SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans will begin the final quarter of the season Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET as the Niners seek their first two-game winning streak since 2014.

Here are three things to watch from a Niners perspective in this one:

Containing Clowney

The Texans' defense has been severely hurt by injuries this season, losing difference-makers like end J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus to season-ending ailments. Instead of the dominant unit many expected, Houston's D has struggled, ranking 20th in yards allowed and 28th in yards per play and points allowed per game.

Through all of that, one defender has had his best season and continued to emerge as one of the most dominant players in the league: linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney has nine sacks on the season, a career high, including six in the last seven games. And those numbers still don't do justice to the impact Clowney is having. He's also been disruptive in the run game and generally has been able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

"He’s very unique," left tackle Joe Staley said. "Real slippery guy, taller guy, kind of built like Aldon (Smith) was when he was here. He’s really good at using his hands and getting skinny through blocks and he’s super powerful as well. There’s a reason why he was drafted No. 1 overall. It’s because he’s a super talented guy and he lines up all over the place, too. He won’t just line up over me or over Trent, he’ll line up inside, he’ll sometimes line up as a linebacker, off the ball. They do a lot of things with him."

It's a safe bet the 49ers will focus much of the attention in their offensive game plan on trying to ensure that Clowney doesn't wreck it. Staley has a long history of doing well against top edge rushers, but the Niners would be wise to give him help. And if Clowney moves around the formation, it's imperative the 49ers know where he is at all times and stay prepared to send multiple blockers in his direction. Otherwise, it could be a long day for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in his second start with the team.

Growing with Garoppolo

Speaking of Garoppolo, the Niners have an unmistakable bounce in their step this week after his strong performance in a win last week against Chicago. The hope for this matchup is that Garoppolo and the offense can take another step forward. What would that step entail? Well, some touchdowns for a start.

San Francisco was 0-for-5 on red-zone trips against the Bears, settling for a field goal each time. Much of the blame for that falls on penalties that made manageable situations more difficult. Cutting down on those infractions would give Garoppolo & Co. a much better chance to get past the goal line.

Elsewhere, look for the Niners to continue to take advantage of a couple of things Garoppolo did really well against Chicago: throwing to the middle of the field and using play action.

Garoppolo was 9-of-9 for 109 yards using play action and 18-of-22 for 233 yards on passes between the painted numbers against the Bears. Both were massive upticks from the other Niners' quarterbacks earlier in the season.

Against a Houston defense that is 22nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed (235.8), 29th in passing yards allowed per attempt (7.37) and 25th in opponent passer rating (96.9), Garoppolo should have opportunities to improve upon his first start.

Handling Hopkins

Much like Clowney serves as the focal point of Houston's defense, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins does the same for the offense. Hopkins needs just one touchdown to reach his second season with 1,000 receiving yards and 10 scores. He's already the only Texans player to do that in a season.

Of course, Hopkins' job has been made more difficult by the injury to quarterback Deshaun Watson. Tom Savage has struggled in Watson's stead, and he and Hopkins have struggled to get on the same page. Hopkins and Watson connected on 62 percent of Hopkins' targets; that number has dropped to 50 percent with Savage under center.

Still, Hopkins enters this game second in the NFL in receiving yards (1,084), tied for fourth in receptions (77) and tied for first in touchdown catches (nine). The Niners, meanwhile, have had their share of struggles defending the pass this season. They're yielding 7.49 yards per pass attempt, which is 26th in the NFL.

"I like going against the best receivers so this is my first opportunity to really go up against one who is known and has been proven in this league," rookie cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon said. "That’s really what I’m excited for. It’s on me to adapt."

Houston has also been dealing with injuries at receiver, meaning the Niners should be able to focus much of their defensive attention on Hopkins. If they can prevent him from taking over and hitting on some big plays, it should put them in position for a win.