"George Kittle sat on the 49ers' bench with a ballcap on and his arms folded. Two minutes remained before halftime, and the Houston Texans were hogging the ball. Quarterback C.J. Stroud had just raced 13 yards past 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown, setting up a field goal that pushed Houston's lead to 16-0. Kittle didn't fault the 49ers' defense for an inability to get off the field. He blamed the 49ers' offense, which had no first downs in just 12 plays on its initial three drives."
"We didn't do anything to help our defense the entire first half, Kittle said. Our defense was playing at a really high level, honestly, doing bend-but-don't-break. Their kicker had, what, four field goals? Correct. Our defense played really well for the pieces that were lost during the game, guys who came out, guys who had to go in, guys we were already missing, Kittle added."
The 49ers offense struggled early, recording no first downs on 12 plays during its first three drives and failing to help a heavily tested defense. George Kittle and offensive players accepted responsibility while praising the defense for playing well despite personnel losses. Christian McCaffrey emphasized a next-man-up mentality and the need to eliminate self-inflicted errors. C.J. Stroud converted every third down he attempted, finishing 11-for-11 on third downs. Injuries left the 49ers undermanned, but potential returns of Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk could bolster the offense soon. One road loss is unlikely to derail the season.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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