Well, that didn’t go well at all. The San Francisco 49ers were dominated on both sides of the ball and sustained even more injuries across their defensive line. There was a point on Sunday afternoon where the 49ers were down one possession. The Texans won by 11 points, but the game within the game belonged to Houston and DeMeco Ryans. CJ Stroud wasn’t pressured much, even with a higher blitz rate, but Mac Jones was pressured all game, it felt like.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Sunday,
according to PFF.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 48 (78.8)
Jones didn’t play poorly on Sunday. However, the pressure from Houston’s defense made Jones uncomfortable all game. Again, the 49ers receivers didn’t help Jones with three more drops. Jones did finish with a 9.1 BTT%, one of which was the touchdown to George Kittle before halftime.
When kept clean (24 dropbacks), Jones was stellar with 16/22, 137 yards, 2 TDs, and a passing grade of 92.3. When pressured (13 dropbacks), Jones went 3/10, 56 yards, and an INT with a passing grade of 29.1. There’s your difference.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 46 (65.6)
Kyle Juszczyk 20 (53.0)
Brian Robinson 2 (59.6)
With only 25 yards rushing, Christian McCaffrey outrushed Jones by two yards on Sunday. The 49ers’ offense was out of sorts, with the time of possession tilted so far towards the Texans. Still, McCaffrey added three catches for 42 yards. Brian Robinson jolted the 49ers before their scoring drive in the second quarter with a big kickoff return.
Wide Receiver
Jauan Jennings 41 (61.7)
Kendrick Bourne 38 (55.1)
Demarcus Robinson 27 (60.4)
Skyy Moore 9 (44.8)
Jordan Watkins 6 (41.2)
Jauan Jennings pushed for a new contract based on his play in 2024. Based on his play in 2025, that number has drastically dropped. Look, if you want an extension, catch the football. That’s all I’ll say. The catch near the goal line from Jones looked more like the guy who played in 2024. To be even more frank, the 49ers desperately need natural separators at the receiver position. Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk can’t return quickly enough.
Tight Ends
George Kittle 43 (78.4)
Jake Tonges 5 (87.8)
Luke Farrell 3 (71.2)
On National Tight Ends Day, George Kittle and Jake Tonges delivered touchdowns. Kittle and Jones connected four times for 43 yards. Time will tell whether the connection between the two will grow or Brock Purdy will return on Sunday.
Offensive Line
Dominick Puni 48 (59.0)
Matt Hennessey 48 (48.9)
Colton McKivitz 48 (56.2)
Trent Williams 48 (81.3)
Connor Colby 29 (60.9)
Nick Zakelj 19 (46.9)
The offensive line as a whole had a rough day at the office. Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz allowed four pressures apiece, with Williams allowing the only sack on the offensive line. McKivitz was taken to school by Will Anderson. Matt Hennessey and Dominick Puni allowed two pressures apiece, but McKivitz allowed a team-high three QB hurries.
Defense
Defensive Line
Alfred Collins 54 (53.0)
Mykel Williams 53 (60.7)
Sam Okuayinonu 46 (71.5)
Kalia Davis 43 (68.2)
Trevis Gipson 49 (66.1)
Robert Beal, Jr. 35 (57.1)
Kevin Givens 32 (48.4)
Jordan Elliott 18 (42.5)
The defense was on the field for 80 snaps. That’s a problem. Unfortunately, the 49ers couldn’t get stops on third down or sustain a pass rush against Houston. Mykel Williams led the team with two pressures, but the other pressures came from Dee Winters, Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha, and Upton Stout; that’s less than ideal. Point blank, the 49ers are running out of bodies on the defensive line.
Linebackers
Tatum Bethune 80 (60.5)
Dee Winters 58 (46.6)
Luke Gifford 27 (57.1)
Curtis Robinson 22 (69.5)
Winters tied for the team lead with eight tackles before he departed with an injury. Curtis Robinson filled in with five tackles of his own. Tatum Bethune had four tackles and assisted on ten tackles. Now, we wait for the injury news on Winters ahead of their trip to NJ to face the Giants.
Secondary
Malik Mustapha 80 (54.8)
Ji’Ayir Brown 80 (57.9)
Renardo Green 80 (69.8)
Deommodore Lenoir 80 (66.5)
Upton Stout 48 (60.3)
Chase Lucas 3 (27.5)
Jason Pinnock 2 (67.5)
Well, the 49ers finally notched their first interception of the season, at least? The safeties and nickel corner struggled in coverage. Brown, Stout, and Mustapha were charged with 167 yards in coverage combined. Green allowed 12 yards on two catches and four targets. Lenoir caught the interception and allowed 25 yards on four catches. The secondary as a whole combined for six missed tackles.
