This time the 49ers couldn’t overcome another barrage of injuries to their defense.

A week after the 49ers earned a 20-10 prime-time home win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Niners’ shorthanded defense was on the field for more than 40 minutes, in part because of the struggles of the offense, in a 26-15 road loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The 49ers (5-3) were already playing without injured captains Fred Warner (ankle) and Nick Bosa (knee) on defense, and lost another handful during the game, including linebacker Dee Winters and several defensive linemen.

While the 49ers defense had its hands full with the Texans’ offense, which churned out 475 yards, the Niners offense wasn’t able to stay on the field. The 49ers had four three-and-out series, and had three four-play drives. At lea

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