49ers fall 17-0 to Texans in a preseason finale to forget

49ers fans who were unable to tune in to Thursday night's preseason finale should be happy they found something better to do, as the 49ers fell 17-0 to Houston Texans in a game that was best suited for curing insomnia.

The 49ers didn't find much of a rhythm offensively Thursday night in a game that saw them briefly play a number of starters on offense while resting several key players on defense. Quarterback Trey Lance played three possessions for the 49ers and finished with 49 yards on 7-of-11 passing before leaving the game early in the second quarter. Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy alternated possessions the rest of the way for the 49ers, with Sudfeld throwing for 49 yards and one interception on 5-of-10 passing and Purdy finishing 13-of-20 182 yards passing and one interception. Davis Mills started the game at quarterback for the Texans and played just over two quarters, throwing for 58 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 6-of-10 passing. The 49ers committed 11 penalties for 104 yards in the game.

First Half

The 49ers opened the game with possession and moved 25 yards in five plays, with 15 of those coming on a pass from Lance to fullback Kyle Juszczyk. But the 49ers were forced to punt before reaching midfield, which led to the Texans taking over at their own 15.

From there the Texans engineered an 11-play, 85-yard drive that ended in a one-yard run by Dameon Pierce to take a 7-0 lead. Pierce had six carries for 37 yards on the drive, which was aided early by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on 3rd down by defensive lineman Charles Omenihu.

Lance and the 49ers didn't find much breathing room on the next possession, punting the ball back to the Texans after a six-play, eight-yard drive. Lance was pressured multiple times on the possession, which was heading towards being a three-and-out before Texans cornerback Steven Nelson was flagged for illegal contact on 3rd-and-17 to keep the possession alive.

The Texans were held to a three-and-out on the next possession, then the 49ers were able to find some progress on offense before Lance departed the game. The 49ers moved 50 yards in 11 plays with a series of runs from Trey Sermon and short passes from Lance, but on 4th-and-2 from the Texans' 35-yard line, a run to Sermon fell short and resulted in a turnover on downs back to the Texans.

The 49ers held the Texans to another three-and-out, then Nate Sudfeld entered the game at quarterback for the Texans and was intercepted on the fourth play of his first possession by defensive back Desmond King. But Sudfeld was bailed out three plays later when Mills was picked off in the end zone by safety Tarvarius Moore after a deflection, giving the 49ers the ball at their own 25-yard line after a touchback.

A three-and-out followed the interception, then the Texans punted back to the 49ers after six plays. Brock Purdy took over at quarterback for the 49ers with just under one minute remaining in the second quarter and was able to complete two passes before the clock ran out on the half.

Second Half

The Texans opened the second half with possession and quickly moved 77 yards in six plays, with the help of a 26-yard pass interference call on 49ers cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and a 10-yard roughing the passer call on defensive end Drake Jackson. Mills later found wide receiver Chris Moore from 16 yards out to give the Texans their second touchdown of the night and a 14-0 lead.

Purdy remained in the game for the 49ers and moved the offense across midfield with the help of completions to tight end Ross Dwelley (30 yards) and running back JaMycal Hasty (13 yards) before the Texans forced a punt. Kyle Allen then entered the game at quarterback for the Texans and put together a 10-play, 53-yard drive that ended in a 45-yard field goal from kicker Matt Ammendola to extend the lead to 17-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Sudfeld re-entered the game at quarterback for the 49ers on the next possession, which came to an end after four plays when the 49ers failed on a fourth down conversion attempt at their own 29-yard line. The Texans were only able to turn that field position into a missed field goal attempt, after which each team exchanged three-and-outs as the game proceeded into the fourth quarter.

The 49ers took possession with with just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and moved the ball across midfield after a 10-yard completion from Purdy to running back Tyrion Davis-Price and a 16-yard completion to wide receiver Malik Turner. Purdy continued moving the offense with a 14-yard completion to tight end Troy Fuagalli, but his success was halted there as he was picked off on the next play by linebacker Jake Hansen.

The Texans were forced to punt after the interception, which led to Purdy and the 49ers taking over one last time at their own 12-yard line. The offense held onto the ball for 15 plays and moved inside the Texans' 10-yard line but were unable to put any points on the board before time expired.

The 49ers finished their preseason schedule with a 2-1 record after the loss and now will be in decision-making mode over the next few days as they make roster cuts in preparation for the NFL's August 30 deadline to trim rosters to 53 players. From there, the 49ers will enter into preparations for their season opener on Sunday, September 11 against the Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.

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