Browns Top Niners and More
How the D did what they did; Final Drive Decisions; Latest on Watson; Pregame Scrap and a look at the lines for Indianapolis
How the Browns Defense Smothered the 49ers
The Ringer’s Ben Solak looks at the turnaround in Cleveland, where the Browns were near dead last in run defense last season but have skyrocketed to fifth under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. This past Sunday, a combination of a smothering pass rush, clever alignments, and some new contributors on the Browns defense handed Kyle Shanahan and his 49ers their first loss of the season. Watch Here
Baldy on Brock Purdy vs. Browns, 49ers’ injuries, Shanahan’s decisions on final drive
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had the worst game of his NFL career on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. He completed 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 55.3—a career-low as a starter.
While Purdy certainly could have played better, much of the poor performance can be attributed to facing the NFL's top-ranked defense. Full Story
Browns Report: Latest on Watson, Browns Practice From Berea
There is no topic in Cleveland sports right now that is consuming more attention than Deshaun Watson's injured right shoulder. Admittedly, it's simultaneously seems complicated and simple.
Watson elected not to speak with reporters last week, which certainly stoked the flames on the injury speculation. How bad was it? How could he be medically cleared to play, but deemed functionally not able to compete? It makes sense logically, it's just frustrating. Full Story
Pregame fight was an omen
Random thoughts about a victory that was anything but random, a come-from-behind 19-17 decision over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium:
*Like me, you probably rolled your eyes in disgust at the pre-game scuffle between the two teams. Men will be boys, yet again. But what no one realized — at least no one other than the Browns players and coaches, even though the latter may not want to admit it — was that the incident was a sign of things to come. The Browns came ready to fight, defend their home turf and not concede anything to the heavily-favored 49ers, and they took that fight — that attitude — into the game. Head coach Kevin Stefanski talked afterward about how hard his team fought. The Browns refused to give up. Full Story
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts: Predictions, picks and odds for NFL Week 7 game
The Cleveland Browns (3-2) are coming off one of the biggest upsets of the season so far and travel to face the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns beat the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers 19-17 without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and star running back Nick Chubb. PJ Walker went 18-of-34 for 192 yards and threw two interceptions, but Cleveland's defense held the high-powered 49ers offense to 215 yards. Kicker Dustin Hopkins hit four of his five attempts to capture the win. Full Story