Sunday’s performance in Houston didn’t leave many players to choose from as bounce-back candidates. As the defensive line failed to generate a pass rush against the much-maligned Texans’ offensive line, the defense struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing Houston to dominate time of possession. The offense was barely on the field, but I think I was able to find two players who bounced back on Sunday. The silver lining is that Sunday against the Giants will give us plenty of options to select a bounce-back player.

Offense: George Kittle

Calling Kittle a bounce-back player seems odd,...

The NFL trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and the San Francisco 49ers are positioned to be buyers, sitting at 5-3 with a couple of key needs following some injuries.

The 49ers are lacking some pass rush juice after losing Nick Bosa for the season and recently losing Bryce Huff to a hamstring injury for a few weeks. They also lost star linebacker Fred Warner, prompting them to rely on second-year players Tatum Bethune and Dee Winters at the position.

Then comes their constant injuries at wide receiver, where the 49ers have struggled to have a healthy unit all year long....

San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Sam Okuayinonu went down with an injury in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans and is now considered day-to-day with an ankle injury. The team won’t have Bryce Huff for another week. Yetur Gross-Matos has been a rotational pass rusher. That leaves Mykel Williams, Robert Beal, and William Bradley-King, who is on the practice squad. Trevis Gipson is no longer on the 49ers roster.

A trade feels inevitable. The caliber of player might not be what 49ers fans want, but the Niners can’t go another week without adding another body. They might have to....

Per The Athletic’s Joe Person, the Carolina Panthers signed Trevis Gipson off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. Gipson, who was out of elevations, would have needed to be promoted full-time to the 49ers’ active roster if he were to play again. Despite releasing Gipson, your elevations do not reset when you re-sign.

So, the player who just played 39 snaps in Week 7 won’t have the chance to make the 49ers roster because he’s no longer on the team. It’s not a big blow from a talent standpoint, but it absolutely is from a personnel perspective.

Bryce Huff will...

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the San Francisco 49ers are feeling the lingering effects of multiple injuries at several positions.

This past Sunday, players like Matt Hennessy, Connor Colby, Nick Zakelj, Curtis Robinson, Trevis Gipson, and Robert Beal were all playing multiple series, if not starter-level snaps. That wasn’t the plan for the Niners two months ago.

According to Kyle Shanahan, injuries across the board have forced the team to play roster gymnastics all season:

“What happens when you have seven injured guys who aren’t on IR not playing, or six, I think it was last week....

The San Francisco 49ers started Sunday sluggish and spotted the Houston Texans 16 points before getting on the board, but by then, it was too little too late.

The 49ers would cut the lead to eight, but the slow start proved too much to overcome, as Houston extended it to 11 and San Francisco couldn’t get on the board again, leading to Houston’s 26-15 win.

It was the first game of the season that felt like the 49ers were truly lacking because of injuries, especially on both sides of the trenches.

With a loss, there’s always more to learn than...

The San Francisco 49ers being the favorites isn’t anything new. However, the New York Giants not being significant underdogs is eyebrow-raising. That’s the scenario we have heading into Week 9.

As the Niners head to the dreaded MetLife Stadium, FanDuel Sportsbook has the road team as 2.5-point underdogs, with an obnoxiously high total of 48.5. That’s the highest-projected total for San Francisco this season by two full points.

Here’s a look at the Giants’ odds by game:

Week 1: @ Cowboys +4.5
Week 2 vs. Chiefs +6
Week 3 vs. Chargers +6
Week 4 @ Saints +2.5
Week 5 vs....

49ers will not open Brandon Aiyuk’s 21-day practice window ahead of Week 9 game
“It’s week to week from here on out that he has a chance,” Shanahan said. “Every week, he’s getting closer, just not this week.”

49ers minutia minute: Worst time of possession of the Kyle Shanahan era (paywall)
“The 49ers’ fastest ball carrier on Sunday? Was it Christian McCaffrey, Kendrick Bourne or perhaps kick returner Brian Robinson Jr.? Nope. According to Next Gen Stats, it was Jones, who reached 17.35 mph on a third-quarter scramble.”

**[Kyle Shanahan had surprising injury update on 49ers DL who was carted...

The Washington Commanders won’t have Jayden Daniels, but they will have Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin back in action. Marcus Mariota will need all of the help he can get with how the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have been operating as of late.

Since Week 4, Andy Reid and company have scored 37, 28, 30, and 31. And that’s without the threat of a running game. Jacorey Croskey-Merritt could be in for a big night. Washington’s best chance might be to play keep-away rather than outscore the Chiefs. So, Croskey-Merritt could be in for a big evening.

It’s...