Texans’ DeMeco Ryans Reacts After Shutting Down Christian McCaffrey

The Houston Texans, in the midst of their Week 8 win over the San Francisco 49ers, 26-15, the Texans defense wound up holding star running back Christian McCaffrey to his quietest outing of an otherwise dominant 2025 campaign.

McCaffrey was limited to just eight carries on the day vs. the Texans for 25 yards, catching three receptions for 43 yards–– ultimately making for his first day under 100 scrimmage yards on the season, and capped off a largely successful day for Houston's elite defense.

After the game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made sure to hand out his due credit for Houston's ability to stop McCaffrey.

“Overall, couldn’t be more proud defensively,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans. “Christian is a great player, phenomenal player. I talked about him all throughout the week and we knew we had to stop him. Run game, passing game, we knew he would be their highest-targeted guy, and we were able to hold him.

“I don’t think he got many yards today. It was a collective effort from everyone, starting with the defensive line really disrupting the run game up front. I think we tackled really well. He had a couple checkdowns there in the two-minute drive, but overall thought we tackled really well versus a really great player.”

Christian McCaffrey Held to Just 68 Scrimmage Yards vs. Texans

Oct 26, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) tackle San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

McCaffrey is on pace to become the first running back in NFL history with over 1,000-plus rushing and receiving yards in a single season, so Ryans and the Texans knew what they had to do heading into the weekend in order to find that extended success defensively.

But the 49ers' offense as a whole failed to secure much momentum from start to finish in Houston, with just two San Francisco drives spanning over five plays and had less than 300 total yards.

That lack of 49ers firepower on offense led to C.J. Stroud and the Texans' scoring unit capitalizing in a big way, and eventually, a much-needed third victory on the season. But those winning efforts started with containing San Francisco's best playmaker on the offensive end— marking a nice feat for this Houston defense that continues to prove they're among the best in the NFL.

The Texans, through five games of the season, have emerged as the best scoring defense across the NFL, allowing an average of just 14.7 points per game in the seven games that they've played.

Next week against a red-hot Denver Broncos and a dynamic Sean Payton offense, the Texans won't have it easy that time around either. But they've proven thus far they can stop some of the league's best offensive forces just as they did this week vs. San Francisco.

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