49ers 23, Texans 7: Grades

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers had to win Sunday without Jimmy Garoppolo to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they won. They beat the Houston Texans 23-7, and Trey Lance got his first career win. Now, the 49ers will have to win next week to control their own playoff destiny, and we have no idea which quarterback they'll start.

This season just got extremely interesting.

Here are the 49ers' grades for their clutch win over the Houston Texans:

TREY LANCE: A-MINUS.

I admit I'm grading him on a slight curve because he's a rookie who made his second career start after essentially sitting the past two years. If he were a seasoned veteran, I'd give him a B-plus, because his interception was terrible. He forced a pass to a covered George Kittle when he should have thrown it away. But other than that play, Lance made good decisions, managed the game, threw accurate passes, avoided pressure and made big, big plays with his arm. Meaning he did lots of things Jimmy Garoppolo can't do. It's clear that Lance protects the football better than Garoppolo and produces far more big plays than Garoppolo, which means Lance gives the 49ers their best chance to win right now. I still can't believe the 49ers made him sit most of the season behind their mediocre veteran just so Garoppolo could go 8-6 and get injured twice. Imagine how much better Lance would be right now and how many more wins the 49ers would have had he started all season? He probably would have won in Seattle and Tennessee, unlike Garoppolo. Hopefully the 49ers do the right thing and start Lance next week, too. Their season depends on this decision.

RUNNING BACKS: A.

Elijah Mitchell rushed 21 times for 119 yards, plus he caught a touchdown pass and broke the 49ers' record for rushing yards by a rookie. Impressive. Mitchell missed the past few games with a knee injury and seemed fresh and explosive in this game, which bodes well for the 49ers' playoff push.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A-MINUS.

Brandon Aiyuk caught four passes for 94 yards and Deebo Samuel caught a 45-yard touchdown pass that put away the Texans. Samuel also dropped a pass that hit him in the chest. Lance clearly likes throwing to wide receivers, unlike Garoppolo, who prefers throwing short passes to running backs and tight ends.

TIGHT ENDS: B.

George Kittle was targeted only twice, and he caught one of them for 28 yards. It was a difficult one-handed catch. Kittle is still terrific, but his numbers probably will go down once Lance becomes the full-time quarterback, because Lance likes throwing toward the sideline.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: B-PLUS.

They helped the 49ers rush for 4.7 yards per carry, and they gave up lots of pressure, but only one sack, because Lance is so elusive and strong.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: B-PLUS.

Nick Bosa had his second game in a row without a sack, but he drew another crucial holding penalty. Arden Key and Jordan Willis each registered a sack, and Samson Ebukam and Arik Armstead combined to record one more.

LINEBACKERS: A.

Fred Warner recorded 15 tackles, and Marcell Harris recorded 10 tackles plus an interception. Outstanding.

SAFETIES: B.

Neither Jimmie Ward nor Jaquiski Tartt gave up any big plays, but Tartt committed a facemask penalty.

CORNERBACKS: B-MINUS.

They committed 56 yards of pass interference penalties in one drive. But then the 49ers benched Josh Norman, and his replacement, Dontae Johnson, made a crucial pass breakup on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Also Ambry Thomas nearly intercepted his firist career pass, and then the Texans left him alone. He's improving.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A.

Brandon Aiyuk had an 18-yard punt return, Robbie Gould made all his kicks and no one fumbled. Hooray!

COACHES: B.

DeMeco Ryans' defense was dominant for 60 minutes -- Kyle Shanahan's offense was dominant for roughly 12 minutes. Once he unleashed Lance and let him throw down the field, the offense took off. Give Shanahan credit for finding things that Lance can do well (except on fourth down. Shanahan needs to call freaking zone reads on fourth and 1 for Lance. He should know this). Still, Shanahan should have been able to do this with Lance all season. The 49ers would have a better record now and a brighter future too had Lance started since Week 1. But at least the 49ers know they drafted the right quarterback. That's reassuring.

QUALITY CONTROL: A-PLUS-PLUS.

I said the 49ers should start Lance all season. I tweeted weeks ago that he gives the 49ers their best chance to win. I pinned the tweet to the top of my Twitter page. And I did not unpin it before this game or during it when Lance was struggling in the first half. That took guts. I commend myself for having the courage of my convictions, unlike the 49ers, who drafted Lance and then lost the nerve to play him. I'm great.