SAN FRANCISCO - Embattled Texans quarterback Matt Schaub might be better off hitting the road and getting out of Houston for the weekend. Many of his so-called supporters are practically calling for his head. Or, at least, for backup T.J. Yates. A big sign above one freeway blares "Cut Schaub!" Watch the game live on TSN. Coverage begins at 7pm et/4pm pt with Football Night in America. "Any loss is painful and you dont enjoy it," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "We have a very good football team. Theres no issue with focus or intensity at all." Schaub has thrown pick-6s in three straight games. "I dont have time to really even process any of that because its on to the next one in our world," Schaub said. "You dont have time to look in the rearview mirror and think about your past, good or bad." Now, things get even tougher as they visit Candlestick Park to take on the San Francisco 49ers (2-2). "We expect him to go out there and prepare for us all week as if his life relies on it," 49ers safety Donte Whitner said. "Right now, if he goes out there and makes more mistakes, it probably will." San Francisco understands all the scrutiny and sense of panic from fans. It was crisis mode for the 49ers until they snapped a two-game losing streak with a 35-11 road rout of the Rams. That after being held to 10 total points in the first consecutive losses of coach Jim Harbaughs tenure. "The fact of the matter in the National Football League is you lose a couple of games in a row, youre in a rut, youre in big trouble," Whitner said. "They can say that about us a couple weeks ago when we lost a couple in a row, and it was true. Same thing goes for the Texans." Here are five things to watch for in Sundays prime-time matchup: NO IDENTITY CRISIS HERE: Just when everybody began questioning the NFC champion Niners defence — a unit missing linebacker Aldon Smith as he undergoes treatment for substance abuse, and injured All-Pro Patrick Willis — the group came back with a big performance. With NaVorro Bowman leading the way in Willis absence, San Francisco returned to that swarming, run-stopping defence that has defined the team in recent seasons. Bowman had five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against St. Louis. "The last couple years thats what this team has been built on, stopping the run and running the football," defensive end Justin Smith said. "It just seems like that St. Louis game, thats our calling card, thats our identity." GORE ON A ROLL: Harbaugh is all about getting the ball to Frank Gore. No criticism of his touches now. Not after the 49ers franchise rushing leader gained 153 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown at St. Louis. Gore typically builds off a big game. "I think its a positive. I think Frank knows who he is as a player and what hes capable of," Harbaugh said. "We know hes capable of that. He knows hes capable of that. And our offensive line knows hes capable of that. No question that everybodys inspired by what he does. Nobody does it like Frank Gore." MENACING MR. WATT: J.J. Watt has drawn comparisons to San Francisco counterpart Justin Smith for the way they each wreak havoc on opposing offences. Harbaughs assessment: "He can ruin a game for his opponent." This week, Watt is nursing a broken nose that needed six stitches. "Theres going to be blood," Watt said. "Im not out here doing cheerleading." Watt certainly appreciates the compliments and comparisons with fellow All-Pro Smith. "I have a lot of respect for Justin Smith, I love the way he plays the game, love the way he goes about his business," Watt said. PRIME-TIME FOLKS: These teams draw their share of prime-time opportunities. Thats how it goes for the two-time defending AFC South champion Texans and the two-time reigning NFC West champion Niners. San Francisco has lost its last two Sunday night games, both at Seattle. The 49ers are playing their third prime-time contest in four games, while Houston makes its second such appearance of 2013. "Its a big game for us," Schaub said. "We need to get those weeks out of our system and we need to get a win — whether its home, away, at a neutral site, against whoever." DAVIS HANDS: Vernon Davis remembers plenty from the last time the 49ers played Houston nearly four years ago. The tight end, then in his fourth NFL season, had his first three-touchdown game in the 24-21 loss. Davis is San Franciscos second-leading receiver this season behind Anquan Boldin, with 11 catches for 136 yards and three touchdowns. ____ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org Fans burned Schaubs jersey after the Texans (2-2) failed on two overtime opportunities in a demoralizing 23-20 home defeat to unbeaten Seattle last week. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . France also turned in a strong performance in the other Group A match, scoring two second-half goals within four minutes to win 3-1 against Ghana. Spain opened the scoring when Deulofeu fires a shot across the goal mouth and Jese volleyed the ball into the net in the fifth minute. