I’m going to leave the nasty, rowdy, belligerent 49’er fans jokes at the door as I write this, so you do not have to worry about getting shot for reading this, or myself getting beat up for typing this.
Almost entirely in sync, the defense pitched a shutout, the only 49’er points came from an interception return in the first quarter, against the 49’ers and flex their muscles, and building confidence within themselves which is a big moral and confidence boost especially for such a young team. Alex Smith, was consistently pressured by the Texans and more than likely became very acquainted with Texans defensive players, especially Free Safety Troy Nolan whom Smith was intercepted by for a touchdown, Nolan also intercepted back up Colin Kaepernick. The defense is not the only part of the team deserving praise after a stellar performance, QB Matt Shaub showed great poise and ability to bounce back after throwing an interception on the first play of the game, leading the team to scoring drives in the next three series, with one touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels. Despite having troubles with his hamstring again, Arian Foster managed to rack up 38 yards on 8 attempts, all Texan running backs had good games with Derrick Ward scoring the only rushing touchdown despite fumbling only once.
Despite showing their worth and putting on a defensive clinic in San Francisco, this Texans team still has room to improve and work out the kinks, next week, the final preseason game, the Texans face Minnesota who nearly eclipsed Dallas Saturday evening late in the fourth quarter, thus they will not be an easy game for this team and will be the final benchmark for this team who will face the division favorite Indianapolis Colts in week one of the regular season, who are without Peyton Manning, but we still cannot allow ourselves any slack as the defense is ready and willing to pick us apart. Signing a veteran well beyond his prime, Kerry Collins, the Colts have opted to pass up their back up, Curtis Painter who has been less than productive this preseason. The Colts also signed former Texan roster filler Dan Orlovsky, and he is not given the time of day by this team, so be expecting to see their offense do less spectacular than normal because you simply cannot replace Peyton Manning like talent and presence.
– Richard Perez