The Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Week 1 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game will broadcast live on NFL Network.
The Titans are 3.5-point favorites over the 49ers on the spread (Titans -3.5), with the over/under set at 39.5 total points. Tennessee is priced as a 67-cent favorite to win outright, while San Francisco is listed at 34 cents to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Titans vs 49ers predictions and NFL picks for Thursday, August 13.
My Titans vs 49ers Prediction
- Titans vs 49ers pick: 49ers +3.5
My Titans vs 49ers prediction is San Francisco to cover the spread (+3.5), with the best price currently available via our Polymarket promo code. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Titans vs 49ers Odds
Titans vs 49ers Preseason Preview
Tennessee Titans Preview: Don't Buy Into the Narrative
The Tennessee Titans originally opened as 2- or 2.5-point favorites in this matchup, depending on the shop, but the line has steadily climbed in their favor.
All the exterior narratives currently scream to back Tennessee. New head coach Robert Saleh is eager to make a strong first impression and has announced that all four quarterbacks on the roster will see some action in Thursday's preseason opener.
The intention to play starters in some capacity has undeniably factored into the line movement — we now see the Titans favored by 3.5 at Polymarket, and that number can now be found up to 4.5 at some places.
However, evaluating preseason football requires context.
The Titans’ quarterback room certainly features recognizable names, with former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward comfortably sitting at the top of the depth chart with a pretty safe job, backed up by Mitchell Trubisky, Will Levis, and Hendon Hooker.
While players like Trubisky and Levis boast plenty of actual NFL game experience, expectations should be tempered. They will be taking snaps alongside a bunch of backups on a squad that went 3-14 last season.
Furthermore, when starters play in preseason games, it is typically only for a few scripted drives at less than maximum effort.
If Ward or any of the starting offense played more than a single quarter, it would be surprising, meaning the bulk of what is essentially a televised practice will fall on the shoulders of secondary units struggling to find an offensive rhythm.
San Francisco 49ers Preview: Injury News Overreactions
On the other side, the infamous electrical substation that looms over the 49ers’ practice facility seems to have already found its midseason form, as several key San Francisco starters already find themselves on the injury report.
Key pieces, including Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle, are either recovering from old injuries or dealing with new ones. This growing injury list has undoubtedly contributed to the spread creeping up to the 3.5/4.5 range.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, who famously plays things close to the vest regarding game plans, offered a characteristically vague update stating, “There won’t be many starters playing.”
Given the current health of the roster, it is safe to take him at his word.
San Francisco’s quarterback rotation also supports a conservative exhibition strategy. Best-case scenario: Mac Jones gets the starting nod and manages the offense for a chunk of the game.
Jones was more than competent last season, going 5-3 as a starter while completing 69.6% of his passes for 195 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Frankly, Jones might be too valuable — either as Brock Purdy’s backup or as a future trade asset — to risk in the preseason. We might get him for a brief showcase to court a trade suitor, but don't hold your breath.
If Shanahan opts to sideline his top two signal-callers, the remaining snaps will be left to a battle between 2025 seventh-round pick Kurtis Rourke and undrafted Nebraska journeyman Adrian Martinez.
While that pairing might not sound inspiring on paper, Shanahan's system famously elevates whichever quarterback executes it best, regardless of draft pedigree. Brock Purdy was the 262nd pick in the draft. Shanahan also guided Jimmy Garoppolo to a Super Bowl!
The Niners hand-picked Rourke late in the draft, and Shanahan clearly sees potential in Martinez. He can't seem to get rid of this guy, which makes me believe this duo should be able to keep things competitive in a preseason environment at the very least.
Titans vs 49ers Prediction, Analysis
This matchup is a textbook trigger for the Bet Labs system titled "Fade Line Movement, Early Preseason."
This historical angle dictates that during the first two weeks of the exhibition schedule, anytime a favorite sees the opening spread move 1.5 points or more in their direction, the value shifts to the underdog.
The fundamental theory here is that moving a line more than a full point based on one team's starters playing a few drives — or the opposing team's starters resting — is an overreaction.
When the opening line of 2 or 2.5 was originally set, analysts were already operating under the assumption that the 49ers’ starters were not going to be on the field for most of the game. The same applies to the Titans. Don't expect to see more than a few series from Cam Ward and the Tennessee starters.
Bumping the spread through the key number of 3 based on the Niners' recent injury vibes and Saleh’s declaration to play his quarterbacks isn't an accurate valuation of the actual game dynamics.
This Thursday night clash has all the makings of an ugly, low-scoring affair primarily contested by backup-level players on both sidelines.
I cannot shake the image of the Titans escaping with a 17-14 victory on a last-second field goal while Robert Saleh and company celebrate like they just won the Super Bowl — which wouldn't be enough to cover the number here.
Ignore the exterior noise, trust the system's premise that early preseason line movement is usually an overreaction, and grab the hook with the Niners in this spot.
Trade: 49ers +3.5
