3 Key Takeaways From Texans' Much-Needed Win vs. 49ers

Without the Texans' best pass-catcher Nico Collins in the mix for this weekend, and no Christian Kirk for a second-straight game, questions buzzed about how this offense would look, especially after a bumpy week against the Seattle Seahawks.

However, the offense wound up coming alive today, even without their Pro Bowl wideout.

475 total yards from the offense. 9/16 converting on third-down tries. Nine different players caught a pass from C.J. Stroud across his 300-plus yard day. A statement day from that side of the ball as a whole as a whole, and one that could provide a spark of confidence for the rest of the season.

Collins should be back next week from his concussion that sat him out for this one, and if this performance was a sign of anything, perhaps the arrow could be pointing in the right direction for this scoring unit.

2. Rookies Came to Play

Of those to step up on the offensive side of the ball, the Texans' rookie trio was a huge part of that.

Woody Marks had the second game of his career with 100-plus all-purpose yards. Jayden Higgins hauled in the second touchdown of his career, and Jaylin Noel also came out for his best day of the year on his end with five catches for 53 yards.

To many fans' relief, the playbook was finally opened up for the Texans' first-year talents this week, and with the positive results to come with it, we should be seeing a lot more of them on the field going forward.

3. Texans Dominate Time of Possession

From start to finish, the story of the Texans' success came down to one overwhelming factor: time of possession.

The Texans controlled the clock for over two-thirds of the game, with 41:22 minutes of possession on their end, while for the 49ers, they only had 18:38, with just two drives on the day that were more than five plays. San Francisco had 44 total plays, Houston had 75.

It's a testament to not only the Texans' stifiling defense that kept Mac Jones and Co. off the field, but also for Houston's offense and C.J. Stroud to drive down the field with methodical, "death by a thousand cuts" mindset.

Stroud and the offense set the tone with a 16-play, nearly 10-minute drive at the start of the day that eventually set the tone for the entire way, and panned out for their third win of the season so far. A refreshing outcome for the first of a three-game home stand.