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(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers struggled during their 26-15 defeat to the Houston Texans on October 26 at NRG Stadium. Quarterback Mac Jones had an uneven performance, completing 19 of 32 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
San Francisco struggled to find the end zone, failing to score in the first and fourth quarters. This marks the second time in three games that the 49ers have been held under 20 points.
Even with Jones having an off day, George Kittle didn’t hold back, criticizing the offense for not doing enough to support the defense.
“I thought our defense played really well,” Kittle told reporters after the loss. “They were flying around, hitting people. If you’re holding the team to four field goals and just two touchdowns, our offense has to score points.
“When you’re three and out repeatedly, we’re not really doing anything to help our young defense that’s adjusting and figuring out the way they want to play football. I think this is really on the offense. I was really proud of how our defense played today.”
Mac Jones Takes Blame for 49ers Offensive Issues
Jones also acknowledged his role in the 49ers’ offensive struggles, taking responsibility for the team managing just 15 points over the full game.
“Honestly, I didn’t think the operation was as clean as what I would like it to be,“ Jones told reporters postgame. “It starts with the quarterback, pushing the tempo in practice, cranking up the noise, and really treating every day like a game. Getting in and out of the huddle, focusing on everything before the ball’s even snapped. I can live with post-snap mistakes.
“If we have a drop or I don’t throw a good pass, that’s fine, but if I’m not looking at the right spot or people are running the wrong routes, then you have no chance. We know that [Kendrick Bourne] knows that. He and I have played a lot of football together, and so have the veteran guys on our offense. I feel like we have a veteran group, and like I said, we’ve got to have the want to get back in the ring and keep fighting.”
Kyle Shanahan Gets Honest About 49ers’ Loss
The offense went three-and-out on six of its nine drives, including each of the first three, while the defense struggled with missed tackles and blown coverages on third downs throughout the game. Missing Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Bryce Huff certainly didn’t help. The Niners never managed to sack Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and only got near him twice.
While Kittle and Jones noted that the 49ers offense didn’t do their part, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s remarks over the loss to the Texans were more straightforward.
“They kicked our ass,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said (h/t Vic Tafur of The Athletic). “And we’ve got to take it like men and come back, hopefully a little pissed off, and play better next week than we did this week. … There’s not much to sugarcoat. I was real disappointed in how we looked for all four quarters.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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