Week 5 – Texans At 49’ers: Preview And Predictions?

The Texans stand at 2-2 and are another loss away from a Texans fan’s meltdown. Both games the Texans seemed to dominate for a half but fell apart once the second half started. The Texans will need a complete 60 minutes of consistent football if they want to beat a tough 49’ers squad. Here is my preview and predictions for today’s game.

Game Information

7:30 PM CT, October 6, 2013

Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA

NBC

You can stream the game live on NBC’s Sunday Night Football Extra and NFL Game Rewind following the game.

THE OFFENSE

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

At times this offense moves the ball around like there are just three defenders on the field, and sometimes it’s as if their are 30. The 49’ers defense has big names and they are capable of making big plays. The Texans need to establish the run first to succeed in the passing game, however it will be a tough task tonight. Patrick Willis is questionable and his absence would certainly help the Texans. The 49’ers allow just 109 rushing yard per game  thanks to a very strong front-seven. Aldon Smith is out with his problems so the Texans should be able to get some push on the line. Duane Brown is back for the Texans, but Brandon Brooks will not play and Brooks has been one of the Texans best run-blocking lineman this year. Another big game from Arian Foster is exactly what the Texans need tonight.

Brooks’ absence though won’t have a big effect on the aerial attack. Brooks has been sub-par in pass protection and it will be Ben Jones replacing his spot in the lineup. The 49’ers are beatable in the secondary and have given up 191 yards passing per game. Those are good numbers but the be put up to the test against a Texans offense averaging 276 passing yards a game. The Texans were able to move the ball through the air at will against the top corners in the league on the Seahawks and with good game planning they should be able to move the ball against the 49’ers secondary.

THE DEFENSE

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re looking for a part of the team to blame, don’t look at the defense. Through the first four games of the season the defense has looked mostly unstoppable. J.J. Watt continues to constantly get pressure, Brian Cushing looks to be over the concussion and ready to go tonight, and the pass rush is getting better by the game. Tonight the Texans defense faces a similar quarterback then the one they faced last week. Kaepernick is a great running quarterback and can throw the ball well. The Texans pass rush will need to continue its strong play and Brian Cushing will likely have the same role as he did last week. When Cushing was on the field, Wilson was not able to escape and run. When Cushing left the game, the Seahawks were able to mount their comeback largely due to the fact that Wilson was able to pick up first downs with his legs.

The Texans secondary has also been a bright spot for the most part. They go up against Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis (questionable) the top two targets for Kaepernick. It will be interesting to see how the Texans matchup on Boldin whether they go with Joseph or Jackson, but both are good cornerbacks and capable of shutting him down. It will likely be Danieal Manning matched up on Vernon Davis if he plays. Ed Reed went against Colin Kaepernick in the Super Bowl and that should have helped the Texans coaches when they game planned earlier this week. The Texans defense has allowed just 141 yards passing in their first four games and it wouldn’t be crazy to see them hold the 49’ers to a similar amount.

THE PREDICTIONS

Score: Texans 24 – 49’ers – 13

• Matt Schaub will (surprisingly) NOT throw a pick-6
• Arian Foster will continue his strong play with another 100+yard performance and TD
• DeAndre Hopkins catches one of two Matt Schaub TD’s
• Four sacks and two forced turnovers for the Texans defense
• Shane Lechler downs two punts inside the 10

What do you think Texans fans? Sound off in the comments below or tweet me @YoniPollak.