WATCH: Punches thrown at 49ers-Texans joint practice

If their practice sessions are any indication, we can expect a festive environment when the San Francisco 49es take to NRG Stadium in Houston to play the Texans in a preseason game Saturday evening.

As the two teams partake in joint practices tempers have flared at nearly every turn. It’s what happens when you have two teams going at it in the Texas summer heat.

Here, we see star Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward get into it big time. The end result? Hopkins landing a punch or two in Ward’s direction.

Once Hopkins’ punch landed, almost the entire 49ers team came to Ward’s defense. That’s when a pile-up formed near the scene of the brawl.

Luckily, things cooled off in rather short form without any of the players involved suffering injuries.

Joint practices tend to be a good thing. They enable teams to take to the field against those wearing different uniforms after practicing against teammates for the duration of training camp.

But what we saw in Texas on Wednesday isn’t necessarily an exception to the rule. It’s happening a whole heck of a lot. And it should make for a fun environment between these two teams this coming weekend.