Titans Beat San Francisco 49ers 16-10 as Kyle Shanahan Returns in 2026 NFL Preseason Opener

On Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Tennessee Titans defeated the San Francisco 49ers 16-10 at Levi’s Stadium in the 49ers’ 2026 NFL preseason Week 1 opener. Kyle Shanahan coached from the sideline for the first time since a July 14 car crash, while Robert Saleh made his Titans preseason debut against the franchise where he spent much of the past decade as defensive coordinator. Cornerback Jack Jones was ruled out with a hand injury during Tennessee’s opening drive.

Kickoff was 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT) on NFL Network. The Titans built an early lead behind Tony Pollard’s touchdown and Joey Slye’s leg, then held off a second-half push from San Francisco’s backups.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from AP News, ESPN, 49ers Webzone, TennesseeTitans.com, and The Tennessean, August 9–13, 2026.

How the game unfolded

Detail	Information
Date	Thursday, August 13, 2026
Venue	Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Week	NFL Preseason Week 1
Kickoff	9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
National TV	NFL Network
Final	Titans 16, 49ers 10
Quarter lines	TEN 7-6-3-0, SF 0-7-3-0

Tennessee struck first on its opening possession. Tony Pollard capped an 11-play, 95-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, and Joey Slye’s extra point gave the Titans a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

San Francisco answered in the second quarter when Patrick Taylor Jr. punched in a 1-yard touchdown on an 11-play, 68-yard march, and Eddy Pineiro’s kick tied the game at 7-7.

The Titans reclaimed the lead on back-to-back Slye field goals. He connected from 39 yards with 1:21 left in the half, then drilled a 55-yarder as time expired to send Tennessee to the locker room up 13-7.

Pineiro pulled the 49ers within three with a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter, making it 13-10. Slye answered with a 53-yard field goal — his third of the night and second from beyond 50 yards — to restore a six-point cushion at 16-10.

Scoring summary

Quarter	Play	Score
1st	Tony Pollard 5-yard rush (TEN)	TEN 7, SF 0
2nd	Patrick Taylor Jr. 1-yard rush (SF)	7-7
2nd	Joey Slye 39-yard field goal (TEN)	TEN 10-7
2nd	Joey Slye 55-yard field goal (TEN)	TEN 13-7
3rd	Eddy Pineiro 52-yard field goal (SF)	TEN 13-10
3rd	Joey Slye 53-yard field goal (TEN)	TEN 16-10

Shanahan’s return to the sideline

The night’s most closely watched storyline was not the scoreboard but the man in the headset.

Shanahan has been recovering since a July 14 crash in Palo Alto that left him with a concussion, broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken hand, and more than 40 stitches to close a cut over his eye. He told reporters Saturday — his first news conference of training camp — that he planned to coach Thursday’s exhibition opener against Tennessee.

“I’m doing real good,” Shanahan said, via AP News. “My body feels good. Just got to get this annoying cast off. My ribs feel good, except when I sneeze, and my head feels so much better.”

Shanahan attended every training camp practice this summer but limited some daily routines while managing headaches and fatigue. He credited assistant head coach Chris Foerster and his coordinators for keeping the operation steady. Thursday marked his first game-day return to the sideline since the accident.

Shanahan also took responsibility for the crash, saying he reached for his phone while his Tesla was in autopilot mode at roughly 20 mph. Police did not issue him a ticket, AP reported, though Shanahan said he still should not have taken his eyes off the road.

Saleh faces his former team

For the Titans, the trip to Santa Clara carried extra weight.

Robert Saleh, named Tennessee’s head coach in January 2026, arrived with 21 seasons of NFL coaching experience — most recently as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2025 after a first stint in that role from 2017 to 2020. Between Niners tenures, he was head coach of the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024.

Saleh told reporters Monday that Tennessee would play “everyone” in the opener — starters included, and for more than a single series. Cam Ward, who started all three preseason games as a rookie in 2025, led the offense in Saleh’s first exhibition game as Titans coach.

The teams had shared a joint practice at the SAP Performance Facility on Tuesday, August 11, two days before kickoff. The session grew heated at times, with scrums between Tennessee’s offense and San Francisco’s defense and two Titans offensive linemen — Dan Moore and Austin Deculus — ejected for fighting.

Thursday’s result gave Saleh a road win in a familiar building. Preseason standings do not carry into September, but beating a 12-5 playoff team from 2025 on its home turf offered early validation for a Titans club rebuilding under new leadership.

Injuries and roster notes

Jack Jones ruled out

Cornerback Jack Jones, who had been one of San Francisco’s training-camp standouts, left the field during Tennessee’s first offensive drive. The training staff examined his hand on the sideline before he was ruled out for the remainder of the game, per 49ers Webzone.

Jones’ exit tested depth in a secondary already navigating injuries. Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was on injured reserve with a knee injury entering the week, and several other 49ers skill players carried questionable tags before kickoff.

Kurtis Rourke exits at quarterback

San Francisco also lost quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a rib injury in the second quarter. Rourke was evaluated in the medical tent, then headed to the locker room and was eventually ruled out. Adrian Martinez replaced him under center.

The 49ers rotated through their quarterback depth behind Brock Purdy, who was limited to nine regular-season games in 2025 because of injury but remains the projected starter. Mac Jones also saw action during camp and joint practices with Tennessee.

Titans personnel

Rookie receiver Carnell Tate, who built rapport with Ward throughout camp, made his live NFL debut Thursday. Tony Pollard provided the offensive highlight with his first-quarter touchdown on the 95-yard march.

Context beyond the scoreboard

Thursday was the first of three consecutive weeks in which Tennessee will hold joint practices with its preseason opponent — a franchise first, according to TennesseeTitans.com. The Titans are scheduled to practice with Seattle and Chicago in Weeks 2 and 3 of the exhibition slate.

For San Francisco, the opener opened a demanding August runway: another joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers next week, a second exhibition game, and then a preseason finale against Las Vegas on August 27 before the 49ers fly to Australia to open the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams on September 11.

Defensive end Nick Bosa, returning from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in Week 3, missed his third straight practice before the game with what the team described as soreness. Shanahan told AP he was not overly concerned, calling it a wait-and-see situation rather than a major setback.

Neither club treats preseason results as predictive. Still, Tennessee’s special-teams edge — Slye went 3-for-3 on field goals, including two from beyond 50 yards — and San Francisco’s early defensive injury will shape internal roster conversations in the days ahead.

What comes next

Both teams continue Week 1 exhibition play across the league through Saturday, August 15. The Titans and 49ers will trim rosters, refine rotations, and evaluate special teams before Week 2 of the preseason.

Shanahan’s full return to his normal daily routine remains a gradual process, but coaching Thursday’s opener was the clearest signal yet that he expects to be on the sideline when the 49ers open the regular season abroad. Saleh, meanwhile, takes a 16-10 road win into the next phase of a joint-practice-heavy August schedule.

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Discussion

Thursday at Levi’s Stadium paired a coach’s comeback with a familiar face on the opposite sideline — and a kicker who stole the scoring spotlight.

1. Kyle Shanahan coached from the sideline less than a month after a concussion and multiple fractures. For a team opening the regular season in Australia, is rushing back for an exhibition game the right call — or should the 49ers have kept him in a reduced role longer?

2. Jack Jones was ruled out with a hand injury on Tennessee’s first drive after a strong training camp. How much does losing a corner who was earning starter buzz change how you view San Francisco’s secondary depth before the regular season?

Share whether Slye’s three field goals or Saleh’s win over his old club shifted how you see either team’s 2026 outlook.

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