I jumped on the Jimmy Garoppolo train early last week, and there's no reason not to back the 49ers again. Houston ranks 27th in passer rating allowed (96.9). Except for the win over Arizona, the Texans' offense has been unable to do much since Deshaun Watson got hurt. In a good matchup last week, Houston put up 13 points. Take San Fran.

The euphoria over new 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo is a bit premature. Indeed, he is an upgrade, but this total has been pushed up from 43 into the mid-range of points, which is misguided. Offensively, the Texans have bottomed out since the injury to QB Deshaun Watson. Its defense remains impressive even with some impactful injuries. The Niners rank 24th on offense for yards per play and have outscored just three teams. Garoppolo might be the QB of the future. As for the present, San Fran still has a way to go. Even so, he already is better than Houston counterpart Tom Savage.

The 49ers have something cooking with Jimmy Garoppolo under center, as the new starting QB engineered five scoring drives last week while drumming up nearly 400 yards of offense. This was already a team with a good rushing attack, and now they can strike through the air as well. The defense stepped up last week, holding the Bears to just eight first downs and 147 yards of offense. The 49ers also have the 12th-best special teams, per DVOA. On the other side, we have a Texans team that has lost five of six and is starting a limited backup QB. I think the 49ers keep moving in the right direction here.

I came away more impressed with the 49ers' defense as opposed to Jimmy Garoppolo's debut last week. An improved defense for San Francisco spells trouble for an inconsistent and struggling Tom Savage. Take the 49ers and the points.