Biggest studs, duds from 49ers Week 17 win over Texans

The 49ers got off to a slow start in Week 17 against the Texans, but Trey Lance turned a key page and helped propel the Niners to a 23-7 victory.

San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance‘s second-ever NFL start went a lot of ways how someone might have thought it would have gone.

Over the first two quarters or so in Week 17 against the Houston Texans, Lance looked like a completely inexperienced first-year player, which he is. But with the Niners putting together a solid two-minute drive just before halftime, Lance finally got himself into rhythm.

All the while showing the physical gifts and talents that convinced San Francisco to use the No. 3 overall NFL Draft pick on him last spring.

Lance, assisted by a stout pass-rushing defense and strong running game, then cruised to the 23-7 victory to improve to 9-7, providing a much-needed stop for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad to securing a playoff berth this season.

Let’s take a look at some of Week 17’s biggest winners and losers from the game.

49ers Stud: Quarterback Trey Lance

Lance didn’t start off perfectly. And while his first-half numbers seemed OK — 10-of-13 for 105 yards — his underthrown pass intended for tight end George Kittle was one of those he’d prefer to have back.

Luckily for Lance and Co., that was essentially the only major gaffe that came back to haunt the 49ers.

The Texans managed a touchdown off that turnover, but Lance responded with a nifty rollout touchdown pass to running back Elijah Mitchell, then the rookie quarterback hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel for a nifty 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the fourth quarter:

Two things on that touchdown. For starters, it’s an awfully pretty play. On top of that, the deep-threat element is something the Niners have largely lacked with the quarterback for whom Lance was filling in during the game, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Overall, Lance went 16-of-23 for 249 yards, two passing touchdowns against the interception, all for a 116.0 passer rating, notching his first win as a quarterback in the process.

Not perfect, but it was certainly impressive enough an effort from the first-year pro.

49ers Dud: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Kyle Shanahan now has a conundrum: Start Trey Lance in Week 18 with the hopes his upside and raw talents can continue his maturation, or let Jimmy Garoppolo reclaim his starting job if he’s healthy enough after suffering a thumb injury in Week 16.

Shanahan tried his best to dodge that question when asked it during his postgame presser:

"If Jimmy is at 100 percent healthy, and can do everything perfect, then I would definitely go with Jimmy. I’m not just going to throw a guy in after one game like this when Jimmy’s been doing it for us all year. I think it’s going to be hard for Jimmy to be 100 percent, which is how most people are right now at this time of year. But Trey did a good job. If Jimmy can’t go, we won’t hesitate at all. But if we feel Jimmy can go and play confident, then Jimmy will be out there."

Reports from both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated Garoppolo’s thumb injury could require offseason surgery, and the only question would be if Garoppolo could still play with the setback against a Los Angeles Rams squad that’s contending for the NFC West crown in Week 18.

But the long-term answer is clear: Lance is San Francisco’s guy moving forward, and Garoppolo’s status as a lame-duck quarterback riding out the rest of the season, no matter how it pans out, was completely cemented in Week 17.

49ers Stud: Running Back Elijah Mitchell

Yes, the 49ers sorely missed their other star rookie, running back Elijah Mitchell, who returned after a three-game absence after suffering a concussion and knee injury earlier in the year.

Mitchell already set a new franchise record for rookies, bringing four 100-yard rush games with him into Week 17.

Now, Mitchell can tack on a new record to his already impressive résumé.

Mitchell needed 53 rush yards in the game to surpass running back Vic Washington’s Niners record for single-season rushing by a rookie, and Mitchell certainly did that and some, tacking on 119 rush yards during the game to get his 2021 totals on the ground to 878 yards.

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Mitchell later told reporters some of his teammates let him know this was a possibility on the sidelines, but what was even more impressive was how he used his speed to average out 5.7 yards per attempt.

Related Story: Elijah Mitchell will be 49ers’ golden ticket to playoffs

Getting the ground game going was crucial for Trey Lance to not have to play with too much pressure on his shoulders, and it was evident Houston was going to have difficulty slowing down San Francisco’s ground game in the second half.

As long as Mitchell stays healthy, the 49ers offense should be able to remain a threat for however long the rest of the season lasts.

49ers Dud: Right Tackle Tom Compton

Elijah Mitchell and Trey Lance probably could have had a more productive outing if right tackle Tom Compton showed up in a much better way.

Lance took only one sack during the game, and it wasn’t entirely on Compton for giving it up, as right guard Daniel Brunskill wasn’t in position either to account for the blitzing Houston defender:

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But Compton should have surrendered a bit of ground to account for the gap, at least potentially buying Lance another split second or so.

This wasn’t the only pressure Compton allowed, though, and he was regularly surrendering those throughout the game.

Almost always, when Lance was feeling pressure, it was coming from the right side.

It might seem weird to think, but the Niners actually miss right tackle Mike McGlinchey.

49ers Stud: Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk

Yes, he was called for a holding penalty that wiped out what could have been a Trey Lance rushing touchdown. But aside from that gaffe, and a non-consequential bobbled punt he was able to recover, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was a massive X-factor for San Francisco’s offense.

During the game, the CBS broadcast pointed out how Aiyuk sticks around with Lance after practices to work on timing and routes, and that relationship was on full display during the game.

The Texans tried hard to negate George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, which meant Aiyuk was going to be the primary beneficiary of Lance’s targets, particularly on some challenging third-down attempts where the second-year wide receiver came up big.

Aiyuk finished up Week 17 with a team-leading four receptions for 94 yards, getting a good portion of those on a 43-yard catch-and-run reception in the second half.

As long as Aiyuk remains a key target for Lance moving forward and in the years to come, the 49ers offense could be truly difficult to stop.

49ers Dud: Cornerback Josh Norman

Houston tried replicating the same kind of success other Niners opponents have had, attacking San Francisco’s questionable cornerback room.

And while rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas has seen the pressure come off his shoulders in recent weeks, those teams aren’t shying away from going after veteran cornerback Josh Norman, who entered the game with a team-high four defensive pass-interference calls accepted against him.

Tack on one more of those after Week 17.

San Francisco ended up surrendering back-to-back defensive pass-interference calls, the first being on Norman, and Kyle Shanahan subsequently told reporters Norman was benched for that play in favor of the journeyman veteran, Dontae Johnson.

It’s unclear whether or not this will be a long-term development, as Shanahan has also stuck by Norman because of the veteran’s tendency to force fumbles.

But with those in short supply as of late, Norman’s status as a starter remains very much up in the air.

49ers Stud: Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel

Brandon Aiyuk might quietly get the bulk of targets in any given game, especially if Trey Lance winds up developing a key relationship with him.

But that won’t remove Deebo Samuel as one of the 49ers’ top playmakers on offense.

Samuel continued his dual-threat prowess, working alongside Lance and Elijah Mitchell to provide the bulk of yards on the ground, the versatile wide receiver accounting for 19 of the Niners’ 175 yards rushing. Yet it was Samuel’s nifty catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter that stood out, and it wasn’t the only time he used his physicality to create plays.

In addition to those 19 rush yards, Samuel also tacked on three catches for 63 yards, totaling 82 all-purpose yards in the game, bringing his 2021 number all the way up to 1,630.

Putting things into perspective, Samuel has accounted for 27.5 percent of San Francisco’s 5,938 yards this season.

No wonder Samuel is a Pro Bowler, and he’s an easy winner from the 49ers’ Week 17 win over the Texans.