HOUSTON -- Minutes after Sunday's dispiriting loss to the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan minced no words about what he'd just witnessed.
On a day when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud picked apart the 49ers' defense and the Houston offense was nearly shut down in the first half, Shanahan summed it up in simple terms: "They kicked our ass."
"There's not much to sugarcoat there," Shanahan said. "I was real disappointed in how we looked for all four quarters. First half was unacceptable and second half didn't get much better."
Despite the 26-15 loss to the Texans, the 49ers are 5-3 at the almost-halfway point, still firmly in the mix in the NFC West with a 3-0 record against divisional opponents.
On the surface, amid injuries plaguing the defense, it seems the Niners could benefit from additions before the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline. They managed to win five of their first eight games and the schedule appears to offer plenty of opportunities to continue adding to that total.
But where past Niners teams with similar resumes -- they were 5-3 in 2023 when they went to Super Bowl LVIII and made a pair of trades for pass rushers -- might have stomped on the gas looking for reinforcements, this group will have to take a long look in the mirror in the next seven days.
Among the questions they must answer: Will a couple of helpful additions make them Super Bowl contenders without mortgaging the future?
"It has to do with what's available out there," Shanahan said. "And does it help us this year? Does it help us next year? So usually as things get closer, you get a little more idea on who's real and who's not, and we'll evaluate that for the short term and long term."
The 49ers should get quarterback Brock Purdy (right big toe), defensive end Bryce Huff (hamstring), center Jake Brendel (hamstring), guard Ben Bartch (ankle) and receivers Ricky Pearsall (right knee) and Brandon Aiyuk (right knee) back at some point in the near future. But linebacker Fred Warner (dislocated and fractured right ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (torn right ACL) will not return.
As many Niners have pointed out, there is no replacing Warner and Bosa. Trades that might offer a reasonable approximation of those stars would still not be enough to cover up the other issues that plague San Francisco.
Those problems -- a lack of pass rush, inconsistent tackling, missed assignments in the secondary and shoddy pass protection -- were laid bare against the Texans.
In the opening 30 minutes alone, the Texans outgained the Niners 299-65, had 14 first downs to San Francisco's two and had a time of possession advantage of 24 minutes and 31 seconds. The 49ers ran 14 plays in the first half, tied for the fewest any team has run in any half this season and tied for the fewest by a Niners team this century (second half against Arizona in 2008). When it was over, Stroud was 11-of-11 for 104 yards and a touchdown on third down and rushed for two first downs.
Stroud finished with 318 yards on 30-of-39 passing for two touchdowns and an interception as the Texans amassed a season-high 475 yards of offense. All of that followed a week in which San Francisco's depleted defense held the Atlanta Falcons to 292 yards of offense and 10 points.
"Nobody cares if you do it once," linebacker Luke Gifford said. "It's all about consistency and that's where we're trying to get."
Finding consistency without Warner and Bosa figured to be a tall order for a defense that entered the season with eight new starters from the 2024 season opener and now only has cornerback Deommodore Lenoir still in place from then to now.
The Niners' offseason youth movement has yielded some positive results in the first eight games but there are plenty of questions remaining. That only increased Sunday when two more starting defensive linemen (Jordan Elliott and Sam Okuayinonu) departed with ankle injuries and linebacker Dee Winters left with a knee injury. None returned to the game.
Bolstering the pass rush would be the most obvious need as the trade deadline nears.
Against the Texans, the 49ers pressured Stroud on just 10 of his 42 drop backs and most of those pressures came via the blitz. San Francisco is last in the NFL in pressure rate through Week 8 at 21.3%.
Any trade for veterans could come not only at the expense of draft pick compensation but also in valuable snaps for some of the young players the Niners are attempting to develop.
That is why eight- or nine-game rentals like Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson or Miami's Jaelan Phillips seem less likely than players under contract beyond 2025 such as the Jets' Jermaine Johnson, Dolphins' Bradley Chubb or the Titans' Arden Key.
"We want someone to help us out this year, but I'd love it not to be at the expense of our team next year also," Shanahan said. "I know we all feel that way and hopefully we can find a situation that does both and if not, you don't do something like that just to do it. I'm really excited about the guys we have in our building right now also."
One of those current players the Niners want to see more of is middle linebacker Tatum Bethune, Warner's replacement who is likely to continue in that role the rest of the season so long as he is able to stay healthy. The same is true at other positions that look like needs such as safety with the likes of Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle.
And while the offensive line could also use some upgrades, the league-wide need for help up front makes it difficult to find help at a reasonable cost. Which means that help will likely have to wait until the offseason.
The other side of the coin is the potential of trading some of their own players for additional draft capital.
If the 49ers get Pearsall, Aiyuk and/or Jacob Cowing back soon, they'd have receivers from which they could deal. A veteran safety such as Jason Pinnock or Ji'Ayir Brown could also go to a team in need of help.
Midseason trades have provided a needed shot in the arm in the past, whether it was big swings like running back Christian McCaffrey or receiver Emmanuel Sanders or moves around the margins for defensive lineman Charles Omenihu. All fit the needs of those specific teams and McCaffrey and Omenihu produced for multiple seasons.
Regardless of what direction the Niners choose to go, the reality remains that without improvement from within, nothing added from outside will be enough to thrust them into championship contention.
"We're going to need everybody on this team to get where we're trying to go," Lenoir said. "But if [a trade] is what we do, I'm all open arms to it. Anything to make the team better."