow. I'm pretty confident in a 49er victory, unlike Madden NFL 10.