Cleveland 24, San Francisco 10
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 13, 2015
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature:
63°
Head Official:
John Hussey
Attendance:
63916
By The Sports Xchange
CLEVELAND -- Johnny Manziel made a triumphant return as starting quarterback and Isiah Crowell rushed for two touchdowns to help the Cleveland Browns snap a seven-game losing streak and beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-10 on Sunday.
Manziel, who was banished to the bench two weeks ago for lying to the team about partying, threw for 270 yards on 21-of-31 passing for one touchdown and one interception.
The victory assured the 2015 Browns (3-10) will not tie the 1999 expansion team (2-14) for the worst record in franchise history. It also snapped a five-game losing streak at FirstEnergy Stadium.
"Offensively and defensively it was as complete a game as we've played," Browns head coach Mike Pettine said. "It's a credit to those guys how they prepared. We could have felt sorry for ourselves and gotten caught up in the negativity outside the building. It was a win we earned. We deserved it."
The game marked Manziel's fourth start of 2015 after starting the second game of the season and two games in November. He is 2-2 as a starter.
Manziel was given plenty of time to throw and pick out open receivers to build a 10-0 lead.
"It was a great feeling personally, but it was an even better feeling in the locker room knowing we'll get a victory Monday and get a chance to get another win," he said. "That's what it's all about in the NFL -- winning games no matter how many it is."
The 49ers (4-9), whose defensive coordinator is former Browns head coach Eric Mangini, made some adjustments to pressure Manziel in the second quarter, but a dominant running game, swarming defense and Manziel's ability to elude trouble carried the day for the Browns.
"We know (Manziel) is agile in the pocket," 49ers Ahmad Brooks said. "We tried to prepare as much as possible to defend that. But you have to give credit to the Browns offensive line. For them to rush for (230) yards says a lot. They have some good wide receivers and tight ends. They had us on our heels."
Crowell got things going on the second series of the game with a 50-yard burst behind left guard Austin Pasztor. The Browns started the day last in the league in rushing, averaging only 73.9 yards a game, but they followed up the long run by Crowell with a 19-yard run by rookie running back Duke Johnson. In all the Browns rushed the ball 74 yards in the drive that ended with Crowell slicing into the end zone over right guard from the 1.
Crowell was the main force behind the Browns' third touchdown when his 54-yard run to the 5 set up a 3-yard touchdown run for a 17-3 lead with 8:53 to play. Crowell rushed for a career-high 145 yards on 20 carries.
In between Crowell touchdowns, Manziel threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gary Barnidge. It was Barnidge's eighth touchdown this season.
San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggled against the Browns' pass rush, which entered the game with the third-fewest sacks in the league. The 49ers decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 on the Browns' 30 on the first play of the second quarter and Gabbert was sacked for a 6-yard loss by rookie linebacker Nate Orchard.
"It just felt like we didn't bother to show up and play," 49ers tackle Joe Staley said. "You can't take anything lightly. You have to take it one week at a time and not give a crap about records."
Gabbert was sacked nine times. He could not follow up last week's performance when the 49ers stormed into Chicago and beat the Chicago Bears 26-20. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown pass of six yards to Jerome Simpson.
NOTES: RB Shaun Draughn started for 49ers rushing leader Carlos Hyde. ... 49ers TE Blake Bell started for injured Vance McDonald, who is out with a concussion. ... Terrelle Pryor was on the active roster for the Browns and listed as a wide receiver. ... OL Austin Pasztor started at left guard for the Browns in place of rookie Cameron Erving.
Top Game Performances
Receiving
| San Francisco |
|
Cleveland |
|
Blake Bell
|
Player |
Brian Hartline
|
|
3 |
Receptions |
8 |
|
49 |
Yards |
107 |
|
16.3 |
Avg Yards |
13.4 |
|
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
|
24 |
Long |
34 |
Team Stats Summary
| |
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
| Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
| San Francisco
|
221 |
71 |
150 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2.0 |
2 |
| Cleveland
|
481 |
230 |
251 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
9.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Seattle. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .273 after a loss.
-
San Francisco will play their next game at home against Cincinnati. The 49ers have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .375 after a loss.
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