Brock Purdy is no longer “a long shot” to return for the 49ers, coach Kyle Shanahan said on his conference call the day after the team’s 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans.

In previous weeks, Shanahan seemed more skeptical of Purdy’s potential availability during his weekly Monday call with reporters. This time, it’s become clearer that Purdy is even closer to a return from his toe injury — perhaps as soon as Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

In related news, fellow 49ers QB Mac Jones suffered a knee contusion in Houston. He is day-to-day.

The team did enjoy relatively good news regarding three defenders it lost during the game. Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (ankle), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (ankle), and linebacker Dee Winters (knee) are all also day-to-day.

Here are snap counts and grades from the game.

Quarterback: Mac Jones (48 snaps)
Game grade: C

Jones has done an exemplary job backing up Purdy, but Sunday’s slog against the NFL’s top defense clearly illustrated how badly the 49ers miss their starting quarterback. Purdy’s mobility can be a game changer against some of the league’s most ferocious pass rushes. That’s why he’s making the big bucks — and why Jones is QB2.

Running back/fullback: Christian McCaffrey (46), Brian Robinson Jr. (2), Kyle Juszczyk (39)

Game grade: C

A week after running the ball 39 times, the 49ers had only 10 carries. McCaffrey had quoted Kyle Shanahan after that Falcons win, saying an entire team effort — passing, defense, and run blocking — is needed to amass the desired amount of runs. Because the 49ers carried over absolutely no positives from their victory over Atlanta, it shouldn’t be surprising that they saw such limited rushing opportunities — and only two first downs on the ground — in Houston. 

Credit to Robinson for the long kickoff return that gave the 49ers a glimmer of hope toward the end of the first half. The 49ers notched eight expected points on special teams, keeping this game close.

Wide receiver: Jauan Jennings (41), Kendrick Bourne (38), Demarcus Robinson (27), Skyy Moore (9), Jordan Watkins (6)

Game grade: D+

Jennings made a very tough catch while being crunched by two defenders on 3rd-and-17 near the goal line — that couldn’t have felt good for his five broken ribs — but that merely made up for his dropped go-ball earlier in that drive. Jennings caught four passes; the rest of the 49ers’ wideouts combined for only five catches and 49 yards.

There’s a chance Brandon Aiyuk’s practice window will open next week. The 49ers are also longing for Ricky Pearsall’s return — more on that later this week.

Tight end: George Kittle (43), Luke Farrell (3), Jake Tonges (5)

Game grade: B-

Kittle celebrated National Tight Ends Day — his own creation back in 2018 — with a spectacular touchdown grab in triple coverage that kept the 49ers in the game through at least halftime. But there were no more heroics on that front. Tonges, who caught Jones’ second touchdown pass (are we sure that wasn’t intended for Kittle?) saw more snaps than Farrell, probably because the 49ers created so few chances to run the ball. 

Offensive line: Trent Williams (48), Connor Colby (29), Nick Zakelj (19), Matt Hennessy (48), Dominick Puni (48), Colton McKivitz (48)

Game grade: F

This never projected to be pretty, not against a Houston pass rush bookended by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Armed with a lead, rest, and absence of a 49ers run game, both of those defensive ends teed off — McKivitz and Williams allowed four pressures apiece.

The 49ers have been handcuffed by left guard Ben Bartch’s high ankle sprain — he remains on injured reserve while rookie Connor Colby struggles in his place. The 49ers weren’t expecting the seventh-round pick to start this many games in his first season. Worth noting: Zakelj replaced Colby for the final 19 snaps of the game.

Defensive line: Sam Okuayinonu (46), Mykel Williams (53), Alfred Collins (54), Kalia Davis (43), Jordan Elliott (18), Kevin Givens (32), Trevis Gipson (39), Robert Beal Jr. (35)

Game grade: F

The 49ers’ D-line managed only three pressures on plays that didn’t see blitz support. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, recognizing this massive issue, blitzed early and often. But his 14 blitzes were ineffective, as Houston QB C.J. Stroud was 13 of 14 against them.

That underscored the importance of generating pressure with just four rushers, something the 49ers were essentially incapable of with Sunday’s skeleton crew. To make matters worse, both Okuayinonu and Elliott exited with injuries. 

Linebackers: Dee Winters (58), Tatum Bethune (80), Curtis Robinson (22), Luke Gifford (27)

Game grade: D

Winters left with a knee issue, forcing Robinson into the game at weakside linebacker for the final 22 snaps. By then, the 49ers’ defense had already been thoroughly roasted. It’s impossible to know who exactly was at fault for the biggest coverage bust of the game, a Stroud check down that turned into a 50-yard gain for running back Woody Marks. But there’s a good chance that breakdown wouldn’t have happened with Fred Warner in the game.

Alas, such is life for the 49ers. 

Safeties: Ji’Ayir Brown (80), Malik Mustapha (80), Jason Pinnock (2)

Game grade: D

The 49ers have officially benched rookie Marques Sigle. For the first time this season, he saw no defensive snaps. Mustapha and Brown played the full safety load instead, missing a combined three tackles. Neither was good in coverage, although it’s tough to judge any DBs in that regard when the pass rush is as anemic as it was for the 49ers. Pinnock saw two snaps as the 49ers’ “big nickel.” 

Cornerbacks: Deommodore Lenoir (80), Renardo Green (80), Upton Stout (48), Chase Lucas (3)

Game grade: D+

Many coverage alignments, especially from Green, seemed unnecessarily soft. But then again, the 49ers’ coverage units had next to no benefit from a pass rush. Stout’s game was particularly brutal; he missed two early tackles and committed a third-down penalty that helped the Texans offense get rolling. Houston never had a problem.

The good news: Lenoir broke the 49ers’ 14-game interception drought, an NFL record. But even that came with bad news, as Lenoir failed to get down before the clock expired. He said he lost track of time after the pick. The mistake cost the 49ers a good chance at three points. 

Special teams grade: A+

We’re officially in the Twilight Zone. Just short of 2025’s midway mark, special teams has been the 49ers’ most efficient phase of the game. They didn’t even need an Eddy Piñeiro field goal for their plus-8 EPA performance; Robinson’s return, Thomas Morstead’s punting, and generally good coverage did the trick.

If one had subbed in a 2024-like special teams debacle, the 49ers might’ve lost by close to 30 points. This is a bigger positive than many may realize.