Week 13 struggles: Why couldn’t the Browns keep up with 49ers?

The Cleveland Browns knew that their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers would be a challenging one, given their 8-4 record going into this game. They would have to play a mistake-free game and find a way to put together multiple impressive drives on offense, including explosive plays. Unfortunately, whether due to mistakes or an inability to execute, the Cleveland offense was only able to put eight points on the board and ultimately lost the game 26-8.

Other than the 34-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr., the Browns were not a threat vertically throughout the game. The game plan was predictable, which gave the San Francisco defense a leg up.

Additionally, Cleveland’s special teams did not help set the offense up for success. The 49ers had a 66-yard punt return early in the game that helped to set up their first touchdown score of the day. Another major misstep occurred when Malachi Corley mishandled the kickoff, leaving the Browns backed up at their own 5-yard line and stuck with terrible field position. Lastly, Gage Larvadain made a huge mistake when he muffed a punt inside the red zone, once again giving San Francisco great field position that led to another touchdown.

This team will need to clean up these errors on special teams and offense if they want a shot at competing with any of the better teams in the league.

Let me know what you think in the comments – What offensive and special teams struggles did you see from the Browns in their loss to the 49ers?