It might just be a lousy, meaningless preseason game but this lousy, meaningless preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans is a very realistic potential Super Bowl matchup.
Both teams had breakout seasons last year, with the Niners earning a first round bye and the Texans securing their first playoff birth in the history of the franchise. And oddly enough, both teams did it with similar formulas: control the ball with a pounding run game then unleash an aggressive attacking defense on unsuspecting offenses.
For this go around though, don't expect to see a lot of star power. Houston my try to test San Francisco's line with a blitz or two but ultimately, they're not going to risk much with J.J. Watt still recovering from an elbow injury and Shaun Cody owning a back ailment of his own.
The Niners' will be without their star pass-rusher, Aldon Smith, as well. Smith will most likely miss the remainder of the preseason with a hip bruise as head coach Jim Harbaugh looks to play it safe with last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up.
Other than that, fans can expect to see their favorite players on the field for about one and a half quarters of action. Yipee!
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 18 at 8:00 pm EDT
Location: Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas
Where To Watch: NFL Preseason Live
Radio Schedule
Texans: 610 AM/100.3 FM/1010 AM
49ers: KGO/107.7 THE BONE
For more on the 49ers, head over to Niners Nation. For all your Texans updates, pay a visit to Battle Red Blog.