San Francisco 49ers: Future Looks Bright After Second Straight Win

The San Francisco 49ers have now won two straight following their win against the Houston Texans. Read on for the recap of the game!

Following a horrific 0-9 start, the San Francisco 49ers are now 3-10. They have win two straight, and three of their last four with their only loss coming at home to the Seattle Seahawks.

This week, the 49ers went on the road to face the 4-8 (now 4-9) Houston Texans in a match-up of two injury-riddled teams who, if they can stay healthy, have bright futures.

The game was a back and forth one until the 49ers took control in the fourth quarter and didn’t give the lead back. Let’s delve a little deeper into this one.

Jimmy Garoppolo is the Real Deal

Jimmy Garoppolo had a tough start on Sunday, but as the game progressed, he and the rest of the offense got into rhythm.

He completed passes to eight different receivers, completing 20/33 passes for a total of 334 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The 334 passing yards marks a career high for Garoppolo. And to only do it in his second career start for a new team is pretty remarkable.

Not to mention the fact that he did it without the team’s best receiver in Pierre Garcon and being saddled with a very  inconsistent offensive line.

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Once the offseason rolls around, the 49ers need to surround Garoppolo with a solid offensive line as well as bringing in a big time receiver.

If they can do that, the 49ers passing game will become an even bigger threat.

Big Games for Two Receivers

Each team had a receiver that had a big time performance. Both DeAndre Hopkins of the Texans and Marquise Goodwin of the 49ers surpassed 100 yards receiving today.

Marquise Goodwin followed his eight catch, 99 yard performance last week by hauling in six catches for a total of 106 yards on Sunday.

Goodwin continues to add on to his career year and the future looks bright for him as a 49er now that he and Garoppolo seem to have developed great chemistry over the last two games. Their chemistry can only get better these next three games since Goodwin is the number one receiver on this team.

Hopkins, as expected, had a big time game on Sunday. He had 11 catches for 149 yards and the only two touchdowns of the game for Houston. Houston quarterback Tom Savage couldn’t connect with Hopkins for a touchdown but backup T.J. Yates had tossed two touchdowns to him.

Hopkins proved to be a mismatch for the 49ers secondary all game, especially against Dontae Johnson which we’ll touch on later.

As a good as a game as Hopkins had, he had a costly fumble late in the fourth (forced by rookie safety Adrian Colbert and recovered by Aaron Lynch) that led to the eventual game sealing field goal from Robbie Gould.

49ers Need a CB

The only reliable offensive threat for Houston going into the game was Hopkins. It was obvious, but the 49ers couldn’t find a way to stop him until they were able to slow him down in the fourth quarter.

Cornerback Dontae Johnson was lined up against Hopkins for the majority of the game, but could not stop him. At one point, you could see him on the sideline massively frustrated by it all And that would lead to Greg Mabin coming into replace him.

The 49ers definitely need to address the cornerback position when free agency rolls around. They have solid options in Ahkello Witherspoon and K’Waun Williams (who also had a sack today), but they need to move on from Johnson.

Next: 3 WR'S 49ers Should Target

Notable Performances

Carlos Hyde: 14 carries for 78 yards and one touchdown.

Garrett Celek: Two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown (61-yard catch and run)

Kyle Juszczyk: Three catches for 64 yards. He is now proving his worth as a fullback with Garoppolo at quarterback. He made some huge catches and can be moved around as a tight end as well.

Reuben Foster: Eight total tackles, seven solo including one tackle for loss.

Eli Harold and DeForest Buckner: Each of these players added a sack to their name

Adrian Colbert: Forced a fumble and also had a key pass breakup. He is proving himself to be a starter alongside Jaquiski Tartt next season.

Next Game

The 49ers come home to take on the Tennessee Titans.