The week 8 match up of San Francisco 49ers vs. Cleveland Browns left the 49ers in an unusual position: at 6-1, in first place in their division, and on a 5 game winning streak. The team hasn’t been 6-1 since 1998, when Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Steve Young were still on the team. Many fans remember this team as one of the best and have already purchased their 49ers tickets to the next game.
The Browns came to San Francisco at 3-3 but suffering from injuries and barely hanging on to that .500 record. Starting running back Peyton Hillis was out and the Browns lost his backup Montario Hardesty in the first quarter. The lack of a running game, along with constant pressure on young quarterback Colt McCoy led to a dominant first half by the 49ers, who held the Browns to 93 total yards in the half.
The 49ers struck first when running back Frank Gore scampered to a 4-yard touchdown. Gore had 103 yards by halftime, and finished with 134. That total was good enough to move him into second place on the 49ers all-time rushing list behind Roger Craig. Gore has run for 125 or more yards and a touchdown in the last 4 games.
After adding a David Akers field goal, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith threw a 2-yard pass to Michael Crabtree to put the 49ers up 17-0. The Browns would manage to put a field goal on the board as time expired in the first half, but they only managed 25 rushing yards in the half and held the ball for only 11:02.
The 49ers came out a little sluggish in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter. In the 4th, the Browns finally got something going on offense and McCoy completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to explosive receiver Joshua Cribbs to make it 17-10 49ers. But the Browns were never truly in the game, and David Akers’ 26-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining sealed the game for the 49ers.
The 49ers pass rush brutalized McCoy, sacking him 4 times and forcing him to fumble 4 times as well. The 49ers forced 5 fumbles overall, recovering one. They also intercepted McCoy in the end zone, short-circuiting a potential scoring drive for Cleveland. The defense played impressively, although the Browns offense certainly can’t be considered a formidable opponent.
Alex Smith and the offense continued to play sound, efficient football. Smith completed 15 out of 24 passes for 177 yards and touchdown. Smith has a 95.7 passer rating on the year, making him the 5th most efficient passer in the NFC. This is quite an improvement for a quarterback who many thought would tank 49ers tickets sales because of his poor performance in the past.
It seems much of the 49ers success can be attributed to head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh came to the 49ers in the offseason from a very successful position as head coach at Stanford, and many questioned his ability to make the transition to the pro game. But Harbaugh, a former professional quarterback, has proved to be the perfect match for Smith and this 49ers team. His passionate coaching style has helped inspire confidence in this young, but talented team.
The 49ers are in first place in the NFC West, and are so far ahead of the second-place Arizona Cardinals (2-5) that it would take a monumental collapse for them to miss the playoffs. Making the playoffs is something the team hasn’t accomplished in 8 years, and would be a new situation for many of the players on the current team. The 49ers will attempt to continue their win streak when they travel to Washington to face the Redskins (3-4) next week. Be sure to purchase your 49ers tickets now!
