49ers vs. Browns: Cleveland Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Cleveland Browns put together a complete team win, beating the San Francisco 49ers 24-10 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Week 14.
That convincing victory ended their seven-game losing streak and six-game streak without eclipsing 100 yards rushing.
And the final 14-point margin of victory is misleading. The Browns controlled the game from start to finish and could have scored a lot more if not for some poor execution.
San Francisco looked outmatched and only scored after a punt return set up a field goal before scoring a meaningless touchdown in the closing minutes. That and time of possession was heavily slanted in Cleveland’s favor. They controlled the ball for over 37 minutes to just over 22 minutes for the Niners.
Before their 96-yard touchdown drive, the 49ers had just 127 yards of total offense for the game.
Manziel finished with 270 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Running backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson combined for over 200 yards, and the former scored twice.
Gary Barnidge’s eighth touchdown of the year brings him one score closer to matching Ozzie Newsome’s franchise-record nine touchdowns by a tight end.
Position Grades for Browns
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Quarterback: B
Manziel had a lot of time to throw, and the help of a running game that totaled 41 carries for 230 yards. It’s important to keep that in perspective when evaluating his game.
He continued to do some of the good things we have seen: working his progressions, stepping into throws and making correct pre-snap reads.
But we also saw some of the same bad things. He made a horrible throw across his body to the middle of the field that was easily picked off, and he almost took a safety if not for a facemask penalty. It can be argued the only reason the defender kept him in the pocket was that facemask grab, though.
Overall it was another positive performance. That's a growing trend for him this season.
Running Backs: A
There isn’t much needed to be said here. Both Crowell and Johnson ran through open holes and a couple of tackles each. Crowell’s two 50-plus-yard runs were a product of good blocking but also great vision by the back.
Wide Receivers: A
Only three Browns receivers recorded a catch, and as a group they hauled in 15 of their 20 targets. Brian Hartline led the group with an impressive 107 yards, a lot of which came after the catch.
Marlon Moore gets kudos for an excellent catch-and-run play. Manziel threw a poor ball that he had to come back to get, landed and then broke three tackles to earn a first down.
Travis Benjamin had a drop but played well despite not being targeted deep. He had four grabs for 41 yards.
Tight Ends: A
Tight end blocking looked better this week. That, mixed with the Browns’ commitment to run the ball—and success doing it—helped them control the clock and the tempo of the game.
Barnidge was great all game, looking for the ball and getting open for Manziel while on the run.
Offensive Line: A+
The Browns offensive line hasn’t had a better two-way game than it did in this one. It gave Manziel plenty of time—more time than should be expected—and moved defenders to spring the team’s first 200-yard rushing performance of the season.
“It all starts up front” is a mantra you’ll hear when talking about the importance of offensive lines, and it couldn’t be more true.
Defensive Line: A
Browns defensive linemen registered just two of the team’s nine sacks, but they were collapsing the pocket and playing strong at the point of attack all game. They’re the unsung heroes in this one.
The 49ers rushed for just 71 yards, and 19 of those came on Blaine Gabbert scrambles.
Linebackers: A
Armonty Bryant, Chris Kirksey and Nate Orchard all had sacks. Oddly, Orchard even played some coverage on wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
Defensive Backs: A-
Charles Gaines gave up a couple of plays underneath, but as a group they looked much better against the 49ers this week. Torrey Smith wasn’t able to get open down the field, mostly because of the pressure on Gabbert.
They were also active on designed blitzes. Both Jordan Poyer and Donte Whitner registered sacks.
Coaching: B
Special teams coach Chris Tabor gets an F for not finding a solution to the team’s struggling field-goal unit. More on that below.
Pettine and the Browns had another clock-management gaffe before the first-half’s two-minute warning. It didn’t end up mattering because Manziel threw a pick, but they wasted some time again when they could have run a play.
The urgency is non-existent in basic clock-management situations, and it has been that way with three different quarterbacks.
Special Teams: D
Poor punt coverage allowed the 49ers to get three points on the board. They returned an Andy Lee punt to the Browns 32-yard line, went three-and-out and then former Browns kicker Phil Dawson drilled a 44-yard field goal.
