Everything we know from 49ers 23-7 win vs. Texans

It wasn’t pretty, but the 49ers pulled out a win over the Texans in a game they needed in their pursuit of a playoff spot.

Trey Lance earned his first victory as a starter and the 49ers moved to 9-7 for the season, ensuring they’ll finish above .500 for only the second time in Kyle Shanahan’s tenure as head coach.

Here’s a quick rundown of everything we know from San Francisco’s win at Levi’s Stadium:

Final score: 49ers 23, Texans 7

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Texans jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first half as San Francisco’s offense sputtered under the guidance of Trey Lance. However, they booted a field goal to end the first half and wound up ripping off 23 unanswered points including 20 in the final two quarters to roll to a win.

Keys to the game

(AP Photo/John Hefti)

The 49ers defense was the biggest key to their victory Sunday. Their secondary made a handful of nice plays, the pass rush made life hard on Texans QB Davis Mills, and they got an interception from linebacker Marcell Harris that set up San Francisco’s first touchdown. The key for their offense was how Lance played in the second half. He wasn’t great, but the offense was so much more effective in the second half when head coach Kyle Shanahan got Lance on the move on play action and boot legs. It looked like the rookie got in more of a rhythm and as a result the run game started finding some room.

It was over when ...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

With about 10:00 left in the fourth quarter, Lance rolled to his right, stopped and found Deebo Samuel wide open down the field. The QB uncorked the throw and Samuel did the rest by outrunning a defender to the pylon. That put the 49ers up 17-7 and it was pretty clear the Texans weren’t in danger of ripping off multiple scores that late in the contest.

3 stars of the game

(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

1. RB Elijah Mitchell: 21 carries, 119 yards, 2 catches, 11 yards, Rec. TD

2. LB Marcell Harris: 10 tackles, INT, PD

3.DL Arik Armstead: 8 tackles, 0.5 sacks, QBH

What's next

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers face the Rams in a game they need in order to clinch a playoff spot. They can also get into the postseason if they lose to LA, but they’d need a Saints loss to the Falcons to make that happen.

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