Both the 49ers and Texans are excited to get the preseason started, but each have a lot to figure out before the regular season begins. Houston went 5-2 SU and 4-2-1 ATS to end last season and will look to continue trending in the right direction heading into this season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The 49ers took it to the Texans last preseason, winning 40-13. While that was a Week 4 game, it was loaded with backups as the teams got their final tune up in for the regular season.
This is a very different year, however, with a different coaching staff in San Francisco and a quarterback battle in Houston that may lead to more passing plays.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
The 49ers quarterback depth chart includes Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert and rookie Dylan Thompson.
Kap won’t get more than a couple series under center in the team’s preseason opener, giving the team plenty of chances to see Gabbert and Thompson as they battle it out for the backup gig.
Gabbert is a former starting quarterback and that should give him the upper hand in the competition, but he started out of necessity in Jacksonville and had a dismal showing. Over three seasons, he amassed a negative touchdown to interception ratio, completed just 53.2% of his passes and posted a 66.8 passer rating.
In his first year in San Francisco he was 3 for 7 passing in the regular season, but did anything but impress in his time throughout the preseason. He’ll undoubtedly get plenty of snaps on Saturday, but so will Thompson. The rookie QB went undrafted out of South Carolina where he set the school record in yards passing with 3,564 last season while throwing 26 touchdowns.
On the other side, the Texans have Brian Hoyer listed on the depth chart as their starter with Ryan Mallett and Tom Savage next in line. That said, this could be an interesting battle between Hoyer and Mallett.
Hoyer is a career backup that got the chance to start last year and was serviceable. He completed just 55.3% of his passes, posting a 76.8 passer rating while breaking even on his TD to INT ratio with 19 apiece. Mallett has only played in seven games in his career, but has impressed in camp.
Both will get a look in Week 1, but Savage is likely to get most of the snaps. He looked good last preseason, completing 19 of 26 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown and an 81.1 passer rating.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
Bill O’Brien has little to prove after taking the team from 2-14 to 9-7 in his first year at the helm. He went 2-2 in preseason action last year.
O’Brien’s coaching staff is in place now, too. With fewer adjustments in the preseason this year, the team may actually respond better.
The 49ers, however, will have a number of adjustments as Jim Tomsula’s regime takes over. It’ll be interesting to watch how the offense performs, namely Kaepernick, under offensive coordinator Geep Chryst who was endorsed by the star.
QUOTE TO NOTE
O’Brien has noted that all his quarterbacks will get reps in the opener. As for his running backs behind the injured Foster, he said:
“They’re all going to play… We like the group. They work extremely hard. They’re smart guys. They’re good teammates.”
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
The Texans said goodbye to a number of players this offseason, leaving a number of positions up for grabs, but none are as interesting as who will take the ball in Week 1 under center. Though, seeing who gets the nod in place of the injured Arian Foster should be interesting, too, as they try out a number of running back options.
For the 49ers, the more interesting battle is probably who replaces Aldon Smith at linebacker after his release. The team has a couple options in youngster Eli Harold and Corey Lemonier, with each getting a chance to prove themselves in live game action.
INJURIES
The Foster injury is key. He’ll not only miss the preseason, but the first part of the regular season as well. That leaves things open for a lot of experimentation on offense for Houston as they not only need to account for the absence of Foster, but the departure of Andre Johnson as well. Jadeveon Clowney is also out for the preseason opener.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The 49ers are reinventing the wheel under their new coaching regime and that will take time to pan out. Of course, Houston needs to do some reinventing as well with a number of talented players gone.
This is a different year, but given the blow out win over the Texans last year in the preseason, I’ve got the 49ers again this time around.
San Francisco 20, Houston 13
The NFL odds for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Texans were positioned as 3-point favorites with a total of 35.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The game between the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans will go down Saturday, August 15, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium.
