Three takeaways from the Browns 28-6 loss to the 49ers

The Cleveland Browns are disappointed in Shedeur Sanders’ first career home start. The offense could only score on one drive, the defense couldn’t survive forever, and the special teams was a disaster.

Very few positives came from a 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but here are three takeaways from the loss.

1. Shedeur Sanders starts off solid, but ends on a sour note

Sanders started the game looking good, utilizing six different pass catchers to help the offense look good. The Browns went into the edge of the red zone once, but turned it over on downs.

Then on a run-heavy drive, he took advantage of his only pass attempt with a 34-yard touchdown strike to Harold Fannin Jr. for a touchdown.

After that, things went flat for him. The offense stalled out, he missed on a few deep throws, he took a couple ugly sacks. He also had a scary moment after a bad slide injured his leg.

He finished the game just 16/25 for 149 and a touchdown. So far, Sanders has either looked just okay, or below average. He still has a long way to go and a lot more to prove if he wants to be Cleveland’s long term solution at quarterback.

2. The run defense was impressive yet again

Christian McCaffrey came into the game as one of the league’s most explosive and exciting backs. The Browns did a great job keeping him bottled up all day long, as he averaged just 2.7 yards per carry.

Outside of a touchdown, the 49ers offense tried to run through McCaffery, but nothing good happened with the ball in his hands. He had just 53 yards.

Obviously the standout rookie Carson Schwesinger played a major role in that, racking up 11 tackles on the day. Devin Bush added another seven, and the defensive line played at a high-level all game long.

Myles Garrett, who also picked up his 19th sack of the season, looked good in the run game. Mason Graham had one of his most impressive days as a Brown, a great sign towards his development. Shelby Harris and Maliek Collins, who both went down with injury, played a major factor, and Mike Hall Jr. and Isaiah McGuire looked good filling in.

It’ll be a major goal for the Browns to keep as much of this defense together in the offseason as possible. Guys like Bush and Collins will be free agents, and the Browns need to don whatever it takes to keep them around because of performances like this.

3. Special teams continue to disappoint

The game of football has three phases, and all three contribute to the game. The special teams units are often forgotten, until they cost you a game.

That was the case in this game, the special teams lost it with mistake after mistake.

To start, the 49ers first touchdown of the game came shortly after a 66-yard punt return from Skyy Moore put the offense on the 16-yard line.

The Browns fought hard, making it take six plays to score a touchdown, but the defense couldn’t stop them forever.

The next major mistake came late in the third quarter, when Malachi Corley toe-tapped a kickoff, going out of bounds at the 5-yard line. If he would have let the ball go out-of-bounds, it would have brought Cleveland near midfield.

Instead, the Browns were pinned and had to narrowly avoid a safety, before punting.

The final drastic mistake came from Gage Larvadain, who muffed a punt inside the red zone. That allowed the 49ers to score another touchdown, and seal the game away from the Browns.

This is the second time in just a few weeks the Browns special team was a disaster. Bubba Ventrone should be on the hot seat right now, with limited time left to fix things.