Niners Nation
Well, that didn’t go well at all. The San Francisco 49ers were dominated on both sides of the ball and sustained even more injuries across their defensive line. There was a point on Sunday afternoon where the 49ers were down one possession. The Texans won by 11 points, but the game within the game belonged to Houston and DeMeco Ryans. CJ Stroud wasn’t pressured much, even with a higher blitz rate, but Mac Jones was pressured all game, it felt like.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Sunday, according to PFF.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 48 (78.8)
Jones didn’t play poorly on Sunday. However, the pressure from Houston’s defense made Jones uncomfortable all game. Again, the 49ers receivers didn’t help Jones with three more drops. Jones did finish with a 9.1 BTT%, one of which was the touchdown to George Kittle before halftime.
When kept clean (24 dropbacks), Jones was stellar with 16/22, 137 yards, 2 TDs, and a passing grade of 92.3. When pressured (13 dropbacks), Jones went 3/10, 56 yards, and an INT with a passing grade of 29.1. There’s your difference.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 46 (65.6)
Kyle Juszczyk 20 (53.0)
Brian Robinson 2 (59.6)
With only 25 yards rushing, Christian McCaffrey outrushed Jones by two yards on Sunday. The 49ers’ offense was out of sorts, with the time of possession tilted so far towards the Texans. Still, McCaffrey added three catches for 42 yards. Brian Robinson jolted the 49ers before their scoring drive in the second quarter with a big kickoff return.
Wide Receiver
Jauan Jennings 41 (61.7)
Kendrick Bourne 38 (55.1)
Demarcus Robinson 27 (60.4)
Skyy Moore 9 (44.8)
Jordan Watkins 6 (41.2)
Jauan Jennings pushed for a new contract based on his play in 2024. Based on his play in 2025, that number has drastically dropped. Look, if you want an extension, catch the football. That’s all I’ll say. The catch near the goal line from Jones looked more like the guy who played in 2024. To be even more frank, the 49ers desperately need natural separators at the receiver position. Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk can’t return quickly enough.
Tight Ends
George Kittle 43 (78.4)
Jake Tonges 5 (87.8)
Luke Farrell 3 (71.2)
On National Tight Ends Day, George Kittle and Jake Tonges delivered touchdowns. Kittle and Jones connected four times for 43 yards. Time will tell whether the connection between the two will grow or Brock Purdy will return on Sunday.
Offensive Line
Dominick Puni 48 (59.0)
Matt Hennessey 48 (48.9)
Colton McKivitz 48 (56.2)
Trent Williams 48 (81.3)
Connor Colby 29 (60.9)
Nick Zakelj 19 (46.9)
The offensive line as a whole had a rough day at the office. Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz allowed four pressures apiece, with Williams allowing the only sack on the offensive line. McKivitz was taken to school by Will Anderson. Matt Hennessey and Dominick Puni allowed two pressures apiece, but McKivitz allowed a team-high three QB hurries.
Defense
Defensive Line
Alfred Collins...
