San Francisco 49ers vs. Houston Texans Week 14 Preview

The San Francisco 49ers head to Houston to take on the 4-8 Texans. Both teams have had bad seasons but this a prime opportunity for one to get the win!
The 2-10 San Francisco 49ers are coming off a 15-14 win against the Chicago Bears. The 4-8 Houston Texans are coming off a 24-13 loss against the Tennessee Titans.
Albeit the 49ers have the lower record on paper, they played great against the Bears and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led the game-winning drive where kicker Robbie Gould nailed his fifth field goal to win the game.
The Texans had shown great potential towards the beginning of the season, especially since they found their franchise quarterback in rookie Deshaun Watson. However, he went down for the rest of the season with an injury, and their defense was also hammered by injuries to guys like J.J. Watt , Whitney Mercilus, and plenty of others.
Both teams have been killed by injuries so this is the perfect chance for either team to pick up a win.
Now let’s focus on some questions that regard this game:
Who needs to win?
Both teams seem to have their franchise quarterback. The Texans hit the jackpot with their selection of Watson as he was incredible for them until going down for the season.
As for the 49ers, they traded for Garoppolo right before the trade deadline expired, and after his performance against the Bears, many people are convinced that he is the future quarterback for the 49ers. You cannot blame people for thinking that the way he shined, despite one interception.
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Since neither team has a shot at making the playoffs, the 49ers would benefit from a win the most. The reason being is because of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Texans don’t even have a first-round pick while the 49ers are currently sitting at #3. While it’s a good point for the 49ers to lose and have that pick go up in terms of trade value (because plenty of teams need a QB), it’s better for the 49ers to continue to show signs of improvement.
As we’ve seen with the Cleveland Browns, getting a high draft pick doesn’t always correlate to winning seasons. The 49ers might as well win every game possible and pick later in the draft because they don’t need a quarterback and other teams do. If anything, the 49ers may trade away their pick to stock up even more like they always do.
Key Match-ups?
For a Houston team that has been depleted by injuries, they still have one guy they can rely on: DeAndre Hopkins (not to jinx). A star receiver like Hopkins will be matching up against a very inexperienced secondary for the 49ers. Ahkello Witherspoon and Dontae Johnson figure to be the two defensive backs that will try to stop Hopkins as much as possible. Houston quarterback Tom Savage has to target Hopkins numerous times to give his team a chance.
Next: 3 WR'S 49ers Should Target
Even with a receiving corps that has been decimated by injuries, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor were huge factors in the win against Chicago. Taylor in particular will be the player to watch for San Francisco. After having six catches for 92 yards, he should be in for another huge game against a weak secondary unit for Houston.
Predictions
Best Passer: Garoppolo had a solid start for the 49ers, so he should continue to excel. He will pass for above 300 yards and throw for two touchdowns.
The X-factor: Lamar Miller has been quiet as of late, but he will run for over 80 yards and provide big help for Savage.
Winner: 49ers pull out another road victory with a score of 30-20.