The absences pile up fast on San Francisco's side. Ricky Pearsall is done for the year after season-ending surgery to repair a torn PCL, George Kittle is still working back from an Achilles issue, and Nick Bosa has been managing knee soreness that's kept him off the practice field. Add in Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner all staying in sweats for the opener, and the 49ers are fielding a roster that barely resembles the one that shows up in September. None of that stopped Tuesday's joint session from turning into a scrap — reports counted at least eight fights, including a shoving match that got a Titans lineman ejected — and that temperature has followed both teams into the odds market.
Whatever's driving it, the number has moved: San Francisco's been getting more plus money as the week goes on even as the buzz around Ward and Pollard grows louder. That split is worth watching, but the real story here is roster churn, not the scoreboard. Guys like 49ers rookie edge Romello Height, who reportedly beat Tennessee's starting left tackle repeatedly in practice, are playing for a 53-man spot, and that competitive streak doesn't disappear just because the names above them on the depth chart are staying home.
Neither team is walking into 2026 with much momentum. San Francisco enters having lost their last game, a 41-6 blowout to Seattle. Tennessee has lost 2 straight to close, including a 24-37 defeat to this same 49ers team sandwiched between wins over Cleveland and Kansas City before a 41-7 blowout to Jacksonville sent them into the offseason. That finish is a big part of why the Titans went and got Saleh in the first place — a fresh voice built around Ward instead of another retread.
None of this settles anything about who's actually better in September, and it shouldn't. But for a night, it's Ward and Pollard trying to build on last year's flashes against a 49ers scout-team look, with a genuinely chippy week of practice as the backdrop. Kickoff is 6:00 PM PT at Levi's Stadium.