Instant analysis of 49ers’ 37-24 victory over the Titans for 10th win of season

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers’ fourth straight win was never in question Sunday.

The greater mystery was how high their playoff seeding could climb, both by sundown here against the hapless Tennessee Titans as well as over the next three weeks to close the regular season.

By virtue of Sunday’s 37-24 triumph, the 49ers’ record improved to 10-4 overall, essentially sealing at least a wild-card playoff spot but keeping a higher seed in play, perhaps even the NFC’s No. 1 spot.

The 49ers entered Sunday as the No. 6 seed, and that’s where they remain, although NFC West rivals Los Angeles (11-3) and Seattle (11-3) each rallied to post Week 15 home wins.

Next for the 49ers is their final away game this regular season, a Monday night visit to the Indianapolis Colts, before coming back to Levi’s Stadium for more meaningful NFC matchups against the Chicago Bears (10-4) and the Seahawks.

The backdrop to Sunday’s showcase was former 49ers tight end Brent Jones’ induction into the franchise’s hall of fame, and Jones is such an admirer of this current team’s resiliency that he said it “might be the most rewarding season” he’s followed since his playing days (1987-97).

“You don’t get to this point without having special guys in the locker room,” Jones said. “Not just that, but the coaching staff has stepped it up, it’s just, not supposed to be this way, and so it’s been really rewarding to watch, and you just know that there’s something special going on in the locker room.”

Brock Purdy feasted on the Titans for the most productive game of his injury-shortened season. Beyond throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns, Purdy proved highly entertaining with his scrambling ability, to say nothing of a fourth-and-1 conversion plunge.

Purdy unleashed a career-long, 26-yard scramble in the third quarter when an open-field pump fake fooled linebacker Jihad Ward, with the 49ers ahead 24-10. That sparked a 95-yard drive that eventually ended with Purdy throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle, for a 31-10 lead.

Purdy’s other two touchdown passes found Jauan Jennings, on the 49ers’ first drives of each half.

The 49ers’ other points came from Eddy Piñeiro, who returned from a two-game hiatus and made his three field-goal attempts for a 25-of-25 mark this season. Piñeiro did miss a 51-yard try in the fourth quarter, but a Titans’ penalty nullified it.

Setting the tone right away were each team’s opening drives: After Cam Ward and the Titans went 3-and-out, the 49ers went on a 70-yard touchdown drive, starting with completions to Ricky Pearsall (8 yards) and Kittle (9, 24) before a 4-yard scoring strike to Jennings gave the 49ers a lead they’d never relinquish.

Neither Thursday’s illness, Saturday’s back injury nor the Titans’ goal-line defense could stop Christian McCaffrey from his ninth rushing touchdown in nine games. That crowned the 49ers’ second series, which was highlighted by Demarcus Robinson’s 29-yard third-down catch and his open-field block later on Kittle’s 24-yard grab to the 8-yard line.

Jennings’ second touchdown came on the 49ers’ opening drive after halftime, with Purdy finding him on a 13-yard dart at the front right pylon. Purdy opened that series with a 14-yard, pass-and-run to McCaffrey, then came a 38-yard dart to Pearsall on a crossing route that resembled one last year in which Deebo Samuel dropped Purdy’s pass.

The Titans crept within 14-10 when Cam Ward fired a 34-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm before safety Ji’Ayir Brown could halt that score, 7:43 until halftime.

Tennessee didn’t score again until early in the fourth quarter, when Ward threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to defensive stalwart Jeffrey Simmons for a 31-17 deficit, and that came right after a 43-yard bomb to Van Jefferson.

The 49ers kept each of their previous two opponents under 10 points, but in this one, the Titans even scratched out two touchdowns in the fourth quarter – a 1-yard pass from Ward to defensive menace Jeffrey Simmons, and a 6-yard run by Tony Pollard.

The 49ers’ best defensive effort came on a goal-line stand in the first half, using tackles from Dee Winters (7-yard loss) and Cle Ferrell (no gain on third-and-goal) to force a 25-yard field goal from Joey Slye.

On the injury front, the 49ers overcame two early scares: a nerve stinger to Chase Lucas on the opening kickoff, and an ankle injury to Pearsall on his opening catch. Both returned to action, but Pearsall limped off with a right-ankle issue after a 13-yard, third-down completion in the final five minutes.

Pearsall finished with a team-high 96 yards, and Kittle had 88 yards, keying a receiver unit that officially won’t have Brandon Aiyuk as part of it this season after the 49ers designated him Saturday as “reserve/left squad.”