The only good thing you can say about the 49ers’ performance Sunday in Houston was that things improved.
Then again, there was truly nowhere for the Niners to go but up after the first 29 minutes of the contest.
For a few, fleeting moments, the Niners’ H-Town showdown with the Texans was a contest.
For the rest of the game, it was a lopsided beatdown reminiscent of an early-season college football game between a blue-blood program and a directional school that was bused in for a blowout game and a nice check.
The Niners lost 26-15, but in a contest where the Texans didn’t punt until the final minutes of the fourth quarter and the Niners were doubled in yardage, that barely told the story.
The studs and duds might, however:
STUDS 
Brian Robinson • RB
» The running back’s 46-yard kick return in the final minute of the first half was a catalyst for the 49ers in a game where — and I mean this almost literally — nothing was going right. San Francisco didn’t have a first down to that point. A few snaps later, the Niners scored a touchdown.
George Kittle • TE
» That was an awesome touchdown catch.
Dee Winters • LB
» Before his injury, Winters seemed like the only Niner defender who was making anything happen.
Siran Neal • ST
» Now THAT was a special teams game. After two months of not understanding whatsoever why the Niners invested serious American dollars into a special-teams-only player, I now see the vision. The gunner reps, the jammer reps. It was a thing of beauty — perhaps the only thing of beauty for the Niners on Sunday.
DUDS 
Deommodore Lenoir • CB
» The first 49ers interception in 15 games didn’t matter because Lenoir made one of the most bone-headed plays in recent team history.
After catching the CJ Stroud pass at the San Francisco 45-yard line with six seconds remaining in the first half, down 16-7, Lenoir tiptoed to stay in bounds and started running down the sidelines.
Ok, not bad so far.
He made it back to the original line of scrimmage — roughly the Houston 30-yard line — with three seconds remaining on the clock.
Great job, in fact.
But that’s when Lenoir made a critical mistake. He simply could have turned left, run out of bounds, and set up a field-goal attempt for Eddy Pinero to improbably pull the Niners within a touchdown going into halftime, with the ball returning to San Francisco to start the second half.
Instead, he decided to cut in, where he was tackled as the clock expired for the half.
It’s plays like this that loom large in a contest like this. San Francisco didn’t deserve to be close in this game, but what does fairness have to do with winning in the NFL?
But instead of putting pressure on Houston, Lenoir went for improbably individual glory, and the Niners were never able to fully capture the momentum they found in the moment he caught the ball.
Colton McKivitz • RT
» The Niners’ right tackle has been excellent this season, but he stood no chance against what might be the best pass-rusher in the NFL, Will Anderson. He was cooked repeatedly. It happens to the best of them. Sunday, it happened to McKivitz.
Malik Mustapha • S
» Whiffs all over the field and questionable coverage, this is not the Mustapha that we saw last season. Not quite sure what this safety pairing is for the Niners — after weeks of rotating, this is what they’ve settled upon?
Ji’Ayir Brown and Mustapha can’t come off the field now?
Makes no sense to me.
Upton Stout • NB
» The Niners are in a tough spot, as Stout is being destroyed in coverage and in the run game, sabotaging the Niners’ defense (amongst so many other things). At the same time, he’s a rookie who needs reps to get better. It seems as if the Niners chose the latter option.
The entire 49ers’ defensive line
» Not only was the pass rush putrid, but they also failed to shut down Houston’s run game.
The Niners were credited with two quarterback hits Sunday. That’s one more than I noticed. I did, however, see CJ Stroud doing some yoga on the sideline in the second half. It was altogether a pleasant day for the Texans’ quarterback.