49ers' grades mostly bad

After every 49ers' game, Press Democrat staff writer Matt Maiocco grades all aspects of the Niners' performance. Following are this grades after the SF 24-21 loss to the Texans in Houston on Sunday:

Quarterback

B-plus

Shaun Hill was lifted at halftime and the offense got going under the direction of Alex Smith, who threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back

C

Frank Gore did not have much room to run in his return to action. He gained just 32 yards on 13 rushing attempts and caught two passes for 15 yards.

Receivers

A-minus

Vernon Davis had 93 yards receiving and three touchdowns, and Michael Crabtree had five catches for 56 yards in his NFL debut. Josh Morgan added 62 yards on four grabs.

Offensive line

D

The struggles for the line continued. Chilo Rachal did not play well in his limited action, and Barry Sims was inconsistent after taking over for injured Tony Pashos.

Defensive line

C-plus

The 49ers did a good job of slowing down the run game, allowing just 3.3 yards a carry. Justin Smith was all over the place with 10 tackles, including two for losses.

Linebackers

C-minus

The linebackers had a difficult time in coverage against tight end Owen Daniels, who had a game-high seven receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive back

C-minus

There were too many mixups in the secondary, though the corners did a nice job against Texans receiver Andre Johnson, considered the best receiver in the NFL.

Special teams

F

This game swung on Arnaz Battle’s muffed punt in the first half, which led directly to a Texans touchdown. Returns have been a problem all season for the 49ers.

Coaching/overall

D

The 49ers looked pathetic in the first half in falling behind 21-0. They rallied in the second half but it wasn’t good enough to pull out a winnable game.