What We Learned from 49ers vs. Browns

But that woeful defense – the Browns had allowed 398 yards per game entering Sunday – held the 49ers to 221 yards in the contest, and 98 after three quarters, when he game was still in flux.

“He’s been solid in the building over the last couple of weeks”, Cleveland coach Mike Pettine said earlier this week, when announcing that Manziel would draw the start in Week 14, “and we are hopeful he takes this opportunity to continue to build on the progress he’s made on the field throughout the season”. We all took a step backward today.

Fortunately for the Browns, the 49ers couldn’t capitalize despite taking over at the Cleveland 44-yard line. There should be no reason whatsoever for the Browns to bail on him as their starter for the remainder of the season, and that would have been the case even if Josh McCown was healthy. Every week, we’re mentally prepared, Kilgore said.

“I shook it off once we got in here, ” he said.

“The quarterback really didn’t want to take too many chances out there”, Cleveland safety Donte Whitner said of Gabbert.

The offense looked good with Johnny Manziel at the helm, amassing 481 yards of total offense.

The home crowd chanted Johnny, Johnny after the Browns final touchdown drive with 8:48 remaining. And he did this with speedster Travis Benjamin as his only healthy receiver in the game.

Then on third-and-26 at the 4, 49ers linebacker Corey Lemonier was on the verge of sacking Manziel in the back of the end zone for a safety, but Lemonier grabbed Manziel’s face mask and was penalized for it. Manziel was fun to watch, not just because of his occasional scramble, but because of his arm to rifle passes to receivers down field.

“I don’t know, but I know what it means to me”, Dawson said.

If he’s out for an extended period of time, it won’t hurt the overall complexion of San Francisco’s season, but getting quarterback Blaine Gabbert enough time to throw the football is beneficial to the 49ers ending this season on a high note.

“Today, it starts up front”. One has to be happy for the select players on this team who have given their best week-in-and-week-out to get a win.

– Nickel back Jimmie Ward suffered an elbow injury in the fourth quarter.

In between Crowell touchdowns, Manziel threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gary Barnidge.

He posted a 92.1 passer rating against the 49ers-a team that owns the 27th ranked pass defense in the NFL. “When there are that many negative plays, it’s tough, and you’re digging yourselves a deep hole”. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown pass of six yards to Jerome Simpson.

After throwing an interception late in the second quarter, Manziel sat on the bench on the sideline and repeatedly smacked himself in the head with a Surface tablet. He just needs to win one of Cleveland’s final three games or look good down that stretch. Moore spent the first part of the 2013 season with the 49ers.

“His back is locked up”, Tomsula said.

The Browns completely dismantled a San Francisco 49ers team that, by the end of the season, should challenge the Browns for the title of the league’s worst, by an oh-so-easy score of 24-10.