Overview
- Ryans, who coached under Shanahan from 2017 to 2022 before taking Houston’s job in 2023, meets the 49ers for the first time as a head coach with San Francisco at 5-2 and Houston at 2-4.
- Shanahan said he long viewed Ryans as head-coach material, and Ryans credited Shanahan’s belief and guidance as pivotal to his rise.
- Houston leads the NFL in points allowed (14.7 per game), with Will Anderson Jr. fueling the group after a five-tackle game that included a strip-sack he recovered for a touchdown on Monday.
- The Texans are preparing to key on Christian McCaffrey after he posted 129 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 72 receiving yards for his first 200-yard game since 2019 in a win over Atlanta.
- San Francisco’s pass rush remains a concern with Nick Bosa out for the season and Bryce Huff unavailable, putting added onus on rookie Mykel Williams and coordinator Robert Saleh to manufacture pressure.