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Alvarez had blanked the Detroit Tigers for nine innings -- and briefly, mistakenly thought he had pitched a no-hitter. But the Marlins needed a run for him to achieve the feat. "I was nervous and anxious," he said through a translator. http://www.cheapjerseyschinanfl.us.com/ . This week they discuss Kyle Lowrys All-Star blessing, Coach Q, unheralded undraftees and leaving the NFL playoffs alone. Cheap Jerseys China . The cornerback returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:47 left on Sunday, rallying the Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-30 victory over Green Bay in a game of wild momentum swings set up by nonstop turnovers. (Sports Network) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to punch a ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 17 years when they host the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals tonight at Rogers Arena. With a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series the Canucks need one more victory to qualify for the Cup Finals for the first time since 1994, when they lost in seven games to the New York Rangers. However, the top-seeded Canucks have struggled this postseason when they have a chance to end a series, posting a 2-4 record in elimination games. Vancouver held a three-games-to-none lead over Chicago in the opening round, but lost three in a row before winning the series in Game 7. The Canucks then held a 3-1 lead over Nashville in Round 2 and ended that series in six games. Were excited obviously. But the series is far from over, said Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo. We know that as weve seen in the first two series, the last one is always the toughest one to win. Vancouver won the first two tests of this series on home ice and split Games 3 and 4 in San Jose. The Canucks are 6-3 as the host in the playoffs after going 27-9-5 at Rogers Arena during the regular season. San Jose, which will host Game 6 on Thursday if they can stave off elimination tonight, is 4-4 as the guest in these playoffs and had a 23-14-4 road record this season. The second-seeded Sharks won their only game in this series in Fridays Game 3 at HP Pavilion, but Vancouver rebounded with Sundays 4-2 triumph in San Jose. The Canucks scored three times on 5-on-3 advantages in a span of under two minutes in the second period to take control of Game 4 and set up tonights elimination game. In two and a half minutes, we kept marching to the box, they kept scoring, said San Jose head coach Todd McLellan. Sami Salo tallied two power-play goals and assisted on another for the Canucks, who were 3-for-5 on the man advantage. San Jose failed to convert on all five of its power-play opportunities.dddddddddddd Well, obviously in any hockey game you prepare your power play and your penalty killing, said Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault. We killed the penalties that we had to kill at the beginning. I thought that gave us a little bit of momentum and confidence. Henrik Sedin posted four assists, his brother Daniel added three helpers while Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows each had a goal to help Vancouver bounce back from a 4-3 loss on Friday. Luongo stopped 33-of-35 shots in the Game 4 triumph. Andrew Desjardins and Ryane Clowe each scored a goal while Antti Niemi was tagged for all four goals on 13 shots for the Sharks, who fell to 3-11 all- time in conference final games. The Canucks won despite playing without defensemen Aaron Rome and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who missed Sundays test after both players were injured in Game 3 on hits by San Jose forward Jamie McGinn. Rome suffered a head injury on a play that resulted in a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct for McGinn. Ehrhoff was knocked out earlier in Fridays contest on a clean check by McGinn. Both players are questionable for this evenings tilt. Sharks captain Joe Thornton suffered an upper body injury in Game 4 after a collision with Vancouvers Raffi Torres. Thornton missed an optional practice on Monday, but he will play tonight. Also, Sharks defenseman Jason Demers is questionable again after sitting out all four games of this series with an undisclosed injury. Veteran blueliner Kent Huskins has skated in Demers place and he may be needed again today. The Sharks are in the conference finals for a third time in club history after ousting Detroit in seven games in the last round. Vancouver beat Nashville in six games to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1994, when they beat Toronto for the Western Conference title before losing to the Rangers. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '