Houston Favored By 3 Over San Francisco

NFL News - October 19th, 2009 - Written by Scott

The San Francisco 49ers will look to get back on the winning track as they play at Houston on Sunday. This game against the Texans will be huge as they are tied for first in the NFC West with Arizona. The 49ers (3-2) are coming off their bye week after getting pounded by Atlanta 45-10 in Week 5. The Texans came from behind last week scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter to get past Cincinnati 28-17. A win for Houston (3-3) will be big as they sit in second place of the AFC South behind Indianapolis. Despite there being a lot of football left to play, a fourth loss would most likely eliminate them from a playoff bid.

The San Francisco offense is averaging 22 points per game this season. Despite this average, the are ranked 29th in the league in total yards with 267 per game. Quarterback Shaun Hill is their leader on offense and has thrown for 898 yards and 5 touchdowns. They will need to improve on their passing game as they are only averaging 160 yards in the air. Glen Coffee and Frank Gore lead their running attack and have combined for 424 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receivers Vernon Davis and Josh Morgan lead the 49ers in what little production they are getting from their passing attack. They have combined for 464 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The 49ers defense is giving up 19 points per game and has done well against stopping the run this year. They are limiting their opponents to just 88 yards rushing and will face a team that has not had much success on the ground this year. Their pass defense is giving up 234 yards a game and will face another tough test against the Texans who rank 4th in the league in passing.

The Houston Texans are averaging 23 points this season and they are ranked 9th in yards per game with 369. Their passing attack has been the bright spot on offense and is led by quarterback Matt Schaub. He has passed for 1,860 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. Their running game has been dismal and is only getting 77 yards per game with only 2 rushing touchdowns. They are led by Steve Slaton who only has 274 yards and 1 touchdown. Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels leads their receiving group with 946 yards and 8 touchdowns. They will have to find a way to get their running game going and this could be tough against a strong rushing defense in San Francisco.

Their defense is giving up 351 yards per game and their play will be key in their game with the 49ers. Houston rush defense has been abused this season at times, and will need to stop San Francisco's running game and force Hill to make plays through the air.

BetUS sportsbook has the Texans favored by 3 over the 49ers. The over/under is set at 44. For more information on the games happening this weekend and betting odds for all of them check out our Week 7 Game Previews located in our NFL section.

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