49ers – Texans lose 23-7 to 49ers, Check Out 10 Observations

Following two straight wins, the Houston Texans (4-12) lost 23-7 to the San Francisco 49ers (9-7). Texans’ performance was disappointing, especially after their recent victories over Jaguars and Chargers.

Here are our top 10 observations from Houston’s 12th loss of the season.

1. Davis Mills

With no running game, stout defensive play from the 49ers front, and an inconsistent offensive line play, Mills had a difficult game. One touchdown, one interception, and 21 of 32 passes for 163 yards were completed by the rookie. Three times Mills was sacked for 27 yards, and seven times he was hit.

2. Desmond King

Cornerback Desmond King was one of the bright spots. The former Pro Bowler recorded eight tackles, two pass defenses, and an interception of Trey Lance in the second quarter.

3. Run Game Regresses

Rather than the new norm, last week’s run game seems to have been an outlier. The Houston Texans carried the ball 27 times for 86 yards – averaging just 2.9 yards per carrying. Rex Burkhead led the way with 47 yards – a meager average. Last week, the NFL’s worst running game managed 189 yards.

4. Tale of Two Halves

As the game progressed, the Texans struggled. Just 155 yards and seven points were allowed by Lovie Smith’s defense in the first half. The 49ers, on the other hand, racked up 278 yards after the break, scoring on four of their six drives.

5. Any Pressure?

The Texans managed just two quarterback hits and one sack thanks to Jordan Jenkins. It seems likely the team will be searching for a stud edge rusher or two in the coming months after recording five tackles for loss.

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6. Pharaoh’s Penalties

Despite having a tough season with penalties, tight end Pharaoh Brown had another one on Sunday. With one more touchdown against the 49ers, Brown now has nine for the year.

7. Injuries

A week after playing in his first career game, safety Jonathan Owens was forced to leave Sunday’s loss early. Several other players left Levi’s Stadium with various injuries, including safety Justin Reid, cornerback Grayland Arnold, and defensive end Jonathan Greenard.

The severity of Reid’s injury will be known by the team on Monday, according to coach David Culley postgame.

8. Collins And Cooks Can Catch

Although they only had limited yardage, wide receivers Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks had highlight-reel catches. With 40 seconds left, Collins caught a sideline pass for 20 yards, while Cooks had a number of impressive catches, including a 50-yard reception that was, unfortunately, called back due to Brown’s penalty.

Despite that, Cooks reached the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth time in his career with 66 yards.

With that 14-yard catch, WR @brandincooks has reached 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the sixth time of his career.

Cooks joins Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins as the only #Texans to record consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. #HOUvsSF pic.twitter.com/OgtGkzC7J3

— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) January 3, 2022

9. Divisional Standing

Even if the Texans cannot finish higher than third in the AFC South this year, they could still sweep two of their three division rivals. Houston has won both games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans this year.

10. Draft Order

It has ended, so that’s a positive from Sunday. Just one game remains until the NFL Draft and offseason are within reach.

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