TITANS 20, 49ERS 17

Game review

OFFENSE

KThis is the kind of game that keeps those “why not play Trey Lance?” fires burning. Yes, Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 322 yards — but 159 of that was to “did you see that?” wide receiver Deebo Samuel (nine catches). When the ball wasn’t in Samuel’s hands, Garoppolo wavered between poor and bad. An end-zone interception cost the 49ers at least three points and overshooting a wideopen Kyle Juszczyk scuttled four more (the 49ers got a field goal at the end of that drive). Late in the third quarter, after the Titans had rallied to tie the game 10-10, Garoppolo threw wide of Brandon Aiyuk, who — had the pass been completed — could have turned upfield and converted a 4th-and-6 from the Titans’ 40.

DEFENSE

LThe Titans came into Thursday with the NFL’s fifth-ranked running game and abandoned it after rushing for 23 yards in the first half. Instead, they turned to wide receiver A.J. Brown and the 49ers had no answer. Brown had 11 catches for 145 yards, 42 of which came on the now-weekly toasting of rookie Ambry Thomas — which was followed by consecutive receptions of 12 and 18 yards, the latter for a TD in front of Josh Norman to put Tennessee on top. The Titans had 55 yards of offense in the first half; in the second, they had scoring drives that covered 55, 18 (after a Garoppolo interception), 59 and 49 (the game-winning field goal).

SPECIAL TEAMS

KOn the bright side, special teams are on the field for the fewest plays of any unit. But this is getting ugly. The beleaguered group allowed the Titans to return a first-quarter kick 37 yards and Mitch Wishnowsky shanked a first-half punt that went 30 yards. Samuel’s 56yard reception to set up the game-tying TD overshadowed another blunder: Aiyuk opted not to catch a punt with about five minutes to go and the Titans downed it at the 49ers’ 5-yard line.

COACHING

KHow long will Kyle Shanahan be asked about not pressing the issue for a field goal at the end of the first half? Garoppolo had just rushed for a first down with 19 seconds to go and the 49ers — with two remaining timeouts — were perhaps 35 yards from Robbie Gould’s range. Shanahan opted to let the clock run out and eschew a bid for a FG ... in a game his team lost by three. And was it play-calling or QB oversight that led to tight end George Kittle — 33 targets, 28 catches in the previous three games — getting only three targets, two of which he caught for 21 yards.

OVERALL K

It’s not quite penthouse to outhouse, but the 49ers could hit the pillow Monday night out of a playoff spot — if the Vikings, Eagles and Saints all win — after losing a game they appeared well on their way to winning by double digits. Assuming a win against Houston (3-11) at Levi’s on Jan. 2, the season could come down to the finale in L.A. against the Rams and whether a 10-7 record will be needed

to reach the postseason.