The lights weren't too bright for the San Francisco 49ers who dominated the Cleveland Browns in the 31-3 victory in the primetime matchup. The 49ers remain as the lone undefeated team in the NFC through five weeks. The 49ers have now won (a fitting) 49 "Monday Night Football" contests, the most in NFL history. Here's a rundown of the key takeaways from the 49ers commanding performance over the Browns.
1. On the 49ers first offensive play of the game, Matt Breida hit an open lane for an 83-yard touchdown. Kyle Juszczyk went in motion to provide the huge block en route to Breida's sizeable score.
2. On Cleveland's ensuing drive, Nick Bosa brought pressure, forcing Baker Mayfield into an errant throw. The Browns quarterback was picked off by Richard Sherman. Sherman's interception marks his second of the season and 34th of his career.
3. San Francisco's second score of the night came on a 5-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Breida. Breida beat his man on an in route for the diving touchdown grab. The running back finished the game with 114 yards on 11 carries and a rushing touchdown to go along with three receptions for 15 yards and a receiving score.
4. Sherman reminded fans not to overlook anyone in the league, specifically, second-year cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Moseley made a diving PBU in the end zone on a pass intended for Browns tight end Demetrius Harris. That drive ended in a Cleveland field goal, their lone score of the contest.
"From what I saw, he played a lot like we expected," Shanahan said. "The game is not too big for E-Man. He's very competitive out there. He started out with us just how physical he plays and how hard he goes on special teams and he came over and got a lot of playing time on defense and it looked like the same guy. He's always going to play physically, not turn anything down. And when I did see them challenge him, especially on that go route by our sidelines, there's no hesitation and he tried to get after it."
5. K'Waun Williams strung together another impressive outing. Williams came down with his second interception of the season. On a pass at the goal line, Browns receiver Antonio Callaway bobbled the ball which landed perfectly in the arms of Williams. The cornerback returned the pick for 49 yards to set up a San Francisco score. Williams also split a sack with Kwon Alexander in the first quarter.
6. Following the pick, the 49ers ran a 6-play, 49-yard drive, that culminated in a Tevin Coleman touchdown, his first score as a member of the 49ers. Coleman finished the night just shy of 100 yards on 16 carries to go along with his score.
7. San Francisco's first round pick was the highlight of the night. The rookie, who already led the team with 17 quarterback pressures heading into Monday night continued to dominate in the backfield. Bosa put up two sacks on the night, and recorded a forced fumble, that was recovered by DeForest Buckner, and fumble recovery in Monday night's win, the only 49ers player to accomplish this feat in the last 25 years according to ESPN.
"He got to play a lot more," Shanahan said. "I think he had more opportunities. He hasn't been playing a ton. He's been playing situationally, and tonight, I think he got to play a lot more. I'm not sure what his stats were or how many sacks he had, but every time I looked up he was there. That's how it was in practice for us in training camp for the times he was healthy. Obviously, I think he's getting a lot more healthy so it's good to see."
8. George Kittle scored his first touchdown of the season on Monday night. Garoppolo connected with his tight end for a wide open 22-yard touchdown. Kittle led the team with six receptions for 70 yards and a score. Through four contests, Kittle has registered 235 yards on 23 receptions to go along with Monday's score.
9. Second-year safety Marcell Harris made game-changing plays in his first contest since being activated from the team's practice squad ahead of Week 5. Down 28-3 late in the fourth quarter, Harris registered his first career forced fumble on a punt return. Odell Beckham Jr. fumbled a punt after running backwards on a return when Harris tackled the star wideout, forcing the ball out of his arms, which was recovered by Raheem Mostert.
10. San Francisco's defense held Mayfield to 8-of-22 passing for 100 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns for a 13.4 passer rating. Cleveland's offense was limited to just 180 total yards, 3.9 yards per play and 1-of-11 on third down.
11. Juszczyk was carted off of the field in the third quarter following a block on a Breida carry. Shanahan said postgame the fullback suffered a possible knee strain. Juszczyk was coming off of a noteworthy first half including several notable blocks that aided the 49ers into a 275-yard rushing performance. He will receive an MRI on Tuesday. More details to follow.
12. Garoppolo finished the night 20-of-29 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns for a 108.5 quarterback rating.
