SANTA CLARA – The 49ers will encounter the NFL’s stingiest defense to score against Sunday in Houston.
The Texans, conversely, will pit their embattled offense against a 49ers’ patchwork defense that surprisingly is holding opponents under 20 points.
Do the math: a high-scoring affair is not anticipated Sunday at NRG Stadium (10 a.m. PT kickoff).
“Their defense is unbelievable,” said 49ers quarterback Mac Jones, who’s poised to make his fourth straight start while Brock Purdy.
Jones has played in Houston just once before, and he hasn’t forgotten that fourth-quarter comeback win as a 2021 rookie with the New England Patriots.
“We got kind of lucky,” Jones joked. “There was a roughing the quarterback on a third-and-20 to keep the drive alive. Then we went down and kicked (a winning field goal). … It is nice when you have played in a stadium and know what to expect fan-wise are, where the play clocks are, and all that stuff.”
Other stuff to worry about: edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson while former 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair patrols the middle and safety Jalen Pitre (three interceptions) lurks in the secondary.
Tight end George Kittle described Anderson as “incredibly powerful, explosive (and) likes to bully people, and he has an elbow brace that is scary.” As for the overall Texans’ defense, it’s familar to Kittle and others considering the Texans’ coach is DeMeco Ryans, formerly the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2021-22.
“They have the DeMeco blueprint: they fly around, they hit people, they don’t back down from anything and they want to hit you hard,” Kittle said.
The 49ers (5-2) have yet to crack the 30-point mark in any game this season.
Whereas coach Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense can rely on Christian McCaffrey as the NFL’s leader in scrimmage yards, defensive coordionator Saleh again must adapt to the loss of a premier player. Pass rusher Bryce Huff is out after straining his hamstring late in Sunday’s 20-10 win over Atlanta, weakening a unit that lost defensive end Nick Bosa in Week 2 and linebacker Fred Warner in Week 6.
“I don’t think anybody on our team can emulate the speed Bryce has coming off the edge,” rookie defensive end Mykel Williams said. “We have to go do our job and maximize our ability to make up for what we lost.”
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir hasn’t practiced this week because of a quadriceps injury, but Saleh is not bemoaning the possibility of another void.
“This league is about opportunity,” Saleh said. “You have your superstars that are just different. You have your Bosas of the world that transcend coaching and are just special. The rest are A to Z, and the gap is (small). Some just need an opportunity, and you hope they take advantage of it.”
As for acquiring reinforcements before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, “nothing has presented itself that aligns completely to this point,” general manager John Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM.
Barring more help from blitzers, that defensive front shouldn’t strike fear into quarterback C.J. Stroud. Then again, the Texans haven’t surrounded their quarterback with a stellar cast, even after he delivered wild-card playoff wins in his and Ryans’ first two seasons in Houston.
“I get the narrative for Houston but this is also the same team that dropped 44 on Baltimore and put 26 on Tennessee in a shutout,” Saleh said of the Texans’ only wins this season.
Houston’s offense, however, looked bleak in Monday’s 27-19 loss at Seattle. “They have an offense that people will say is struggling right now,” linebacker Tatum Bethune said, “but, on tape, I see a lot of playmakers that will capitalize if you give them a chance.”
PRACTICE PARTICIPANTS
Quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) remained a limited participant in practice along with offensive tackle Spencer Burford (knee).
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (quadriceps), wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee), linebacker Luke Gifford (hamstring) and center Jake Brendel (hamstring) did not practice.
On the Texans, wide receivers Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) did not practice.
CRAIG IN CONTENTION AGAIN
Roger Craig, the 49ers’ pioneering dual-threat running back from 1983-90, is among 34 former players advancing in the Seniors category for Pro Football Hall of Fame voting. Nine semifinalists will be announced in a month.