HOUSTON -- Minutes after Sunday's dispiriting loss to the Houston Texans , San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan minced no words about what he'd just witnessed.

On a day when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud picked apart the 49ers' defense and the Houston offense was nearly shut down in the first half, Shanahan summed it up in simple terms: "They kicked our ass."

"There's not much to sugarcoat there," Shanahan said. "I was real disappointed in how we looked for all four quarters. First half was unacceptable and second half didn't get much better."

Despite the 26-15 loss to the Texans, the 49ers are 5-3 at the almost-halfway point, still firmly in the mix in the NFC West with a 3-0 record against divisional opponents.

On the surface, amid injuries plaguing the defense, it seems

See Full Page