Last week, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons in their most impressive game of the season.
Just a week later, the 49ers suffered their least impressive loss to the Houston Texans, dropping to 5-3 on the season in the 26-15 defeat in Week 8.
The 49ers couldn’t overcome a lackluster first half, in which the defense couldn’t make a stop, and it took until the final drive of the half for the offense to pick up its first first down. The second half wasn’t much better as the offense couldn’t stop the Houston pass rush, and the run game couldn’t get going.
In losses like Sunday, it’s tough to find three standout performances, but we try our best with the three stars from Sunday’s loss:
**Third star: P Thomas Morstead**
When the 49ers are lackluster on both sides of the ball like they were on Sunday, it opens the door for a specialist to earn a star. With Eddy Pineiro not having a field goal attempt, let’s appreciate the game Thomas Morstead put together.
Morstead was called on for a season-high five punts in the loss on Sunday, and he did his darnedest to put the defense in a position to succeed.
With his five punts, three pinned the Houston defense inside its 20, setting a new season-high. The defense, however, couldn’t do much with those three punts, allowing scores on the drives that followed Morstead pinning the Texans deep in their own territory.
Morstead’s first punt of the day went for 50 yards, forcing Jaylin Noel to call a fair catch at the Houston 18-yard line. The Texans’ offense would respond with a 10-play, 82-yard drive, touchdown-scoring drive to extend the lead to 13 points. San Francisco’s offense would respond with a quick three-and-out, sending Morstead back out for his second punt of the game. He would unleash a game-high 54-yard punt to the Houston six, but Noel would return it out to the 20-yard line. Houston’s offense would again find points even with the field position, kicking a field goal to go up 16-0.
After San Francisco got on the board to close the first half, the offense was stagnant coming out of the half, with another three-and-out resulting in a Morstead punt. Morstead would have his best kick of the day, using a 50-yard boot and a good bounce to pin Houston at their own six-yard line. With some momentum and good field position, the 49ers’ defense had a chance to make a play and keep the 49ers within two scores. Houston would respond with a 12-play, 94-yard drive with CJ Stroud hitting Xavier Hutchinson on a 30-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Morstead did his best with his right foot, but the 49ers’ defense allowed 17 points on three drives that started inside Houston’s 20-yard line, enough to outscore the 49ers’ entire offensive output.
**Second star: CB Deommodore Lenoir**
It was a particularly rough game for the 49ers’ defense, whose lack of talent due to injuries was showing against a Texans offense coming off its worst game of the season against Seattle. But there was one highlight play made by the defense that ended an NFL record streak.
San Francisco finally got on the board with 25 seconds left in the first half, using a Brian Robinson 45-yard kickoff return and a facemask penalty to boost to find the endzone and cut Houston’s lead to nine points. With two timeouts and 17 seconds remaining after Houston’s ensuing kickoff, the Texans decided to try to push the ball downfield for at least a field goal. Their first play from scrimmage only garnered two yards, but that didn’t deter Houston’s offense from taking it to the half, even with 11 seconds left and their own 30-yard line.
On the final play of the first half, Stroud finally made his first (and only mistake of the game). Trying too hard to push the ball upfield, Stroud’s sideline pass about 25 yards downfield was overthrown, right into the belly of Deommodore Lenoir, for the 49ers’ first interception of the 2025 season.
Not only was it the first interception of 2025, but the pick was the first by the 49ers since Week 11 against Seattle, ending an NFL record 14-game streak without an interception.
Now, what Lenoir did with the ball in his hands is up for discussion. Looking to make a big play even bigger, Lenoir ran the clock out on his return, looking for the endzone, instead of going down with two seconds remaining, to set up what could have been a 55-plus yard field goal attempt for Eddy Pineiro.
Whether Lenoir going down or not being the smart play is up for interpretation, but the 49ers finally removed the pressure of being the last team in the league without an interception.
**First star: TE George Kittle**
Sunday was National Tight End Day, and George Kittle gave 49ers fans the only ray of hope they would have all game in Houston.
Kittle’s game wasn’t especially great (like every other San Francisco pass-catcher) with four receptions for 43 yards, but we will focus on his lone touchdown that will earn him Sunday’s first star.
After the 49ers’ offense sleptwalked through most of the first half, Robinson’s big kickoff return with a Houston penalty started the 49ers’ offense deep in Houston territory. The drive started with Mac Jones connecting with Kendrick Bourne for 18 yards, moving the offense into the red zone. After a pair of incompletions, Jones and the offense faced a third-and-10 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, needing a touchdown. That’s when Jones, for the first time this season, hit the George Kittle button.
Despite tight coverage from Azeez Al-Shaair, Jones put the ball in a spot where his tight end could get it. Kittle went up with Calen Bullock tracking in and somehow came down with the ball between Al-Shaair and Bullock, for his second touchdown of the season to give the 49ers some hope heading into the half.
It wasn’t the greatest day of Kittle’s career, but what better way to celebrate National Tight End Day than a first star for the People’s Tight End?
Throughout the season, I will track the three stars of the season, tallying up points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 8, the standings are:
1. LB Fred Warner - 11 points
2. RB Christian McCaffrey - 6 points
3. QB Mac Jones - 5 points