SANTA CLARA, CA ― Few things in the NFL can be counted on as reliably as the Tennessee Titans‘ streak of losing a week after they’ve won.

The Titans played the San Francisco 49ers close for a half before collapsing in the third quarter en route to a 37-24 loss at Levi’s Stadium. One week after beating Cleveland, the Titans (2-12) were back to their old ways. The offense went three-and-out three times and the defense allowed San Francisco to score on its first five series and possess the ball for more than 37 minutes.

The Titans’ streak of failing to win consecutive games dates to November 2022. It has been 55 games ― more than three full seasons ― since they have strung together back-to-back wins.

Rookie quarterback Cam Ward played an up-and-down game where his deep ball looked as good as it has all year, but he struggled to keep the chains moving on a drive-to-drive basis. He finished 18-for-29 passing with 170 yards and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard touchdown pass and a 43-yard completion to set up a 1-yard score.

Cam Ward stats: Breaking down Titans QB, offense

Tony Pollard and the rushing attack had another good day, with Pollard running for 104 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, just a week after his first 100-yard game of 2025. But the Titans played from behind for most of the game, making it difficult to lean on Pollard and the run game in the same way.

The Titans’ back-to-back three-and-outs to start the second half, across which Ward passed for only 2 yards, started the snowball effect. Take away the stalled drives, though, and it’s not as if Ward played poorly throughout. He found open receivers. He scrambled well. He was hurt by drops. Essentially, he made up for his weaker series with big plays that made stronger series possible, particularly the touchdown to tight end Gunnar Helm, which required squeezing the ball into a tight window on the sideline with defenders converging.

Backpedaling defense

Quarterback Brock Purdy had the 49ers‘ offense running efficiently and methodically against a Titans defense that eventually started to look like a shell of its intended self. Purdy threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 140.3. The Niners began the game by converting their first seven third-down attempts.

Even on a day where star running back Christian McCaffrey didn’t put up huge numbers, the 49ers controlled and drained the game with long, intentional drives, including three scoring drives that spanned more than six minutes. It didn’t hurt San Francisco that the Titans lost three safeties to injury in this game, further limiting an already thin secondary that was playing without Jalyn Armour-Davis, not to mention L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary and Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Jeffery Simmons’ eventful day

Jeffery Simmons continued his All-Pro caliber season with seven tackles, two TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble. But that tells only half of his stat line. His strip sack came on a play where he poked the ball out from behind Purdy and gave the Titans possession across midfield, setting up Ward’s 43-yard completion to Van Jefferson.

One play later, Simmons checked in as a fullback and ran a route into the flats, changing direction several times before settling in the middle of the end zone, where Ward found him for a 1-yard touchdown, the second of Simmons’ career.

On the ensuing drive, he was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul penalty on what would’ve been a missed 49ers field goal, extending the drive and giving San Francisco three free points a few minutes later when it tried its next kick.

Stat watch: Cedric Gray edition

Cedric Gray, the Titans’ standout second-year linebacker, compiled 16 more tackles. This is his fourth game of the season with 15 or more tackles. No other player in franchise history has more than two in a career, let alone in the same season.

This performance brought Gray’s season total for tackles to 144. The franchise record for tackles in a season is 163, set by Azeez Al-Shaair in 2023, and well within reach with three games to go. That said, Gray exited the game early in the fourth quarter and headed into the blue medical tent after a hard collision with tight end George Kittle.

What’s next?

The Titans return home for a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-8). Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT at Nissan Stadium, and the game will be televised on CBS.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.