The 49ers received a major wake-up call on Sunday, dropping their first game of the 2023 NFL season in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium that snapped their streak of 15 consecutive regular-season wins. The Browns dominated all facets of the game, delivering a gut punch that San Francisco is not accustomed to receiving.
However, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner viewed the humbling loss as a necessity for a team with championship aspirations.
"The main thing is that they [Cleveland] earned it, and we didn't this game," Warner said. "That's what it came down to. I would never put it on [Jake] Moody at the end there. It was great that we had an opportunity to win in that fashion, but we just didn't earn it. They [Cleveland] earned it today. I said that win or loss, I felt like we needed this game. We knew what type of game it was going to be. In order for us to be the team that we want to be moving forward, we had to get battle-tested. That's exactly what today was. We learn from it, watch the tape, look at it hard internally, and be better from it."
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Warner's comments about the Browns earning the victory are more than fair, as Cleveland looked like the stronger team for most of this football game despite being without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Browns outgained the 49ers by 119 total yards, marking the first time San Francisco was outgained by more than 100 yards since Week 9 of the 2021 season. Coincidentally, that game also came against an opponent that was starting a backup quarterback.
The 49ers' defense was unusually vulnerable against the run, with Cleveland tallying 160 yards on the ground. It was the first time San Francisco has allowed an opponent to rush for over 150 yards since its Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last season.
San Francisco 49ers
The second-half performance by the 49ers' offense was particularly abysmal, with San Francisco not recording positive net yardage on a drive until their fifth possession of the half. Their first four possessions after halftime resulted in either a turnover or a three-and-out.
Despite all of the above, the 49ers still came away with a chance to win at the end, which can be viewed as a silver lining on what feels like the cloudiest of days. If this 49ers team is anything, it's resilient, and they proved that last year by stringing together 15 straight victories on the heels of back-to-back losses.
They'll look to build the foundation for their next winning streak when they head to Minnesota to face the Vikings next Monday night.