49ers handled on both sides of the ball by Texans in 26-15 loss

A San Francisco 49ers team that fought through injuries to remain surprisingly competitive through their first seven games looked listless and outclassed for much of their matchup against the Texans on Sunday, falling 26-15 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

The 49ers dug themselves into a 23-7 hole against the Texans, who controlled most of the game on both sides of the ball and racked up 475 total yards of offense while converting 9-of-16 third downs. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 30-of-39 passing while leading the Texans on a number of time-consuming drives. Meanwhile, 49ers quarterback Mac Jones completed 19-of-32 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and one interception as he dealt with an intense Texans pass rush for much of the afternoon.

Texans dominate first half, but 49ers stay in the game with late touchdown

The Texans fielded the opening kickoff and began the game with a lengthy and efficient scoring drive that took almost ten minutes off the clock before ending in a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal. Key plays on the drive included a first down completion on a 3rd-and-11 play and a 4th-and-1 conversion before safety Ji'Ayir Brown made a key third down stop at the 15-yard line that forced the field goal attempt from 33 yards. The drive spanned 57 yards and 16 plays and resulted in the first points surrendered by the 49ers on an opening drive this season.

The 49ers began with a sloppy possession that included two offensive penalties and quickly resulted in a punt back to the Texans, who took over at their own 13. It didn't take them nearly as long to get downfield this time, as on the second play of the drive, Stroud connected on a checkdown to running back Woody Marks, who ran 50 yards to the 49ers' 32-yard line. The drive fizzled shortly after that, however, as Fairbairn was called upon to kick a 34-yard field goal to put the Texans up 6-0 at the start of the second quarter.

The 49ers answered with a three-and-out as they struggled with the Texans' pass rush for the second consecutive possession, then the Texans once again hit a big play as Stroud connected with wide receiver Jaylin Noel on a 45-yard completion to move the ball to the 49ers' 23-yard line. This time the Texans went on to finish their drive with a touchdown as Stroud connected with wide receiver Jayden Higgins to cap a 10-play, 82-yard drive with a 12-yard score and a 13-0 lead.

The Texans' defense got the 49ers off the field in three plays once again following the touchdown, then the Texans took over on their own 20 after a punt. The 49ers would have forced their first three-and-out of the game had it not been for a third down holding penalty on cornerback Upton Stout, then on the following play, Stroud found wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson for an 18-yard gain to the 50. The Texans moved to the 49ers' 22-yard line from there but then had the drive stall due in large part to a holding penalty, and Fairbairn once again finished things off with a field goal, this time from 37 yards for a 16-0 lead.

After getting nothing on offense or defense for the bulk of the first half, the 49ers got their first big break of the game on special teams as Brian Robinson Jr. took the ensuing kickoff to the 50, then a face mask penalty put the 49ers on the Texans' 35. The 49ers had 51 seconds to work with after the kickoff, which proved to be plenty of time to get on the board thanks to a clutch touchdown catch by tight end George Kittle. An 18-yard completion to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne moved the ball from the 35 to the 17, then after two incompletions, Jones got the ball into Kittle's hands into the end zone to cut the lead to 16-7.

The half ended with an interception by cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, sending the 49ers into halftime with momentum. The halftime stat sheet wasn't pretty for the 49ers, who were outgained 299 to 65 while having only five minutes and 29 seconds of possession over the first two quarters. But with a touchdown to end the half and possession of the ball to open the second half, the 49ers were in better position than they probably deserved to be given their first half performance.

49ers can't close the gap in the second half

Another special teams gift from the Texans put the 49ers in good position to start the third quarter, as Fairbairn's kickoff missed the landing zone, putting the 49ers at their own 40. But the 49ers were unable to capitalize as the pass rush once again got the Texans off the field with a three-and-out. The Texans took over at their own 6-yard line after the punt and got momentum back in their favor with their fifth scoring drive in six possessions, this one covering 94 yards and 12 plays while taking over six minutes off the clock. The 49ers missed a chance to get the Texans off the field when Stroud hit tight end Dalton Schultz for a 17-yard gain on a 3rd-and-10 from the Texans' 33, then Stroud converted on third down one more time late in the drive when he found Hutchinson for a 30-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-7 to take a 23-7 lead.

