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Fans believe that the inconsistent Cleveland Browns were not supposed to defeat the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, especially after starting quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with an injury. And yet they did exactly that, 19-17, even though reliever PJ Walker did not throw a single touchdown and was picked off twice.
So what happened?
Kicker Dustin Hopkins came alive, hitting four field goals in the second half alone, while returnee Kareem Hunt bulldozed his way to 47 rushing yards and the team's only touchdown on 12 carries.
Also, according to fans, the Browns got away with some generous calls, like this incomplete pass by Walker in the second quarter:
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And this purported pass interference against Tashaun Gipson for hitting Elijah Moore:
Fans were clearly unhappy, ranting as the Browns celebrated:
What did Browns players, coach say after win over San Francisco 49ers?
As mentioned above, PJ Walker failed to score the entire game, but his last drive set up the decisive field goal. When asked about it, he said (via Cleveland.com):
"Just trying to get completions. We knew what they was going to do defensively. They wasn’t going to give us opportunity to go over the top, so were just trying to find ways to get the ball into our receiver’s hands and let them make plays. We had a big fourth-down conversion to David Bell, which was huge. And I think that right there just kept it going as an offense.”
But the most important contributor to the game was the defense, which held Brock Purdy to just one touchdown against his very first interception of 2023 and also sacked him twice. Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo said:
“We wanted to just bring some new energy in here.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski was also briefed about the upset, and he said:
“Well. Just proud... We knew what we were in for. We knew how good that team is. And the truth is, we’re a good football team. We’re not perfect, we know that, but we fought like crazy today and I’m just proud of so many guys. I thought the coaches put together a great game plan. Obviously, the guys out there battling their butts off, but awesome to do it in front of our fans. They were incredible today."
Next for the Browns is a visit to the Indianapolis Colts on October 22.
