SAN FRANCISCO — Tramaine Brock is kicking himself for not having a third interception. He came oh so close.
“I wanted it,” he said.
The San Francisco 49ers turned a prime-time showdown into an all-out pick party at The Stick.
Brock perfectly read Matt Schaub’s first pass of the night, jumped in front for an interception and ran 18 yards for a touchdown just 90 seconds into the game, setting the tone for a stellar defensive performance in a 34-3 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday night.
Things only got better for Brock and San Francisco, and worse for Houston’s beleaguered quarterback. Schaub threw three interceptions in all before being replaced in the fourth — but coach Gary Kubiak said afterward Schaub would remain his starter, for now.
“It’s a broken record right now. It looked the same,” Kubiak said. “Hopefully, that’s rock bottom tonight.”
Colin Kaepernick tossed a 64-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis and Frank Gore ran for 81 yards and a score in his second straight impressive prime-time game. The 49ers (3-2) are right back in the NFC West race with Seattle after the Seahawks (4-1) lost at Indianapolis. Each team has beaten the Texans (2-3) and lost to the Colts, and Seattle still must visit San Francisco on Dec. 8.
Anthony Dixon added a 2-yard touchdown run for the NFC champions, while Brock had a second interception and nearly a third.
Kaepernick went 6 for 15 with 113 yards as the 49ers won their second straight in emphatic fashion following the first two-game losing streak under third-year coach Jim Harbaugh. Kaepernick completed four of his first six passes, then threw seven straight incompletions before connecting with Bruce Miller early in the fourth quarter and then Davis’ TD.
Raiders 27, Chargers 17
OAKLAND, Calif. — Terrelle Pryor’s day began with talk that the Oakland Raiders were interested in acquiring another quarterback in Josh Freeman.
It ended with perhaps his best game yet as an NFL quarterback.
Pryor threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and then set up a late field goal by turning a potential sack into a third-and-long conversion that gave the Raiders a 27-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night.
The Raiders (2-3) were reportedly one of the teams interested in signing Freeman before the former Tampa Bay quarterback reached a deal with Minnesota instead late Sunday night.
Charles Woodson tied an NFL record with his 13th defensive touchdown and then sealed the win with a late interception as the two most popular Raiders turned this rare late-night start into a celebration.
Philip Rivers had his third 400-yard passing game of the season, throwing for 411 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had three interceptions as the Chargers (2-3) turned the ball over five times in the loss.