Preview nuts & bolts for 49ers-Titans in Week 15

It’s time for another week of Jimmy Garoppolo and San Francisco 49ers football. The 49ers are back home for the first of their two final home games at Levi’s Stadium, hosting the Tennessee Titans. The game gets going at 1:05 p.m. PT on CBS, and will have Andrew Catalon and James Lofteon calling the game from the booth. There will be no sideline reporter.

The 49ers have won two straight and three of four to improve to 3-10 after an 0-9 start. The last two games saw Garoppolo starting, and the offense has taken a notable step forward in those games. It is still very much a work in progress, but it is easy to be optimistic about the direction.

That being said, these final three games provide a step up in competition. The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans have some solid aspects to their defenses, but overall, both teams are competing for draft position, not playoff position. The Titans, and then the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams are all competing for a playoff berth, and all provide a bit more consistency (Titans) or downright greatness (Jaguars and Rams) from their defenses. It will make for a helpful challenge as evaluations continue toward the offseason.

The 49ers will be without right tackle Trent Brown, who was placed on injured reserve so he could have surgery on a shoulder injury. Zane Beadles will start in his place, and we can only hope he performs better than he did last week against Jadeveon Clowney. Ahkello Witherspoon and Greg Mabin are both game-time decisions with knee and calf injuries, respectively. The 49ers promoted a cornerback from the practice squad, but they won’t know until game-time who will be available. If both Witherspoon and Mabin are deactivated, Leon Hall would start opposite Dontae Johnson.

The Titans will be without pass rusher Derrick Morgan. They have 20 sacks over their last three games, and Morgan leads the team with 7.5 sacks. Given Brown’s absence for the 49ers, this is a boost, but the Titans have still been solid getting to the quarterback.

After 13 straight games as an underdog, the 49ers are a favorite for the first time this season. They have been sitting at -2 against Tennessee, although the line has come down to 1.5 points. I’ve got the 49ers covering, primarily because of Garoppolo’s presence. But also, the Titans strength on offense is the run game, and that happens to be where the 49ers have been a bit more consistent. San Francisco is giving up 3.9 yards per carry, which is good for seventh in the NFL.

Here is a full rundown of how to watch today’s game.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Point spread: 49ers -1.5
Point total: 44.5
Moneyline: 49ers -121, Titans +100

Nuts & Bolts

Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Game time: Sunday, December 17, 1:25 p.m. PT
TV channel: CBS
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass
Radio: 810-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero)
Matchup History: 49ers lead 8-5
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
Lead Referee: John Parry
Enemy blog: Music City Miracles
Twitter: @ninersnation
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