Brock Purdy Bounces Back, 49ers Dominate Browns in All-Three-Phases Win
After a rough Monday night showing that saw Brock Purdy toss three interceptions, the 49ers quarterback looked his teammates in the eye and promised to play better. On Sunday, he backed that up - not with gaudy numbers, but with poise, control, and the kind of situational execution that wins football games.
Purdy’s final stat line - 16-of-29 for 168 yards and a touchdown - won’t light up fantasy scoreboards. But if you watched the game, you saw a quarterback in complete command.
He protected the football, didn’t take a sack until late in the game, and most importantly, came through in the clutch. On third down, he was surgical: 10-of-15 in the money down department, keeping drives alive and the Browns defense guessing.
This was a full-team win, and the 49ers got a huge boost from both special teams and a defense that made life miserable for Cleveland’s offense all afternoon. San Francisco started five drives in Browns territory - and cashed in on four of them (three touchdowns and a field goal). That kind of field position is a gift, and the Niners didn’t waste it.
Defense Sets the Tone, Special Teams Adds the Spark
The Browns’ defense held up well on longer drives, but the offense - led by Shedeur Sanders in just his second career start - couldn’t get much going. After forcing a punt on Cleveland’s opening possession, Skyy Moore delivered a highlight-reel return down to the Browns’ 16-yard line. A few plays later, Christian McCaffrey punched it in for the touchdown.
But that score was set up by a savvy play from Purdy. On third down, facing a six-man blitz, he read the pressure and hit McCaffrey on a hot route over the middle - a veteran-level decision that kept the drive alive and put the Niners in scoring range.
Later in the red zone, Kyle Shanahan dialed up what looked like a zone-read look. Purdy handed it off after seeing Myles Garrett crash hard off the edge - a decision that would set the table for a key moment later in the game.
Cleveland’s second drive showed some promise, but a fourth-and-one attempt was stonewalled by Jordan Elliott and Malik Mustapha. On the next possession, Robert Beal got a hand on Sanders’ arm mid-throw, and the ball fluttered dangerously before somehow landing in the hands of a Browns receiver for an 18-yard gain.
Still, the 49ers defense buckled down. They pushed Cleveland back to a third-and-15, and Clelin Ferrell sealed the stand with a sack that knocked the Browns out of field goal range.
One Bust, One Score - and a Halftime Lead
The one blemish for the 49ers defense came late in the second quarter. Cleveland pounded the rock for eight straight plays, then caught San Francisco in a coverage bust.
With a condensed trips formation, the Browns ran a sail concept that confused the Niners’ quarters coverage. Linebacker Curtis Robinson dropped off his assignment - the tight end running the out-and-up - and that left Luke Gifford in a bind.
Sanders saw the mistake and delivered a touchdown strike down the left sideline.
But Purdy and the offense responded with a sharp two-minute drill. With 39 seconds and two timeouts, Purdy hit Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings for chunk gains, then dropped a dime to George Kittle on a corner route to get into field goal range.
Kittle signaled for a timeout after the catch, but the officials didn’t reset the clock, costing the Niners a few precious seconds. Still, Matt Gay doinked the kick off the upright and in to give San Francisco a 10-8 lead at the half.
Second Half: Defense Clamps Down, Purdy Punches In
The Browns managed just 75 total yards in the second half, compared to 119 for the 49ers - and most of those came on short fields. Special teams struck again when Gage Larvadain muffed a punt, recovering it himself but losing any chance at a return. Then, four plays later, Harold Fanin fumbled a direct snap, and Luke Gifford fell on it to set the Niners up with another short field.
That’s when Shanahan went back to the zone-read look. Remember earlier when Garrett crashed the quarterback?
This time, both edge defenders slanted inside, and Purdy kept it. With the edge wide open, he sprinted around untouched for a 2-yard touchdown - a perfect call at the perfect time.
Cleveland’s defense had actually played the look correctly in theory, using a scrape exchange to account for the quarterback. But the defender responsible for Purdy bit on the dive, and the result was an easy walk-in score for the 49ers’ QB.
The special teams unit wasn’t done. Larvadain muffed another punt - this time it bounced away and was recovered by Darrell Luter Jr. at the Browns’ 18-yard line.
On third-and-7, Purdy fired a strike to Jennings in the back of the end zone to extend the lead to 23-8. The two-point try failed, but the damage was done.
The defense added two more sacks on the next Browns drive, including a fourth-and-16 takedown that gave the Niners the ball back in plus territory once again. The offense moved into the red zone but settled for a field goal to make it 26-8 - and that was all she wrote.
Playoff Picture Tightens as 49ers Hit the Bye
With the win, the 49ers head into their bye week at 9-4, sitting third in the division and holding onto the seventh and final playoff seed in the NFC. It’s a crowded race - two other teams in the division also sit at nine wins - but San Francisco is firmly in the mix.
Up next: a home game against the Tennessee Titans with a chance to hit double-digit wins. And if they can keep stacking performances like this - complementary football, smart quarterback play, and opportunistic defense - the path to a potential first-round bye isn’t as far-fetched as it once seemed.
Don’t be surprised if Week 18 brings another high-stakes showdown with the Seahawks - winner takes the bye, loser hits the road. We've seen that movie before.