Cleveland from dominant to underdog in less than a week.
The San Francisco 49ers were reminded that there are no perfect teams or options in the NFL. Brock Purdy suffered his first loss as a starter and the Niners’ regular season win streak stopped at 15 when rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal with six seconds remaining, giving the Cleveland Browns a lead.
won unexpectedly 19-17. Sunday.
“I don’t think we deserved to win,” 49ers star defensive back Nick Bosa said. “We didn’t underestimate them, but they played better than us. We haven’t lost in a long time in the regular season, so it hurts a lot.”
Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals for the Browns (3-2) — the last with 1:40 left, capping a drive helped by a controversial unnecessary roughness call against San Francisco. Cleveland suffered the upset without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who missed his second consecutive game with a right shoulder injury.
The 49ers (5-1) looked nearly unbeatable after beating Dallas 42-10 at home last week and scoring at least 30 points in each of their first five games.
But Cleveland’s top-ranked defense was more than up to the task, and the 49ers were short-handed in the second half without playmakers Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, both of whom were out with injuries. P.J. Walker came off Cleveland’s practice squad and overtook Purdy, who threw his first interception this season, finished with just 125 yards passing and almost forced a fumble in the final moments before Moody’s failed kick.
The 23-year-old Purdy has been perfect in his pro career, winning his first 10 regular season starts and coming through 10 games with the highest passer rating (121.1) in league history for any quarterback. But the Browns kept him unbalanced and he completed just 12 of 27 passes (44%) – well below his league-leading average (72.1%).
“I didn’t play at the level I needed to,” Purdy said. “We feel like we didn’t live up to our own expectations. I just have to get better and make throws. Man, this is the NFL. When you get opportunities, you’ve got to take care of them. There are games we didn’t Make.”
Despite being without McCaffrey and Samuel, Purdy made some big throws on San Francisco’s final drive and laid the ball down the middle of the field for Moody, who pushed his attempt wide to the right side. “It’s on me,” said Moody, who missed a 54-yard field goal in the first half. “I have to make these kicks in these situations. This is what I signed up for in my position. The team worked really hard to give me the opportunity. “It was a perfect snap, perfect hold. I just didn’t hit it the way I wanted to.”
When the ball went into the net, the Cleveland sideline erupted in celebration and Browns fans danced in the aisle after seeing the home team finally get some breaks. “The truth is, we’re a good football team,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We’re not perfect, we know that. But we fought like crazy, and I’m proud of so many people.
The 49ers were heavy favorites early in the week, and their odds only increased when the Browns waived Watson on Friday. They turned to Walker, who was only signed in August, and the 28-year-old showed composure on Cleveland’s final drive — and ran away with a questionable throw into the end zone to set up Hopkins for the winner.
The Browns were also helped by a roughness call on 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr., who spent four seasons with Cleveland. On third-and-10, Walker’s throw to Elijah Moore was high but Gipson was called for a personal foul for leading with his helmet.
“I don’t believe his intention was to do that at all,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “It looked like the receiver was coming there too, jumping. It looked like they touched the helmet from where I was. “It didn’t seem that violent.” Purdy was out of sync for most of the afternoon, and things became even more difficult for the second-year QB when Samuel went out with a shoulder injury and McCaffrey could not advance due to an oblique issue.
On the road for the first time in four weeks, the 49ers started mixing it up with the Browns about 30 minutes before kicking off. Tempers flared with a brief skirmish on the 49ers sideline during warmups. There was a lot of trash talking and San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams pushed Moore off the sideline and took his helmet off.
Helped by two personal fouls against the Browns, the 49ers scored on their first possession, with Purdy throwing a short pass to McCaffrey, who made two quick cuts and passed to the outside and remained untouched.
scoring streak McCaffrey’s touchdown extended his scoring streak to 15 consecutive games, two short of the NFL record held by Hall of Famer Lenny Moore. McCaffrey joins John Riggins and O.J. are tied with. Simpson in second place. injuries
49ers: Samuel spent an extended period in the medical tent before heading to the locker room. He spent the second half in street clothes. … McCaffrey tried to come back twice before fouling out. coach Browns: LB Anthony Walker suffered an injury and missed the second half.