The San Francisco 49ers looked outmatched on Sunday, falling 26-15 to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. With the defeat, the 49ers dropped to 5-3 and relinquished their hold on first place in the NFC West after the lopsided performance.
The Texans dominated on both sides of the ball, stifling head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense and outgaining San Francisco in nearly every major statistical category. Houston racked up 475 total yards compared to the 49ers' 223 and controlled the clock with an overwhelming 41:22 time of possession versus San Francisco's 18:38.
After the game, Shanahan was asked whether a loss like this could damage his team's morale.
"I would hope not," Shanahan said. "I mean, we got beat today—credit to them. They kicked our ass and we've got to take it like men, and come back, hopefully a little pissed off, and go to work, and play better next week than we did this week."
Shanahan added that his postgame message to the team echoed the same sentiment.
"There's not much to sugarcoat there," Shanahan continued. "I was real disappointed in how we looked for all four quarters. The first half was unacceptable, and the second half didn't get much better.
"Not much to say about it, except that we'll look at it on the plane and figure out all the things that we know we can correct and that we did mess up. But I expect the guys to come in tomorrow with a chip on their shoulder, ready to get back to work."
49ers-Texans injury updates
As if the loss weren't tough enough, the 49ers once again found themselves battling injuries. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu both left the game with ankle injuries and did not return, while linebacker Dee Winters exited with a knee issue. Rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins briefly left the game with a shoulder injury but managed to return later in the contest.
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Shanahan noted afterward that it's still unclear whether any of the injuries are serious.
"Two ankles, didn't look like highs," Shanahan said. "Dee Winters with his knee, just inflammation, things like that. So hopefully, it'll be alright."
We'll likely learn more about each player's status on Monday. However, the 49ers can't afford to lose too many more players this season.
Do the latest injuries make a trade more likely?
With the NFL trade deadline approaching on November 4, speculation continues to swirl that the 49ers might look to reinforce a roster that has already endured its share of setbacks. When asked if the team's growing injury list might add urgency to explore the trade market, Shanahan was quick to downplay the idea.
"Nothing changes anything," Shanahan said. "It has to do with what's available out there, and does it help us this year, does it help us next year. Usually, as things get closer, you get a little more idea on who's real and who's not, and we'll evaluate that for the short term and long term."
Even tight end George Kittle weighed in on the topic, brushing off the notion that the 49ers might need to find some outside help to stay competitive down the stretch.
"Would you have asked me that last week when we held the Atlanta Falcons to 10 points? I don't think so," Kittle said. "So, I think we have the right guys. Now, let's think about who else got hurt today on our defensive line—like, I don't know. We'll see what happens.
"But I think we have a lot of the right guys in the building, a lot of guys who like to play football the right way. And I think [defensive coordinator Robert] Saleh gets our young guys playing the right way. And the more reps that the young guys get, the better that they're going to get.
"But I don't have to worry about a trade deadline thing. There's nothing I can do. I'm not going to go into Kyle's office and say, 'Hey, we need to trade for somebody.'"
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