49ers vs. Texans: Previewing Preseason Week 2 for San Francisco
By Chris Wilson
QB Jimmy Garoppolo vs. QB Deshaun Watson
A week after each starting quarterback played just a single uninspiring series, both Garoppolo and Watson should see more playing time in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL Preseason.
49ers fans want to know how long Garoppolo will play, which Niner Noise’s Peter Panacy discussed in an article yesterday. During Thursday’s press conference, when Shanahan was asked whether Garoppolo would see more playing time against the Texans, the head coach was somewhat noncommittal:
"“Maybe a little more. I see it pretty similar to the first game. We’ll feel it out. But, he’ll probably go a little more. I wouldn’t expect much more.” – Kyle Shanahan"
Look for Garoppolo to play as little as one offensive series, or as much as the entire first quarter, depending on whether the QB leads the 49ers on a touchdown drive to start the game. Shanahan will likely give Garoppolo ample opportunity to regain his 2017 form, which resulted in five straight victories to end the season:
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Date | G# | Opp | Result | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD |
| 1 | 2017-11-26 | 11 | SEA | L 13-24 | 2 | 2 | 100.00 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 143.7 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 19.00 | 1 | 4 | 4.00 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2017-12-03 | 12 | CHI | W 15-14 | * | 26 | 37 | 70.27 | 293 | 0 | 1 | 82.4 | 2 | 15 | 7.92 | 6.70 | 4 | 8 | 2.00 | 0 |
| 3 | 2017-12-10 | 13 | HOU | W 26-16 | * | 20 | 33 | 60.61 | 334 | 1 | 1 | 92.2 | 2 | 20 | 10.12 | 9.36 | 5 | -3 | -0.60 | 0 |
| 4 | 2017-12-17 | 14 | TEN | W 25-23 | * | 31 | 43 | 72.09 | 381 | 1 | 0 | 106.8 | 3 | 18 | 8.86 | 9.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | 2017-12-24 | 15 | JAX | W 44-33 | * | 21 | 30 | 70.00 | 242 | 2 | 1 | 102.4 | 1 | 4 | 8.07 | 7.90 | 3 | 3 | 1.00 | 1 |
| 6 | 2017-12-31 | 16 | LAR | W 34-13 | * | 20 | 33 | 60.61 | 292 | 2 | 2 | 84.4 | 0 | 0 | 8.85 | 7.33 | 2 | -1 | -0.50 | 0 |
| 6 Games | 120 | 178 | 67.42 | 1560 | 7 | 5 | 96.2 | 8 | 57 | 8.76 | 8.29 | 15 | 11 | 0.73 | 1 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Quarterback C.J. Beathard will take over once Garoppolo’s day is done, but the backup QB will need to show improvement after a lackluster first week of the preseason, particularly given the way third-string QB Nick Mullens played last Thursday. If Mullens continues to significantly outplay Beathard throughout the preseason, the 49ers could have a backup quarterback controversy on their hands, despite Shanahan’s recent statements in support of Beathard.
As for the Texans, head coach Bill O’Brien recently told reporters that Watson and his fellow starters would play a similar number of snaps this week, after only seeing the field for five plays in Week 1 of the preseason. While O’Brien’s top priority is keeping his players healthy, he also wants to see a healthy Watson flourish in real game action, given how Houston’s offense relied on their quarterback’s arm — and legs — in 2017:
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Date | G# | Opp | Result | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD |
| 1 | 2017-09-10 | 1 | JAX | L 7-29 | 12 | 23 | 52.17 | 102 | 1 | 1 | 60.4 | 4 | 21 | 4.43 | 3.35 | 2 | 16 | 8.00 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2017-09-14 | 2 | CIN | W 13-9 | * | 15 | 24 | 62.50 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 75.9 | 3 | 27 | 5.21 | 5.21 | 5 | 67 | 13.40 | 1 |
| 3 | 2017-09-24 | 3 | NWE | L 33-36 | * | 22 | 33 | 66.67 | 301 | 2 | 2 | 90.6 | 2 | 9 | 9.12 | 7.61 | 8 | 41 | 5.13 | 0 |
| 4 | 2017-10-01 | 4 | TEN | W 57-14 | * | 25 | 34 | 73.53 | 283 | 4 | 1 | 125.0 | 1 | 3 | 8.32 | 9.35 | 4 | 24 | 6.00 | 1 |
| 5 | 2017-10-08 | 5 | KAN | L 34-42 | * | 16 | 31 | 51.61 | 261 | 5 | 0 | 119.8 | 3 | 13 | 8.42 | 11.65 | 3 | 31 | 10.33 | 0 |
| 6 | 2017-10-15 | 6 | CLE | W 33-17 | * | 17 | 29 | 58.62 | 225 | 3 | 1 | 103.4 | 1 | 8 | 7.76 | 8.28 | 6 | 23 | 3.83 | 0 |
| 7 | 2017-10-29 | 7 | SEA | L 38-41 | * | 19 | 30 | 63.33 | 402 | 4 | 3 | 106.9 | 5 | 35 | 13.40 | 11.57 | 8 | 67 | 8.38 | 0 |
| 7 Games | 126 | 204 | 61.76 | 1699 | 19 | 8 | 103.0 | 19 | 116 | 8.33 | 8.43 | 36 | 269 | 7.47 | 2 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
O’Brien could pull Watson if the QB leads the Texans’ offense down the field on their first drive, but there’s little chance Houston’s quarterback only sees five snaps in today’s matchup.