The San Francisco 49ers were thoroughly outplayed in a 26–15 loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, a defeat that dropped them to 5–3 and knocked them out of first place in the NFC West.
As emotions settled in the aftermath, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke openly about the comprehensive defeat, crediting the Texans for their clinical performance and acknowledging his team’s shortcomings.
“Credit to them,” Shanahan said (h/t Vic Tafur of The Athletic). “They kicked our a**. I was disappointed in how we looked all 4 quarters.”
Houston controlled nearly every statistical category, piling up 475 yards of total offense to the 49ers’ 223 while dominating time of possession, 41:22 to 18:38. The Texans converted 9 of 16 third downs and built a 23–7 lead midway through the third quarter before San Francisco finally showed some signs of life.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud led the charge, completing 30 of 39 passes for 318 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His composure and accuracy kept Houston drives alive, including a 94-yard, 12-play touchdown march that consumed more than six minutes in the second half.
The 49ers, meanwhile, failed to find rhythm on either side of the ball. Mac Jones completed 19 of 32 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, but he spent much of the afternoon under heavy pressure.
San Francisco offense didn’t register a first down until the final minute of the second quarter, and their first-half possession time was a mere 5 minutes and 29 seconds compared to the Texans' 24:31.
Houston’s defense, molded in the image of head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former 49ers defensive coordinator, set the tone from the start. The Texans opened the game with a 16-play, 57-yard drive that drained nearly ten minutes off the clock and resulted in a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal, the first points the 49ers allowed on an opponent’s opening drive all season.
By halftime, Houston had outgained the San Francisco 299–65 and forced multiple three-and-outs as the 49ers' offensive line was unable to contain the pass rush.
A late first-half touchdown pass from Jones to George Kittle cut the Texans' lead to 16–7, only for Houston to reclaim control moments later. Stroud found Jayden Higgins for a 12-yard score and later connected with Xavier Hutchinson on a 30-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Fairbairn rounded out his perfect performance with four field goals, while rookie running back Woody Marks contributed influential plays, including a 50-yard catch-and-run and several high-leverage third-down conversions.
The Texans improved to 3–4, while San Francisco must regroup before heading east to face the New York Giants next week.
