Copyright yardbarker
The Houston Texans are 2-4 and coming off an ugly-looking loss on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. So, how are they 1.5-point favorites over a 5-2 San Francisco 49ers team?Well, the Texans do have the home-field advantage, but unlike any team the 49ers have faced all year, the Texans have head coach DeMeco Ryans. Why does that matter? Familiarity. And that could be all that the Texans need. DeMeco Ryans' familiarity gives the Texans an advantage on Sunday Let's go back to 2017. Kyle Shanahan is named head coach of the 49ers. Just a couple of years removed from his playing career, Ryans joins Shanahan's staff as a defensive quality control coach. He would rise the ranks in his five years in the bay, going from quality control to defensive coordinator before taking the head job in Houston. Well, during those five years, Ryans had a front row seat against arguably the league's most unstoppable rushing offense. If there is any defensive mind in the league that knows what makes Shanahan and running back Christian McCaffrey tick, it's Ryans. "Christian McCaffrey is, by far, one of the best players in the NFL. What he's done in the game, I know for sure, he has the respect of every player that's played against him," Ryans said this week, per Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. "The game plan is: we have to have eyes for Christian McCaffrey, knowing that he's going to get a bulk of the touches because he's their top playmaker." Mac Jones will continue his run as a starter, and the team should see more of the George Kittle they know and love as he continues to garner more live reps. But everyone knows that Shanahan's and the 49ers' bread and butter is on the ground, and no one is better equipped to stop that than Ryans and his defense.
