Given the level of injury adversity the 49ers are dealing with, it was no surprise to see a game like this finally arrive. Eventually, the blows just became too much and, in a game in which the offensive line was overmatched against the Texans’ ferocious defensive line, the 49er attack could not do enough to support a defense that simply didn’t have the horses to get Houston off the field.
Tight end George Kittle defended the undermanned defense’s performance, praising Robert Saleh’s unit for playing “bend but don’t break” defense amid yet more injuries to the likes of Sam Okuayinonu, Jordan Elliott and Dee Winters. The defense allowed two touchdowns and four field goals.