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The San Francisco 49ers struggled during their 26-15 defeat to the Houston Texans on October 26 at NRG Stadium. Moreover, the injury bug continues to hit the Niners weekly, with three players suffering injuries.
Linebacker Dee Winters (knee), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (ankle), and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) are the latest players to deal with an injury. Nonetheless, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan stated that these injuries don’t seem like long-term issues, per The Athletic.
While San Francisco can’t avoid the injury bug, running back Christian McCaffrey isn’t dwelling on it, saying it’s simply part of life in the NFL.
“It’s the NFL and everybody has a jersey for a reason, and everybody’s on the team for a reason,” McCaffrey said postgame. “They can help us win football games. Obviously, it sucks losing guys—just transparently. You never want to lose anyone, especially core players, but it’s a next-man-up mentality. When that happens, you have to be really detailed.”
George Kittle Calls Out 49ers Offense
Even with the defense dealing with injuries, George Kittle didn’t mince words, calling out the offense for failing to give the defensive group enough support.
“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.”
It wasn’t the best afternoon for McCaffrey on the ground. The 49ers star recorded eight carries for 25 rushing yards while in the air he did have three receptions for 43 receiving yards. Nonetheless, more production is expected from the veteran.
Kyle Shanahan Gives Blunt Words After 49ers Loss
The offense struggled to find rhythm, going three-and-out on six of its nine possessions, including the first three drives. On defense, missed tackles and blown coverages on third downs proved costly throughout the game.
Playing without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Bryce Huff only added to the team’s issues. San Francisco failed to sack Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and pressured him twice. While Kittle acknowledged the offense didn’t deliver, Shanahan was more direct when discussing the loss to Houston.
“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.”
It’ll be worth watching whether the 49ers can regroup in Week 9 when they take on the New York Giants, a team still trying to recover from a defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
For New York, though, the real blow came when rookie running back Cam Skattebo was carted off midway through the second quarter of the 38-20 loss on October 26 after suffering a severe dislocation to his right ankle.
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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