The 49ers did nearly everything right Monday night in a 31-3 win over the Browns. San Francisco moved to 4-0 on the season and they remain the top seed in the NFC.
Here are 10 takeaways from the victory:
No bye-week blues
Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers struggled badly coming out of the bye week his first two seasons. They lost both contests by a combined 51-22 score and didn’t look particularly good in either game. This year was a different story. San Francisco was nearly flawless and looked like a well-rested team against a team coming off a divisional road game.
Point differential on the rise
San Francisco’s 28-point win over the Browns pushed their point differential to an NFC-best plus-70. They’re only behind the Patriots in that category, and well ahead of the Cowboys, who’re third in the league at plus-41. The 29 points between the 49ers and No. 3 Cowboys are the same as the space between the No. 15 Rams. They’ve dominated in the margin-of-victory column.
4-0 for the third time
The 49ers are 4-0 for the third time in the Super Bowl era, per ESPN Stats and Info. It looked like a 2-2 start would be ideal when the schedule came out, but they’ve been dominant through their first four games. Their plus-70 point differential is the second-best mark in the league behind New England.
Scorching-hot start
The 49ers couldn’t have gotten off to a better start Monday night. They forced a punt on the Browns’ first possession, then Matt Breida took the first offensive snap of the game 83 yards for a touchdown. The defense responded by intercepting Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield on Cleveland’s next offensive play. Monday was a statement game for San Francisco, and that start set a very early tone.
Takeaway factory
Takeaways were hard to come by for the 49ers last year. That’s not been the case through four games this season. They notched four more Monday night, including two interceptions. They’ve got seven interceptions this year, which matches their entire takeaway total from a season ago. San Francisco has 11 takeaways this year thanks to their pass rush and improved play in the secondary.
On Monday they had two interceptions, one generated by pressure from Nick Bosa on Mayfield. Their other was a dropped throw in the end zone. They also recovered a fumble caused by a DeForest Buckner hit on Mayfield that Bosa recovered. Odell Beckham Jr. then fumbled on a punt return late in the game. Marcell Harris knocked the ball free, and Raheem Mostert recovered.
Nick. Bosa.
Speaking of Bosa, he was a monster and proved Monday why he was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. He had four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five QB hits.
Emmanuel Moseley belongs
Moseley did a sensational job in his first career start. The only two times he was tested resulted in incompletions. First, he knocked down a pass in the end zone that would’ve put the Browns on the board. They eventually settled for a field goal. Later he had one-on-one coverage and forced Odell Beckham Jr. to catch a pass out of bounds. The 49ers will be fine without Ahkello Witherspoon if Moseley keeps playing at that level.
Run, run, run
The 49ers got Tevin Coleman back, and their backfield didn’t miss a beat. He ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Matt Breida took the first carry of the game 83 yards for a touchdown. He finished the night with 114 yards on 11 carries. Raheem Mostert tacked on 34 yards on seven attempts. San Francisco had a nice night and took advantage of their early lead, running 40 times and ripping off 6.9 yards per carry. That type of run game can carry a team to the playoffs.
A long snapper issue
Perhaps the lone blemish on an otherwise excellent night for the 49ers was their special teams problems. Robbie Gould missed two kicks, and another was blocked. Mitch Wishnowsky also mishandled a snap before just getting a 38-yard punt away. The 49ers have had some problems with their long snappers as they await Kyle Nelson’s return from suspension. He’ll need to miss the next two games, and San Francisco can’t have those kinds of mishaps against a team like the Rams on the road.
George Kittle is good
There’s nothing profound here. Kittle is just the best tight end in the league. He’s an outstanding blocker, caught six balls for 70 yards and a touchdown, and made a couple of sensational extra-effort plays to get first downs late to help San Francisco seal the win.
