C.J. Stroud lead Texans over the 49ers
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) pass the ball during the first half of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers in Houston. Eric Gay/Associated Press
10.26.25 – Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for a season-high 318 yards with two touchdowns and the Houston Texans got off to a quick start to stump the San Francisco 49ers 26-15 on Sunday.
Stroud did a great job of distributing the ball, completing passes to nine different players with Nico Collins out after sustaining a concussion Monday night. Xavier Hutchinson led the group with a career-high 69 yards receiving and a score and rookie Jaylin Noel added 63 to help the Texans (3-4) bounce back after a loss to Seattle.
“We’ve got a lot of players who want the ball and can do something with the ball,” Hutchinson said. “I felt like that was a great time for us to step up and show up and that’s exactly what we did.”
2025.10.26 – (49ers vs. Texans) NFL Game Highlights
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) runs with the ball during the first half of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers in Houston. Eric Gay/Associated Press
2025.10.26 – (49ers vs. Texans) NFL Game Highlights
Stroud knew it would have to be a group effort to make up for Collins being out and was glad to see so many guys contribute.
“Spreading the ball around is great for everybody,” he said. “I love seeing my guys make plays.”
Hutchinson’s 30-yard touchdown grab extended Houston’s lead to 23-7 with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
“What I’m most proud of is how we finished the game,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve had some good starts but we haven’t finished games and that’s the key for us.”
Rookie Woody Marks helped Houston to the win with 62 yards rushing and four receptions for 49 yards.
The Texans led by six in the second quarter when Jayden Higgins grabbed a 12-yard TD reception to make it 13-0. Noel had a 44-yard reception earlier in that drive to get Houston into scoring position. Stroud connected with Marks on a 50-yard throw earlier in the half to give the Texans two plays of 40-plus yards on Sunday after they had just two in the first six games combined.
Ka’imi Fairbairn’s third field goal pushed the lead to 16-0 with about a minute left in the first half.
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (DF Game Highlights)
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (DF Game Highlights)
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (NBC Sports Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) scrambles during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Tim Warner/Getty Images
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (NBC Sports Post Game)
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (NBC Sports Post Game)
Quarterback Mac Jones had trouble getting the offense going, and the 49ers (5-3) trailed by 16 before they gained a first down late in the second quarter. He threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns in his fourth straight game and sixth this season filling in for the injured Brock Purdy.
Jones was at a loss when asked to explain why they struggled so much in the first half.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I feel like we prepare a certain way for that, for the opening drives and really like the way we do it here. I’ve been in that situation far too many times where it just hasn’t gotten going, and today just wasn’t our day.”
The Texans held Christian McCaffrey in check. He had just 25 yards rushing and 43 receiving after piling up 201 yards of offense and two scores in last week’s 20-10 win over Atlanta.
“There’s not much to sugarcoat there,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I was real disappointed in the way we looked for all four quarters. First half was unacceptable and the second half didn’t get much better. Not much to say about it except that.”
After punting on their first three possessions, the 49ers finally got their offense going and cut the lead to 16-7 when George Kittle grabbed a 17-yard touchdown reception near the end of the first half.
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Chat Sports Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) catches a touchdown pass between two Houston Texans defenders in the second quarter Sunday. Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Chat Sports Post Game)
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Chat Sports Post Game)
When the 49ers finally picked up a first down Sunday against the Texans they were already down by 16 points and there was less than a minute left in the first half.
They did better on offense after that, but their bad start proved too much to overcome.
“First half was tough because we had like 12 plays in the first half until that last drive,” veteran tight end Kittle said. “We didn’t do anything to help our defense in the entire first half.”
Houston got the ball first and scored on its first four possessions while the 49ers (5-3) punted on each of their first three drives to fall into the early hole. Kittle said it was impossible to get a rhythm early with so few plays.
“They completely took us out of it,” he said. “We couldn’t get Christian (McCaffrey) going. We couldn’t get our run game going … we just played bad football on offense today.”
Kittle said their inability to sustain drives in the first half put too much pressure on a defense that has been riddled by injuries.
“That was a horrible first half,” Kittle said. “That was a really bad performance by our offense and I think we completely left our young defense out to dry today because I think they played really well.”
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (5) is congratulated by teammate Kyle Juszczyk after catching a two-point conversion pass during the second half Sunday. Eric Gay/Associated Press
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
2025.10.26 – 49ers vs. Texans (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
A 2-yard touchdown reception by Jake Tonges and Demarcus Robinson’s 2-point conversion grab cut the lead to 23-15 late in the third quarter. Jauan Jennings made a 25-yard grab a play before the touchdown to set up the score.
Injuries
49ers: Niners OL Jordan Elliott injured his ankle in the first half. … LB Dee Winters injured his knee in the third quarter.
Texans: WR Braxton Berrios injured his chest in the third quarter. … DE Dylan Horton injured his knee in the third quarter.
Up next (49ers Roster)
49ers: Visit the Giants next Sunday.
Texans: Host Denver next Sunday.
Related: Christian McCaffrey shines in 49ers win over Falcons
Related: See below – 49ers rally to beat Lions and secure Super Bowl trip
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.
