Tom Savage leads Texans past 49ers in preseason opener

By any measure, the Brock Osweiler era got off to an inauspicious start in the preseason opener Sunday night. But the Texans, saved from what might have become a lopsided defeat by forcing a pair of timely turnovers in the first half, rallied behind Tom Savage for a 24-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.

Osweiler, signed away from the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos during the offseason with a four-year contract that included $37 million in guaranteed money, played three series without generating any points or even first downs. He completed four of his seven passes for 27 yards before yielding to Savage in the second quarter.

The Texans scored 17 unanswered points behind the third-year pro, who threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to free-agent rookie tight end Stephen Anderson late in the third quarter for the go-ahead points and added a nine-yard touchdown pass to Akeem Hunt with 9:22 left.

The 49ers piled up 302 total yards to the Texans' 89 in the first half but still only led 13-7, leaving them vulnerable to the Savage-led second-half comeback. Savage finished 14-for-24 for 168 yards and a rating of 107.6. Osweiler's rating was 65.8.

In a brief interview before he headed into the locker room at halftime, Texans coach Bill O'Brien defended Osweiler's tepid performance by saying, "(We were) keeping it pretty close to the vest . . . running some base plays." O'Brien called it a "typical first preseason game. (We've) got a lot of improvement to make. We've got to do a better job in the second half. We created some turnovers (on defense), but we've got a long way to go."

The Texans return home to play the New Orleans Saints at 7 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium.

Their only touchdown while Osweiler was in the game came on linebacker John Simon's 41-yard fumble return. Second-year defensive end Christian Covington, vying for the starting job opposite J. J. Watt that opened up when Jared Crick left in free agency, separated Carlos Hyde from the football and Simon alertly picked it up, then went the distance untouched to give the Texans a 7-0 lead with 11:33 left in the first quarter.

Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage looks to throw during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) less Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage looks to throw during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben ... more Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Image 1 of / 170 Caption Close Tom Savage leads Texans past 49ers in preseason opener 1 / 170 Back to Gallery

But the Texans then let Blaine Gabbert, who started for the injured Colin Kaepernick (shoulder), convert three third downs on an answering 88-yard scoring drive, which ended with a 43-yard catch-and-run by tight end Vance McDonald.

McDonald blew past safety Quintin Demps before dancing into the end zone untouched. That possession was worrisome both because the Texans had led the NFL in third-down stops last season and the journeyman Demps, picked up during training camp a year ago as a free agent, goes into the season as seemingly one of the weak links in the defense.

Osweiler's three series gained 17, 5 and 37 yards respectively, ending with two punts and a fourth-down stop. He admitted later that the dumbed-down play-calling O' Brien alluded to didn't excuse his uninspired performance.

Savage, ostensibly battling Brandon Weeden for the backup job behind Osweiler, came on and wasn't appreciably more effective early on, although his first two series came when the Texans were buried deep in their own territory. But he finally got them on the scoreboard offensively in the third quarter, directing a nine-play, 41-yard drive that rookie placekicker Ka'imi Fairbairn capped with a 45-yard field goal, cutting San Francisco's lead to 13-10.

Rookie defensive lineman D. J. Reader had forced a second 49ers' fumble at the Texans 2, stripping DuJuan Harris with safety Kurtis Drummond recovering to likely save the Texans from a 10-point deficit. San Francisco's 41-year-old placekicker Phil Dawson, heading into his 18th season, kicked 25- and 50-yard field goals for the 49ers' 13-7 halftime lead.

Dawson's 50-yarder followed soon after the Texans' 40-year-old Shane Lechler, aided by a fortunate bounce, had boomed a 75-yard punt. Dawson, a rookie out of Texas in 1998, and Lechler, a rookie out of Texas A&M in 2000, were long-ago teammates in the Bay Area with the Oakland Raiders.

The Niners' Thad Lewis, who spent part of the 2014 season on the Texans' roster but never played in a game, completed 12 of 21 passes for 97 yards before going to the locker room with a lower-leg injury. Rookie Jeff Driskel was ineffective finishing up. Weeden replaced Savage late.

dale.robertson@chron.com

Twitter: @sportywineguy