The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Browns, one that left them with the worst record in the National Football League at 2-10 and had folks speculating about Jimmy Haslam “blowing things up” even though he said in August that he wouldn’t.
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There were no silver linings. Still, the 49ers went three-and-out and punted back to the Browns. “I feel like I’m just getting started”. “We played poorly. There’s not a man in this locker room that doesn’t own part of this, starting with me”.
Tomsula’s team came out flat on the road, again.
Overall it was another positive performance. “It just felt like we didn’t bother to show up and play”.
“We didn’t tackle well on defense – missed tackles, hitting with our shoulders, not wrapping up”, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula said.
NaVorro Bowman said, “It’s embarassing the way we lost”.
Charles Gaines gave up a couple of plays underneath, but as a group they looked much better against the 49ers this week.
The 49ers offense set the tone in the first half for its ineptitude, producing only two first downs to the Browns 16 and only 48 yards to the Browns 255.
About the only bad news for the Browns was Hartline having to leave the game in third quarter with what turned out to be a season-ending fracture of his collarbone. They have little to no chance of making the postseason from here but their team will know that with an early offseason looming many of them will be fighting for their places for next year over the coming month of the season.
Blaine Gabbert got sacked a nine times, matching a 49ers record last seenin a 2011 Thanksgiving loss at Baltimore. “I have to do a better job, plain and simple”.
“I’m trying not to break down on the sideline and zero in on kicking and paying attention to the wind”, he said.
Cleveland has 112 yards on the ground and leads 10-3. He had a 50-yard rush in the first half and a 54-yard rush in the second half. The Browns, behind Johnny Manziel, had 28.
Against a Clevelanddefense that had allowed 398.8 per game, the 49ers (4-9) gained 221 yards, although 94 came on a latedrive capped by Gabbert’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Simpson with 1:42 remaining. Cleveland went on to win 24-10 and Manziel finished the day with 270 passing yards and one touchdown. “There’s 11 guys out there”, Bowman said. Carson Palmer threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals.
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The Browns made it 10-0 on Travis Coons’ 26-yard field goal. That Dawson supplied his team’s only points until a meaningless final-minute touchdown likely was a familiar scenario to Browns fans and disturbing to 49ers fans.
