With the NFC West crown and a wild-card spot still up for grabs, the San Francisco 49ers took a step forward Sunday with a 37–24 win over the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco controlled the game from start to finish, never trailing as quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

Second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall, who had six catches, led all receivers with 96 receiving yards. George Kittle added eight receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Jauan Jennings made the most of his three catches, hauling in two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey also found the end zone, extending his scoring streak to four games.

On the other side, Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward continued to show progress, completing 18 of 29 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Veteran running back Tony Pollard rushed for 104 yards and a score, recording his second straight 100-yard performance.

The 49ers (10-4) have three games left: against the Indianapolis Colts (8-6) on the road and at home against the Chicago Bears (10-4) and Seattle Seahawks (11-3).

Brocky Purdy shines

The 49ers scored on their first five possessions, as Purdy pretty much did whatever he wanted. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 235 yards with three touchdowns through three quarters, also running for 43 yards as the 49ers took a 31-10 lead.

Purdy did have the ball knocked away before he threw it for a fumble at the start of the fourth quarter, but he came back with another drive for a field goal. Purdy had a very good connection going with Kittle, Pearsall and Jennings. Besides his five catches, Pearsall drew two defensive penalties. Purdy was sacked only twice, as he was able to bob and weave around pressure, showing no ill effects from his early-season turf toe injury. — Vic Tafur, 49ers beat writer

49ers’ third-down success continues

The 49ers, who have been one of the best third-down teams in the league this season, excelled in that area again, converting their first seven third-down opportunities as they scored on all three of their long, first-half drives. San Francisco’s offense entered the game second in the NFL in that category with a 48.21 percent conversion rate. They’ve been far better than that in their last two games — 64.7 percent in a win at Cleveland in Week 13 and 60 percent in Sunday’s win against the Titans. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer

49ers’ defense struggles

It was a rough outing for 49ers starting safeties Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown, both of whom dropped would-be interceptions in a game the defense had no takeaways and no sacks. Mustapha’s drop came at the end of the second quarter and allowed the Titans to attempt a long field goal, which they missed. Brown’s drop occurred in the third quarter. Mustapha also had at least two missed tackles and misplayed a deep-ball completion at the goal line in the fourth quarter.

The second-year safety had a bead on the pass but tried to cradle the ball instead of snagging it or knocking it away. That allowed Van Jefferson to come down with the ball at the 1-yard line, setting up a touchdown pass to defensive tackle-turned-fullback Jeffery Simmons on the next play. — Barrows

Tony Pollard runs all over 49ers

Pollard is officially on a roll for the Titans. A week after rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns, Pollard finished with 104 yards, a touchdown and a gaudy 7.4 yards-per-carry average. Pollard has averaged at least 6 yards per carry in his last three outings and likely would have gained a lot more had the 49ers’ offense not scored on its first five drives, which opened a 31-10 lead at the end of the third quarter. San Francisco’s defense, meanwhile, has been undermanned for most of the season and was especially thin Sunday.

The 49ers were without linebackers Fred Warner, Tatum Bethune and Nick Martin, while a defensive line already missing Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams also didn’t have starting defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who was a late scratch with a knee issue. — Barrows