The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Cleveland Browns with a wire-to-were 31-3 victory Monday night en. The 28-point margin of victory was the largest of the season for San Francisco, and the 49ers out-gained the Browns 446 yards to 180.
Here are the studs and duds from the 49th win on Monday Night Football in franchise history:
Stud: DL Nick Bosa
Monday night was the Nick Bosa arrival party that 49ers fans have been waiting for. After leading the team with 17 pressures through three weeks with only one sack to show for it, Bosa exploded for two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery becoming the first 49ers player in 25 years with a stat line like that according to ESPN Stats and Info. He also Bosa made his presences felt early, pressuring Baker Mayfield to force a pass downfield that was intercepted by Richard Sherman. The rookie lived in the Cleveland backfield and flashed what his potential can be with five quarterback hits to finish off a stellar stat line.
Stud: CB Emmanuel Moseley
There was a lot of talk leading into Monday night about how the second-year corner would fare in his first career start. Moseley wasn’t tested much, but succeeded on the two biggest passes that came his way. The first one came on a second-and-goal in the second quarter with the 49ers up 14-0. Mayfield threw a pass intended for Demetrius Harris in the end zone. Moseley made a nice play to avoid contact with Harris and get a hand on the ball to prevent the possible touchdown.
Later in the third quarter with the 49ers up 28-3, Mayfield took a deep shot to Odell Beckham with Moseley in single coverage. While Beckham was able to catch the ball, Moseley played tight enough coverage to prevent Beckham from keeping his feet in bounds and forcing an incomplete pass.
Studs: RBs Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman
If last night showed anything, it showed the 49ers may have the best one-two punch at running back in the NFL when healthy. Breida opened the game with an 83-yard touchdown run on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage. He followed with a 5-yard touchdown reception to give the 49ers a 14-0 lead at the end of the first.
While Breida had the most explosive play of the game, Coleman was consistently gouging the Browns defense with five runs that gained 10 or more yards, including a 19-yard touchdown jaunt in the second quarter. The duo combined for 211 yards on 27 carries and two rushing touchdowns.
Stud: QB Jimmy Garoppolo
In a game where the running game had 275 yards and the defense held Cleveland to three points, all Garoppolo had to do was play mistake-free football for the first time all year, and he did. The quarterback completed 20-of-29 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 108.5 which is his fourth-highest as a 49er. Garoppolo has shown that when needed, he can win games but in a game like Monday night, he can be the game manager that’s needed to control the game.
Dud: K Robbie Gould
Monday night might have been the worst game of Robbie Gould’s 15-year career. The kicker went 1-for-4 on field goals, missing from 47 and 52 yards , he also had a 32-yard attempt blocked. It was the first time in Gould’s career he missed three kicks in a game. Entering Monday night, Gould had only missed five field goals in 83 attempts in his two-plus seasons with the 49ers.
Stud: LT Justin Skule
Garoppolo was sacked twice on Monday night and neither came from the left side of the line where Skule is starting for Joe Staley. Just like last week, Skule had a quiet game which is a good thing for a tackle, but unlike last week, Skule wasn’t called for any penalties. After getting tagged with three penalties against Pittsburgh in Week 3, a zero penalty night was a welcome sight for the rookie tackle.
