After suffering three interceptions in the first half against the Panthers, Brock Purdy retreated to short checkdowns and was 9 of 9 for 79 yards in the second half. (San Francisco 49ers)
brought to you by Kaz Company - call 216-901-9300
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Browns v. San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, 1 p.m., in Huntington Bank Field
Record: 8-4.
Last game: Defeated Carolina Panthers, 20-9, November 24, in Santa Clara, CA.
Coach: Kyle Shanahan, 86-70, ninth year.
Series record: Browns lead, 13-8.
Last meeting: Browns won, 19-17, October 15, 2023, in Cleveland.
League rankings: Offense is 10th overall (26th rushing, third passing), defense is 22nd overall (10th rushing, 26th passing), and turnover differential is minus-6.
Things to watch
1. The year started out great for quarterback Brock Purdy, who was given a $265 million, five-year contract in May with $181 million in guarantees. Almost on cue, Purdy’s football season has gone downhill ever since. A turf toe injury caused him to miss eight games, during which QB2 Mac Jones went 5-3 with a passer rating of 97.4. In his second game back on Monday night, Purdy was intercepted three times in the first half against the Panthers and then limited himself to checkdowns in the second half. Purdy’s 5.3 interception rate is third-worst in the NFL and more than twice as bad as his previous high and his 88.6 passer rating is 14.5 points lower than his career average.
2. Amid problems at receiver and, most recently, quarterback, the 49ers’ offense has focused on running back Christian McCaffrey throughout the season. McCaffrey leads the NFL with 1,581 yards from scrimmage (796 rushing, 785 receiving) and has 12 total touchdowns.
3. With edge rusher Nick Bosa out since September with a torn ACL, creating pass pressure has been a problem for the defense. The 49ers are last in the NFL with 13 sacks. (For comparison, Myles Garrett has 18 by himself!) and last with 57 quarterback pressures (hurries + knockdowns + sacks). In June, the 49ers traded with the Eagles for edge rusher Bryce Huff, and he has beend the lone threat on their defensive front with four sacks, six tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits. The 49ers also have been without star linebacker Fred Warner (dislocated and fractured ankle) since Week 6.
4. Matt Gay is the 49ers’ third kicker this season. Jake Moody was replaced by Eddy Pineiro after the first game. Pineiro was 22 of 22 on field goals in 10 games, but missed the Carolina game with a hamstring injury. Gay was 2 for 2 on field goals and 2 for 2 on PATs v. the Panthers.
Did you know … ?
1. Since 2008, Jim Schwartz has a personal record of 8-1 against Kyle Shanahan in games in which they faced each other as head coaches or coordinators. This record does not include one meeting when Schwartz was a defensive consultant with the Tennessee Titans.
2. Receiver Jauan Jennings was not suspended for slapping Carolina safety Tre’von Moehrig in the face mask after the game on Monday night. Instead, Moehrig received a one-game suspension by the NFL for punching Jennings in the groin area late in the game. Jennings did not retaliate during the game, but made his feelings known with his open-handed right cross to Moehrig’s face mask.
3. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk has yet to play this season after having surgery last October to repair an ACL and MCL in his right knee. He and the team are squabbling about a $26 million guarantee contained in his $120 million contract extension receintly voided by the club. The 49ers reportedly accepted a trade offer from the Browns for Aiyuk last summer before the contract extension was worked out. If the 49ers try to trade Aiyuk again, the Browns are considered a potential interested team.
4. The 49ers have won the turnover battle in only two games. They have it six times but managed to go 3-3 in those games.
Small world: Kyle Shanahan was Browns offensive coordinator in 2014 … special teams coordinator Brant Boyer was a linebacker for the Browns in 2001-04 and was a coaching intern in 2009 … run game coordinator/tight ends coach Brian Fleury coached Browns linebackers in 2014-15 … linebackers coach Johnny Holland was Browns inside linebackers coach in 2016 … defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was a Browns’ third-round draft pick in 2020 and played with them through 2023 … fullback Kyle Juszczyk was born in Median and attended Cloverleaf HS in Lodi .. offensive quality control coach Deuce Schwartz was a Browns defensive quality control coach in 2019.