Myles GarrettFrank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Week 6 Result: Won vs. San Francisco 19-17
Yes, you read that right. The Cleveland Browns, led by a quarterback who wasn’t even on the team just a few months ago, beat a San Francisco 49ers team that has been atop these power rankings most of the season Sunday.
It was that kind of week.
The hero of Sunday’s upset was undoubtedly the Cleveland defense. Facing a 49ers team that had just shredded the Dallas Cowboys, the Browns allowed just 215 yards of offense, handing 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy the first regular-season loss of his career.
After the game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was understandably proud of his team while addressing the media.
‘”The truth is, we’re a good football team,” Stefanski said. “We’re not perfect. We know that. But we fought like crazy, and I’m just proud of so many guys.”
What this means much big picture remains to be seen. Running back Nick Chubb is still lost for the season with a knee injury. There’s no definitive timetable for quarterback Deshaun Watson’s return from a bruised shoulder.
But the Browns were able to rush for 160 yards and 4.7 yards per carry against the Niners, and Cleveland’s defense tends to keep the team in games.
At the very least, the Browns are a tough out. And in an AFC North where no one is pulling away, they remain quite relevant in the division race.
“To the surprise of nearly everyone outside of the Cleveland locker room, the Browns dethroned the previously undefeated 49ers and claimed a victory Sunday despite not having Watson or All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio in the lineup,” Sobleski said. “How did they do so? The league’s top-ranked defense. The Browns really hadn’t played a top-notch offense this season, and their meeting with San Francisco proved to be their first real test. Myles Garrett and Co. weren’t fazed. The group shuttered Kyle Shanahan’s vaunted scheme for most of the contest. They played with energy, flew to the football and made an elite offense look marginal. As the Orange and Brown Report’s Cody Suek noted, the Browns allowing a 31.2 success rate is the lowest of any defense through the first six weeks since at least the 2012 season. Now, the unit just needs a little help from the offense.”
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