Will Levis leads two TD drives and helps the Titans to a 17-13 victory over the 49ers in the season opener

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Will Levis led touchdown drives in both of his series and the Tennessee Titans defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17-13 on Saturday night in the teams' season opener.

Levis, who worked in the offseason to learn new coach Brian Callahan's system, completed 4 of 5 passes for 35 yards and capped the Titans' first drive with a touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

The 49ers opened the game with 74 yards on 11 plays, with Jordan Mason scoring from 4 yards out. Brandon Allen started at quarterback for the 49ers, who did not use starter Brock Purdy or any of their first-team skill position players on offense.

Tennessee responded with a big special teams assist. On their first return under the NFL's new kickoff rule, Kearis Jackson broke through the middle of the line for a 63-yard return. The 49ers were penalized 15 yards for sideline interference, putting the Titans at the San Francisco 15-yard line. It took seven plays and a defensive holding penalty by the 49ers before Levis scored Tennessee's first touchdown with a 1-yard sneak.

After forcing San Francisco to punt on the next series, the Titans got the football back and Levis led a lengthy scoring drive that saw the Titans gain 64 yards in seven plays. Levis threw to Calvin Ridley on third down for a 22-yard catch and run to get the drive going. Later, newcomer Tony Pollard added runs of 8 and 24 yards, capped off by Tyjae Spears' 4-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

Third quarterback Malik Willis led a fourth-quarter charge that ended with a 34-yard field goal by rookie Brandon Narveson.

The 49ers responded with a touchdown drive that ended with Joshua Dobbs' 6-yard run into the end zone. The 49ers attempted two touchdowns but were unsuccessful.

Titans backup linebacker Chance Campbell, who has played in just four games in two years due to injuries, had a strong first half with a sack, three other tackles and a special teams hit, and he also caught a Hail Mary from Dobbs on the final play of the game.

Additionally, backup defensive tackle Keondre Coleman had a sack and a forced fumble for Tennessee.

With Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell out of the 49ers, Mason used the game against the Titans as a nice home game. Mason, who played football at Gallatin High, about 25 miles north of Nashville, ran six times for 34 yards for the 49ers in the first quarter, including the touchdown run that gave San Francisco a 7-0 lead.

The Titans' shift from a run-based offense dominated by Derrick Henry in recent seasons to a more pass-friendly system was clearly visible on the stat sheet.

The Titans threw the football 29 times and managed the first 198 yards 19 times between quarterbacks Levis, Rudolph and Willis.

More importantly for the Titans, the offensive line held up well. Tennessee's only sack came when Willis attempted to break free and was stopped by Kalia Davis for a loss of one yard. The offensive line recorded 64 sacks last season and was a focus in the offseason when head coach Brian Callahan's father, Bill, was hired for that role.

The 49ers stopped the Titans twice on fourth-and-one plays, ending Tennessee's offense. The first offense came on a replay that nullified a Hassan Haskins run that would have resulted in a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. That happened in the second quarter on Rudolph's first series as quarterback, leading the Titans' secondary.

The second stop came directly on the other side of the field when the Niners stopped running back Jabari Small at San Francisco's 49-yard line with 4:32 minutes left in the game.

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