Game Overview ::
By hilow >>
- The Texans rank first in points allowed per game (14.7), a number that comes down at home to 10.0.
- WRs Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday – it currently appears as if both will miss Week 8.
- Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday “it would be a stretch” for QB Brock Purdy to play in Week 8 – he was limited in practice Wednesday.
- WR Jauan Jennings is now listed with three injuries on the team’s injury report – this dude has been gutting through multiple ailments this season.
- WR Ricky Pearsall remained on the sidelines at practice Wednesday.
JM’S JOURNAL ::
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How sAN FRANCISCO Will Try To Win ::
In the Week 7 win over the Falcons, the 49ers looked like the team they want to be for the first time, controlling the pace, tempo, and flow of the game. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh focused on disruption and the presence of both fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle allowed the offense to function more naturally behind a blended power-and-pull run game. Christian McCaffrey had his best game of the season in the first full game with Juszczyk and Kittle on the field, and Mac Jones was able to carve up the Atlanta defense with more surgical precision than we had seen to this point in the season. That ultimately led to a 20-10 victory over the Falcons, and I expect the game plan to be similar in Week 8 against another top-tier defense. I also think that game against the Falcons is a good representation of how the 49ers want to try to win games this season, which included only 616 yards of total offense from the two teams combined, a hefty 60% third-down conversion rate, and 174 total team rush yards. Expect a similar approach against a Texans defense holding teams to 274.2 total yards of offense (fourth) and the fewest points per game (14.7) this season. This team is about as scrappy as they come, evidenced by their presence atop the division with a sparkling 5-2 record, 0.5 games back of the NFC lead, while dealing with more injuries than all but a select few teams in 2025 (potentially only the Ravens?).
McCaffrey had his true breakout game in Week 7 while accounting for 201 yards of the team’s 324 yards of total offense, touching the football 31 times as the primary point of emphasis. That hasn’t necessarily changed – the dude has been the focal point the entire season, it’s just now the offense is better structured to support his elite talents. The Texans have allowed only 11 explosive runs while the 49ers have generated only nine this season, something that is backed up by the underlying metrics considering Houston has ceded just 3.8 yards per carry behind 1.47 yards allowed before contact per attempt. Brian Robinson remains on hand to soak up any change-of-pace duties left behind but is unlikely to see even 10 opportunities here.
Crash the leaderboards
PFP the OWS pennant
Kittle immediately returned to an 81% snap rate following his five-game stay on injured reserve, which most might have missed considering his box score of zero catches on two targets. I started by wanting to say that Kittle means more to this offense than just about any player, but that isn’t entirely true. It’s more about what his presence means in conjunction with the other pieces, with the offense able to operate more like a well-oiled machine than a piston with foreign debris caught inside. The team seemed to be working harder for lesser returns with him out, instead able to flow and stay ahead of the sticks in Week 7. With Pearsall’s continued absence likely to persist this week, and with Brandon Aiyuk still rehabbing and not yet having seen his 21-day practice window opened, we should see a highly concentrated pass-catching corps amongst Kendrick Bourne, Jennings, and Kittle, with Demarcus Robinson the favorite to soak up situational snaps. I’m assuming Mac Jones makes another start here, and he does so in yet another difficult matchup against a Texans defense allowing just 179.0 yards through the air per game this season (fifth; drops to 142.0 at home, which would be right in line with the seasonal average of their previous opponent in the Falcons). Which is to say, nothing jumps off the page as far as upside is concerned, although we always have to keep the fact that any of these pass catchers can erupt at the drop of a hat in this offense – primarily speaking to Kittle within the context of the offense in its current state.
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