49ers vs. Texans: The good, bad and ugly from San Francisco in Week 14

The Good

Despite a shaky start, Jimmy Garoppolo ended up having yet another nice game in a San Francisco uniform. True he did toss his first real interception with his new team, and there were times early where he looked as if head coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook was foreign to him.

San Francisco 49ers

All that began to change, though, just before the second half, especially with a late drive starting with just 54 seconds remaining before halftime. Garoppolo helped move the 49ers offense down the field en route to a 35-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould.

Overall, Garoppolo finished 20-of-33 for 334 yards, one touchdown against the interception and a passer rating of 92.2. That’s pretty good and marked the first time he had 300-plus yards passing in his career.

Fortunately, Garoppolo wasn’t the only good performer Sunday.

Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin

Garoppolo’s presence has meant great things for wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who had six catches for 106 yards during the contest. Prior to Week 14, Goodwin had just two games where he recorded over 100 yards in his career.

Granted, Goodwin did drop a couple of passes. But overall, his efforts were noteworthy. Just ask Pro Football Focus:

"It was a mix of good and bad for Goodwin, as he dropped two passes on the game, but ended up making up for it with explosive plays in the passing game. Goodwin was Garoppolo’s top target, hauling in 6 of his 11 targets for 106 yards. Goodwins biggest play came on a crossing route where he made a catch in traffic between two defenders and took it for a 32 yard gain with a nice run after the catch."

Tight End Garrett Celek

Last offseason, veteran tight end Garrett Celek appeared to be on the fringes of making the 49ers’ 53-man roster.

Based off the last couple of weeks, it’s good the Niners kept Celek around.

Celek’s 67 yards receiving were only behind Goodwin’s totals, and the tight end’s 61-yard catch and run showed the ability both he and Garoppolo have in executing plays across the middle:

Tack on a six-yard touchdown in the red zone, and it’s safe to say Celek had himself a day.

49ers Run Defense

It’s been a relatively quiet story this season, but San Francisco’s run defense has actually turned around from the disaster that was 2016. The 49ers are allowing an average of just 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, which is seventh best in the NFL through 14 weeks.

And that number improved in Houston.

The Texans averaged 3.9 yards per attempt and managed just 90 net yards on the ground. With the defensive line doing its job, and rookie linebacker Reuben Foster continuing to make tackles, it appears the Niners have solved this pressing issue from a year ago.