The San Francisco 49ers took care of business in the cold on Sunday, beating the Cleveland Browns 26-8 to improve to 9-4 on the season.
That, paired with the Los Angeles Rams loss to the Carolina Panthers, put the 49ers just a half-game back in the NFC West with five weeks left to go.
The 49ers defense came to play, making a number of key stops, while the offense did just enough behind Christian McCaffrey for the much-needed win.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers 26-8 win over the Browns on Sunday.
Defense makes stop after stop
Coming into the game, I said the 49ers defense needed to limit the run on Sunday.
They gave up 138 yards on 4.5 yards per carry, with Quinshon Judkins having 91 yards on 23 carries (4.0 yards per carry). That, it turned out, was good enough to secure the win.
While the Browns had some success in moving the ball to San Francisco territory, the 49ers made timely plays to keep scores off the board.
It started in the first quarter, as the Browns had a 10-play, 49-yard drive that took them into the red zone. But, San Francisco got a big 4th & 1 stop, with Jordan Elliott coming in to make the play.
On the next drive, the Browns had great field position and were in prime position to score with a 1st & 10 at the 49ers 31-yard line a couple of plays into the drive. But, a penalty and a Clelin Ferrell sack sent them to a 4th & 28 and forced a big punt.
Later, on a 4th & 1, the 49ers forced a big fumble on a Harold Fannin direct snap, which converted into a score offensively.
Then, to end the game, it was back-to-back turnover on downs, leading to just eight points for the Browns offense. It was a day when the defense needed to be physical and show up in a big way. They did exactly that on Sunday.
Taking care of the ball
In a game with weather conditions and wind, the No. 1 thing that’s a must is taking care of the football.
It wasn’t a pretty day on the stat sheet for the 49ers. Brock Purdy completed only 53.3 percent of his passes and had only 5.8 yards per attempt on the day. But, he only took one sack and took care of the football, keeping the ball out of harm’s way.
The 49ers didn’t run the ball particularly well, going for 91 yards on 33 attempts (2.8 yards per attempt). They continued to feed Christian McCaffrey, who had only 57 yards on 20 carries. But, once again, they didn’t put a ball on the ground, which was important.
Cleveland, on the other hand, had two costly fumbles in the second half. In a 10-8 game, the Browns had the Fannin fumble on 4th & 1 at their own 33-yard line. The 49ers capitalized with a touchdown, as Brock Purdy ran his first one in on the year.
Then, having a three-and-out on their next drive, the 49ers punted it away up 17-8, but recovered a Gage Larvadain muff at the Browns 18-yard line. They scored a touchdown six plays later and went up 23-8 as a result.
San Francisco also got a field goal in the fourth quarter after the Browns turned it over on downs, ultimately winning 26-8.
So, they scored 17 points off turnovers, all in the second half, which was crucial in the win.
Division picture
A couple of weeks ago, it felt a little far-fetched that the 49ers would win the division this year, standing at 6-4 with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams both ahead of them at 7-2.
Now, with five weeks left, the 49ers are slated to be a half-game back behind both teams with their 9-4 record and a bye week ahead. San Francisco currently has the tiebreaker over Seattle (both teams play again in Week 18), and their 4-1 conference record is currently the best in the conference.
Los Angeles, sitting at 9-3, is atop the NFC West still, holding the tiebreaker over the Seahawks now. They still have Arizona (2x), Detroit, Seattle, and Atlanta on the schedule.
Seattle, also at 9-3, still faces Atlanta, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Carolina, and San Francisco.
How those conference games play out will be a significant factor in the race, but the 49ers get the chance to reset and are firmly in the division race heading into the last stretch of the season. They still have Tennessee, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Seattle left after the bye.
About the Author: Insidethe49
