The San Francisco 49ers dropped their third game of the season, looking overmatched on both sides of the ball in a 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 9.
Houston's offense dominated the matchup, piling up 475 total yards compared to just 223 for San Francisco. The Texans also controlled the clock, holding the ball for a staggering 41 minutes and 22 seconds, while the 49ers managed only 18 minutes and 38 seconds of possession.
With the defeat, the 49ers fell to 5-3 on the season and slipped out of first place in the NFC West — even with every other division team on a bye week. San Francisco now turns its focus to rebounding in the final game of its two-game road trip, a matchup against the New York Giants.
How does the national media view the 49ers compared to the rest of the league? Below is a roundup of the latest NFL power rankings, highlighting where San Francisco currently stands in each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 2
"The 49ers' rash of offensive injuries caught up to them against a good Houston defense that had the players to slow down Christian McCaffrey and their own defense couldn't keep overachieving on the road. They can get well against the Giants next week before a rematch with the Rams." — Vinnie Iyer
ESPN
Current Ranking: 12
Previous Ranking: 10
"Best offseason addition: DC Robert Saleh. Take it from San Francisco tight end George Kittle, who has said all year that Saleh has been the Niners' biggest addition. Through eight games, Saleh has had to earn every penny with a revamped defense that has lost star linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and end Nick Bosa (ACL) to season-ending injuries. It hasn't been perfect, as there is still a lack of pass rush and interceptions, but Saleh's defense is eighth best in points allowed (20.5). It would be no surprise if Saleh is again a strong candidate in the next head coaching cycle." — Nick Wagoner
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 12
Previous Ranking: 10
"The Rams have a little more than $2 million in salary on all of their various injury lists this season. The 49ers have a little more than $96 million in salary on those lists (calculated by adding up the average per year salary of each player)." — Conor Orr
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 8
"The offense is starting to get healthy, but the defensive injury list is ludicrous. Linebacker Dee Winters (knee) and edge Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) joined it on Sunday. Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are already out for the season, and Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos will miss multiple weeks. Houston took advantage to get healthy on offense to the tune of 475 yards. Kyle Shanahan should be the front-runner for Coach of the Year if this team makes the playoffs." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 12
"The San Francisco 49ers have battled a myriad of injuries in 2025. However, they've managed to overcome more often than not, due to a promising young defense, steady play from backup quarterback Mac Jones and the high-volume role of Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers have established a game plan for winning close, physical games, but Sunday's loss in Houston showed what can happen when San Francisco gets away from its script. McCaffrey logged just eight carries, Jones turned it over, and the defense couldn't corral the Texans, who won the time-of-possession battle by more than double. After losing two of their last three, the 49ers appear vulnerable—and their bye is still more than a month away." — Kris Knox
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 12
"Kyle Shanahan didn't mince words when he said the Texans 'kicked our ass' on Sunday. That was especially true when it came to the 49ers' defensive front against a Texans offensive line that had hardly been dominant coming in. That San Francisco front was already without Nick Bosa, and it lost two other members to injury at Houston (Jordan Elliott and Sam Okuayinonu). The 49ers didn't do well up front on offense, either, as the Texans erased the Niners' run game early and put constant heat on Mac Jones. We're still in wait-and-see mode with Brock Purdy and his health, but the 49ers need to play better up front, no matter who's at QB. They're set to face three pretty good defensive lines in the next three games." — Eric Edholm
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 12
"The 49ers looked great on defense against the Falcons in Week 7, but now that seems to say more about the Falcons. San Francisco had no chance against a Texans offense with no Nico Collins and a terrible offensive line. It's going to be hard to overcome that defense the rest of the season." — Frank Schwab
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 14
Previous Ranking: 13
"Call me dramatic if you want, but if Houston's offense is moving the ball with ease, that's a strong indicator that your defense is broken. After losing All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to a season-ending injury (as well as Nick Bosa earlier in the season), there's nothing San Francisco can do to hide its youth and inexperience. The rest of the schedule looks pretty light, but I think we'll see the 49ers lose a few more games in disappointing fashion because of the holes in this defense." — Diante Lee
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 14
"The road to Santa Clara won't be going through Santa Clara." — Mike Florio
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 12
"They need Brock Purdy back. Mac Jones has been a nice replacement, but he isn't Purdy." — Pete Prisco
USA Today
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 15
"Well … the defense picked off its first pass in 14 games, snapping a league-record drought in that department. Otherwise, it was torn asunder by C.J. Stroud and Co." — Nate Davis
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