49ers vs. Texans: 4 bold predictions for Week 17 contest
By Peter Panacy
42. 4:05 p.m. ET. 4-11. 10. 8-7. CBS. Sunday, Jan. 2. 49ers -12.5
The 49ers host the lowly Texans in Week 17, and Niner Noise offers up our bold takes and predictions for what should be a one-sided affair.
On paper, the San Francisco 49ers should handily knock off the visiting 4-11 Houston Texans in Week 17 at Levi’s Stadium. The oddsmakers over at WynnBET have the Niners as massive 12.5-point favorites, San Francisco’s roster is superior from top to bottom and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad has the bonus of a mini bye week after having played Week 16 on Thursday Night Football.
There are some concerns, however.
For starters, Houston is coming off a two-game win streak, including a shocking upset over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills has been playing well, too, having completed 66.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns over 11 games thus far.
On top of that, the 49ers are likely to field rookie quarterback Trey Lance in his second-ever NFL start in the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s thumb injury.
Nevertheless, the Niners are clear favorites for a number of reasons, and those lend us the opportunity to come up with some bold Week 17 predictions.
Bold Prediction No. 4: 49ers will sack Davis Mills 4 times
Rookie quarterbacks tend to hold onto the ball too long, and Mills surely can fall into this category, especially behind a suspect offensive line that ranks 23rd in pass protection this year, according to Football Outsiders, with 39 sacks allowed.
Mills has taken 26 of those sacks, and his 7.3 sack percentage on the season is up there within the top 10 of qualifying quarterbacks entering Week 17.
San Francisco’s pass rush has been on a nice little tear as of late, including a four-sack performance last week against the Tennessee Titans. And even that was against frequent max protection, meaning any less of an effort should afford EDGE Nick Bosa and Co. plenty of chances to get after Mills with regularity.
In our prediction, look for the 49ers to take Mills down at least four times on Sunday.