How the 49ers win by losing to Texans in the preseason

The San Francisco 49ers may have lost to the Houston Texans 16-13 in Week 2 of the preseason. But by doing so, the Niners won by learning some valuable lessons for 2018.

Wait, what? How can the San Francisco 49ers be considered winners after falling 16-13 to the Houston Texans in Week 2 of the preseason?

First of all, preseason win-loss records don’t matter much. All the preseason does is act like a glorified simulation of a regular-season game. The play calling is dialed back to basics, starters don’t see much of the field and there’s never one big indication from preseason games translating into regular-season success.

OK, so the Niners lost Saturday night. And it was an ugly contest, one including 15 penalties for 140 yards. But by losing this game, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. manage to win. Just not in the areas you think.

Let’s start with those penalties.

The 49ers may be close to overcoming a slew of penalties, much like former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s squad was during the last Niners heyday. But the current 49ers aren’t there yet. Not quite.

“There were way too many penalties,” Shanahan told reporters after the game (h/t 49ers Webzone). “Some you can control, some you can’t. Always the pre-snap penalties bother me the most. There were definitely some in there … They’re unacceptable.”

There were two consecutive calls against starting center Weston Richburg, which netted in 25 penalty yards, thwarting San Francisco’s second offensive drive. Instead of a touchdown, that drive ended with an interception thrown by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Shanahan now has his focal point. Over two preseason games, the Niners now have 28 penalties accepted against them. It’s an area in which San Francisco will have to focus on between now and the regular season. It’s glaring, unavoidable. And as long as the 49ers direct plenty of attention to it, it’s better to solve that problem now instead of waiting for it to fester beyond Week 1.

Dante Pettis Isn’t Quite There

Rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis has been a star in training camp. But his exceptional efforts haven’t totally carried over into in-game situations.

Such was the case Saturday, where Pettis couldn’t quite grab Garoppolo’s lone interception. The ball bounced off Pettis’ hands. And despite being slightly overthrown, Pettis should have come down with the ball.

The former Washington standout now has to understand his camp efforts won’t be enough alone to rise up San Francisco’s receiving depth chart. That’s a good thing, as he’ll need to hone is craft between now and Week 1.

C.J. Beathard Getting Pushed

Entering training camp, No. 2 quarterback C.J. Beathard was essentially handed the backup duties with little realistic competition.

The only issue, however, is the second-year pro has been outplayed by third-string QB Nick Mullens in both the 49ers’ preseason games so far. In Houston, Mullens’ 87 passing yards came on just a 6-of-7 passing line, where Beathard needed a 10-of-17 mark to get to 82 yards.

It’s highly doubtful Mullens overtakes Beathard on the depth chart. But the former is certainly pushing the latter, spiking the necessary competition Beathard will need to develop properly.

And while no one wants to see Beathard take meaningful snaps this season, having a quality backup is going to be crucial to San Francisco’s 2018 plans.

Valuable Experience for a Young Secondary

First-year 49ers defensive backs Tarvarius Moore and Tarvarus McFadden saw an elongated period of snaps against the Texans, and neither disappointed. Moore had a key pass breakup during the game, while McFadden had another and nearly recorded an interception off Houston backup quarterback Joe Webb.

But Moore was also hit with a pass-interference penalty earlier in the game. McFadden should have hauled in that interception too.

Both chances were key mistakes. Young players, especially defensive backs, learn from those and adjust. It’s best to get that out of the way during the preseason.

So if you’re catching on to the gist of this assessment, you’ll realize the 49ers made a lot of mistakes during Week 2 of the preseason. Yet they’re coachable mistakes — aspects that can, and should, be corrected between now and the regular season.

That should constitute a win, given the context of the preseason.