Texans: What We Learned Against San Fran

The Texans went over .500 for the first time in a long time as they held on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 24-21. Let's see how our keys to victory played out.

Three Most Important Things for the Texans on Defense:

1. Make Shaun Hill beat you. The Texans stopped Frank Gore and forced Shaun Hill to beat them early on. Hill was so inept that the 49ers made the move to former first-overall pick Alex Smith, and Smith was fantastic in relief.

2. Take some chances. Houston didn't jump too many routes, and they found themselves on their heels a bit in the second half while San Francisco was making a furious comeback. The Texans could've done more to push the issue.

3. Focus on Crabtree. The 49ers worked Crabtree into the game plan and the rookie played well, catching five passes for 56 yards in his debut.

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Three Most Important Things for the Texans on Offense:

1. Loosen them up with the pass. The Texans were a bit more balanced than usual, as they were able to run the ball fairly well with Steve Slaton.

2. Stop fumbling. That didn't happen. Steve Slaton lost yet another fumble and his loose hands are becoming worrisome for Texans fans.

3. Score in the red zone. Houston scored touchdowns on each of their two red zone trips.

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What to look for:

1. Look for Owen Daniels to have a tough day. Daniels actually torched the 49ers defense en route to a seven catch, 123-yard performance which included a 42-yard touchdown reception.

2. Look for Andre to score. Johnson was hurt early on and wasn't much of a factor as he grabbed just two passes for 62 yards.

3. Look for Matt Schaub to go for over 260 yards. Schaub was 20 of 30 for 264 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

4. Look for Frank Gore to be held under 80 yards rushing. Gore wasn't much of a factor as he gained just 32 yards on 13 carries.

5. Look for a big special teams play. The Texans special teams along with the bright sun helped cause an Arnaz Batte muffed punt which led to a Houston touchdown.