Travis Coons also had another field goal blocked after the team’s first offensive drive stalled. Before making a 26-yarder later in the game, Coons had had three of his last four attempts blocked. Rookie lineman Cam Erving appeared to be blasted back off the snap and onto the ground.
Browns Have Huge Day on the Ground
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Crowell and Johnson rushed for 223 of the team’s 230 yards. Both looked explosive for the first time all season. But it was Crowell’s big runs, 145 yards and two touchdowns that stood out.
His total yards were the most by a Browns back since Peyton Hillis rushed for 184 yards against the New England Patriots in 2010, according to Browns communications manager Dan Murphy.
Crowell's 145 yards and Johnson's 78 yards were both career highs.
It was a refreshing performance for the NFL’s worst-ranked rushing offense. The 49ers haven’t been good against the run, though, and their 28th-ranked unit will be falling on that list after this week. But rushing for over 200 yards is still impressive.
We’ll see how they fare next week on the road against a much better Seattle Seahawks defense.
Browns Lose WR Brian Hartline and RB Glenn Winston to Injuries
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The Browns got a big performance out of Hartline before he left with an apparent shoulder injury late in the game. He didn’t return, and the team later announced on Twitter he will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken collarbone.
Running back Glenn Winston got his first carry for the Browns, a two-yard dive that resulted in a fumble. The team announced he suffered a concussion on that play, and he was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Hartline’s 107-yard performance was his sixth career game with over 100 yards receiving and first with the Browns, Murphy said.
Losing Hartline’s production will be tough for the Browns down the stretch, but they're not playing for the playoffs with their 3-10 record. Luckily, receivers Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins could be back next week after missing another game while recovering from concussions.
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Browns Reach NFL Milestone with Nine Sacks
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The Browns' franchise record for sacks in a game is 11 in a 1984 win over the Atlanta Falcons. They got close to that mark in this win over San Francisco.
In the 12 games leading up to Week 14, they had just 17 total sacks. Seven of those came in Week 2 while hosting rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. That means they had dropped the quarterback just 10 times in their other 11 games.
Against Gabbert, they had nine. That’s the most sacks in a single NFL game this season, and the most the Browns have had in a game since 1993, per Murphy.
Both of Cleveland’s big sack days have come in home games with Manziel starting and against bad teams. The Browns have played a tough schedule this season, and it won’t get any easier when they travel to Seattle next week and then finish with Kansas City and Pittsburgh.
All of those quarterbacks get rid of the ball quickly, are elusive and rarely take sacks. It's unlikely, but we'll see if the Browns' defensive struggles continue or if they have found some type of answer to getting to the quarterback.
Duke Johnson: Do I Have to Pick?
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Manziel has rightfully lost some trust from his teammates over the past two seasons, but it’s hard to ignore that he’s earning it back.
Johnson was asked what the favorite thing he saw out of Manziel was in the team’s Week 14 win. According to Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com, he quipped with, “Do I have to pick?”
The quarterback did a lot of things well this week, so it’s definitely hard to pick. He looks to be getting better with more experience.
Crowell also chimed in after the game when asked about his quarterback.
“What Manziel does to a defense definitely helps set up the running game,” the running back said, per Steve Doerschuk of CantonRep.com.
The more these guys trust in Manziel, the more you’ll see him laughing with his teammates and coaches and hearing these kinds of things after games.
Pettine: Johnny Was Dialed in
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After being benched for the last two weeks, Manziel could have gone in a couple of directions. He responded to the tough love and hard coaching from Pettine by staying engaged and preparing as if he was the starter, the coach said.
That preparation has been a common theme we have been hearing about Manziel this season. And it is showing on Sundays.
“He was dialed in to the plan he knew where to go with the ball, stayed in the pocket until it was dictated that he had to get out,” Pettine said in his postgame press conference. “I have to see the film, but I thought that was a solid effort by him. It’s a credit to his preparation.”
Look for Manziel to be tested more in the coming weeks against Seattle and Kansas City. But if he continues to prepare and executes his game plan, the results could continue getting better.
We’ll learn a lot about just how far along he has come in these next three games.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via press release e-mails from Browns communications manager Rob McBurnett.
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