The 49ers answered with their best drive of the game to that point -- a 12-play, 76-yard possession that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Jake Tonges. A dazzling 25-yard completion on 3rd-and-17 to wide receiver Jauan Jennings set the 49ers up at the 2-yard line, then Tonges held on as he reached up to grab the pass while falling into the end zone to cut the lead to 10. Jones then connected on a two-point conversion attempt to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson to narrow the lead to 23-15 with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Texans opened at their own 31-yard line after the kickoff, then Marks moved the ball to the 45-yard line with a 14-yard run. The running game continued to click from there, as after an 8-yard run by Stroud to give the Texans another third down conversion, Marks made runs of six and 23 yards to move inside the red zone. But the 49ers pushed the Texans backward and forced them to settle for a fourth Fairbairn field goal, this one from 30 yards to open up a 26-15 lead.

A three-and-out followed the field goal, then the Texans took over at their own 28-yard line after the punt. The possession lasted five plays before the 49ers forced their first punt of the day, which was downed at the 1-yard line with just over four minutes to play. The 49ers got upfield in a hurry, however, as completions to Bourne, Jennings, Robinson, and running back Christian McCaffrey moved the ball across midfield in less than two minutes. A 12-yard catch by McCaffrey moved the ball inside the 30, then the 49ers' hopes for a comeback came to an end when cornerback Kamari Lassiter intercepted Jones in the end zone as the clock wound down to the two-minute warning.

The 49ers forced a punt with 1:02 remaining but wound up turning the ball over on downs, after which the Texans ran out the clock. The 49ers fell to 5-3 with the loss, while the Texans improved to 3-5 on the season.

Game Notes

Today marked the sixth all-time meeting between the Texans and 49ers and the first since 2022. The 49ers now hold a 4-2 advantage over the Texans... The game was the first meeting between the Texans and 49ers since former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans took the head coaching job in Houston. Ryans was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco during the 2021 and 2022 seasons... Both teams came into the game depleted at wide receiver. The Texans were without Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Nico Collins (concussion), while the 49ers are still waiting on the return of Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Ricky Pearsall (knee)... Lenoir's interception at the end of the first half ended a dry spell of 14 games without an interception for the 49ers... Next week the 49ers head to the East Coast for matchup against the New York Giants, which is scheduled to be one of two early kickoffs remaining on the schedule (the other being in Cleveland on November 30). The game will begin at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. and will be televised on CBS.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 05:24 — SF 0, HOU 3
  K. Fairbairn 33 yd. Field Goal (16 plays, 57 yds, 9:39)
• Q2 15:00 — SF 0, HOU 6
  K. Fairbairn 34 yd. Field Goal (9 plays, 71 yds, 3:40)
• Q2 07:36 — SF 0, HOU 13
  J. Higgins 12 yd. pass from C. Stroud (K. Fairbairn kick) (10 plays, 82 yds, 5:53)
• Q2 01:02 — SF 0, HOU 16
  K. Fairbairn 37 yd. Field Goal (11 plays, 62 yds, 4:54)
• Q2 00:29 — SF 7, HOU 16
  G. Kittle 17 yd. pass from M. Jones (E. Pineiro kick) (4 plays, 35 yds, 0:33)
• Q3 07:35 — SF 7, HOU 23
  X. Hutchinson 30 yd. pass from C. Stroud (K. Fairbairn kick) (12 plays, 94 yds, 6:07)
• Q3 00:33 — SF 15, HOU 23
  J. Tonges 2 yd. pass from M. Jones (M. Jones-D. Robinson pass) (12 plays, 76 yds, 7:01)
• Q4 09:44 — SF 15, HOU 26
  K. Fairbairn 30 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 58 yds, 5:47)

Game and Player Stats