Texans vs. 49ers: Which Defenders Stood Out?

The Houston Texans defense has played consistently well throughout the entire preseason. Thursday night’s performance in particular was great to see.

The Texans defense allowed zero points throughout the entire game against the San Francisco 49ers. You can’t always compare what happens in the preseason to the regular season because both teams do not have all of their starters playing, but you can definitely still get a decent feeling on how an offense and defense will perform for the most part.

The 49ers starting offense outside of arguably the best tackle in football in Trent Williams and running back Elijah Mitchell played a few drives and the Texans defense shut them down. Quarterback Trey Lance played a good amount of time, along with All-Pro tight end George Kittle, All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel and first-round wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. None of those players had a single reception. The Texans defense proved they could match up with a talented 49ers offense and win consistently.

Here are five players that stood out on Thursday night against the 49ers:

DE Jerry Hughes

Jerry Hughes may be 34 years old but did not look like it. Hughes was explosive rushing the passer and even had an impressive pass breakup. Hughes could be in line for a bigger season than may have previously thought.

DT Kurt Hinish

Kurt Hinish has had a very impressive training camp and continued that success into the preseason. Hinish flashed consistently throughout the night, accumulating one sack and three tackles for loss. Hinish had made his presence felt and the undrafted rookie should make the Texans’ 53-man roster.

CB Issac Yiadom

Issac Yiadom had two very impressive pass breakups and played well on Thursday night. He has a chance to make the final roster.

CB Derek Stingley Jr

Whenever you don’t hear the name of a cornerback much throughout a game, there is a good chance that he is doing his job well and Stingley was clearly more confident and effective. His recovery speed is impressive and he will continue to get better and better with more experience. He will be starting week one against the Indianapolis Colts.

S Jalen Pitre

Jalen Pitre is a ball magnet and seems to make impactful plays left and right. Pitre has high football IQ and does not look like a rookie. He has the potential to me a serious playmaker for the Texans defense.

The Texans defense was dominant the entire preseason and they will look to continue that momentum into the regular season. The players are bought into head coach Lovie Smith’s coaching philosophy and you can visibly see a difference in the team’s overall energy.