The Houston Texans (3-3) are at home Sunday taking on the San Francisco 49ers (3-2).  The 49ers are coming off a big 45-10 loss to Atlanta, and have lost two of their last three.  They have been without their star running back Frank Gore though, and he will be returning from an ankle injury this week.  The last time Gore was healthy he ran for 207 yards, so the Texans defense will need to be ready to stop the run like they were last week.  They did a great job limiting the NFL’s leading rusher at the time, Cedric Benson.  Benson only got 44 yards on 16 carries (2.75 avg).  The Texans are still giving up an average of 125 rushing yards per game, so Frank Gore may do some damage in this contest.  They also need to be aware of Shaun Hill scrambling since the 49ers’ quarterback rushed for 53 yards last week.

The Texans offense should be able to put some points on the board against this 49ers’ defense.  After a great start to the season, the 49ers defense has slowed down a bit and are prone to giving up some big plays.  Matt Schaub should look to attack them deep since he has found a lot of success doing that lately.  Running back Steve Slaton needs to make sure he holds on to the ball.  He could be considered a good running back if were not for all his fumbles.  He has five already this season and eight in his short two year career.  The Texans coaching staff said stopping Slaton’s fumbles have been a point of emphasis in practice this week, so we will see if it pays off.  I really like the Texans’ passing game and although this will probably be a close game, I think the Texans will win by a touchdown.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Houston Texans 31, San Francisco 49ers 24