Browns can't come back against 49ers, lose 20-10

The 49ers threw everything at the Browns Sunday, beating them 20-10.

Along with a steady dose of running back Frank Gore, the 49ers mixed in passes to defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga and offensive tackle Joe Staley.

It was too many points for an inept Browns offense to keep up with. Without starter Peyton Hillis and backup Montario Hardesty for all but a quarter, the Browns managed only 66 yards rushing.

Browns quarterback Colt McCoy had probably his best game of the season, completing 22 of 34 passes for 241 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It was the interception in the first half that really hurt the Browns. McCoy also had three fumbles he recovered himself that didn’t help. But form much of the game he was placing the ball nicely, spreading the ball out to seven different receivers.

For the second week in a row new pickup Chris Ogbonnaya paced the team in receptions with five, tying him with Jordan Norwood for the most on the team. Norwood was filling in for the injured Mohamed Massaquoi.

The lack of a running game, though, made the Browns an easy team to defend. The 49ers could bring more pressure without worrying about being beat up the middle by the run. The 49ers had four sacks on the game but were in Cleveland’s back field for much of the contest.

The Browns finally put together a good drive on offense early in the fourth quarter. Driving down the field, McCoy connected with wide receiver Josh Cribbs on a 45-yard touchdown pass with about six minutes remaining in the game. The Browns ran the no huddle for much of the drive with McCoy in the shotgun. Given the success of this drive, the Browns may want to consider doing that more in the future.

The drive brought the game to 17-10, but the Browns defense looked vulnerable for the first time in the second half on the ensuing 49ers drive. San Francisco marched down the field eating the clock and scoring on a David Akers field goal.

Browns look better in third quarter, still down 17-3 to 49ers

At half time, it’s clear the Browns defense made adjustments to stop the 49ers. The Browns offense is another story.

Without second-year running back Montario Hardesty, who is out due to a leg injury, the running game hasn’t been able to get going. Chris Ogbonnaya has carried the ball 10 times thus far for 30 yards.

The Browns controlled the ball for much of the quarter with their passing game, but don’t have anything to show for it. After impressive throws of more than 20 yards to tight ends Alex Smith and Ben Watson, Colt McCoy was intercepted in the end zone. The pass was intended for rookie wide receiver Greg Little but McCoy threw into double coverage, getting picked off by Dashon Goldson.

The Browns defense, namely tackle Phil Taylor and linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, have keep the Browns in the game, though San Francisco has the ball to start the fourth quarter.

Gore passed Roger Craig for second all-time in rushing yards with the 49ers, behind only Joe Perry’s 7,344 yards.

49ers dominating Browns, lead 17-3 at half

In the first half, it’s either been a display of dominance by the San Francisco 49ers or futility by the Cleveland Browns. Whichever it is, the 49ers lead the Browns 17-3 at the half.

The Browns have only 93 yards on offense in the first half, with many of them coming in the last drive of the second quarter. That drive finished in a 51-yard field goal by Phil Dawson.

Conversely, the 49ers have 253 yards of offense, with 103 by running back Frank Gore. If not for a goal-line stand by the Browns to start the second quarter, San Francisco’s lead would be much greater than two scores.

Browns quarterback Colt McCoy is placing the ball nicely, completing eight of 14 first half passes for 69 yards. The team just refuses to work deep routes to Josh Cribbs and rookie Greg Little. That has allowed the 49ers to play closer to the line of scrimmage, where they’ve dominated the Browns running game. Chris Ogbonnaya leads the Browns with 11 rushing yards on five carries.

The Browns lost running back Montario Hardesty to a leg injury. His return is being classified as “possible.” Without Hardesty, Ogbonnaya is the only healthy running back on the Browns roster today. San Francisco defensive end Ray McDonald is questionable to return with a hamstring injury.

San Francisco gets the ball to start the second half.

Video: 49ers LT Joe Staley's 17-yard catch

With the San Francisco 49ers in a jumbo package, starting left tackle Joe Staley was an eligible receiver. Here is the result:

49ers lead Browns 10-0 after first quarter

This is not the kind of start the Cleveland Browns needed.

How bad is it? Besides the 10-0 lead for San Francisco, the 49ers completed a 17-yard pass to left tackle Joe Staley on their second drive of the game. Running backs Frank Gore and rookie Kendall Hunter gashed the Browns earlier in the drive Gore had a  23-yard gain and Hunter a 28-yard run, both to to the left side.

On the team's first drive of the game, Browns quarterback Colt McCoy was stripped of the ball by the 49ers' Ahmad Brooks. The fumble gave the 49ers the ball in Cleveland's red zone. A pass interference penalty by cornerback Joe Haden pushed the 49ers closer to the end zone. Gore finished it off. Despite the Browns having 12 players on the field, Gore scored on a 4-yard run to give San Francisco an early lead.

For the quarter, McCoy has completed two of five passes for 18 yards. Running back Chris Ogbonnaya leads the team with nine yards rushing on three attempts.

So far this season, the Browns have been outscored 44-3 in the first quarter.

Browns vs. 49ers: Braylon Edwards, Ben Watson highlight active players

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Braylon Edwards will see his former team the Cleveland Browns for the first time today. Edwards is active after missing the past six weeks following knee surgery.

Active for the Browns today is tight end Ben Watson and guard Shawn Lauvao after both were questionable earlier in the week.

Browns: inactives: RB Peyton Hillis, WR Mohamed Massaquoi, QB Thadeus Lewis, S Ray Ventrone, OL Steve Callos, OL Oniel Cousins, DE Austin English

49ers inactives: QB Scott Tolzien, WR Brett Swain, CB Tramaine Brock, FB Moran Norris, G Daniel Kilgore, G Mike Person & NT Ian Williams.

Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers: What The Wiseguys Think

I asked the guys over at Pregame.com to give me their thoughts. Pregame.com is the largest sports betting news site compliant with U.S. law, and have been featured by ESPN, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of other national outlets. Pregame.com has agreed to provide us with exclusive insider analysis of how Las Vegas is looking at this week's Browns game.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Game Time, TV Schedule, Radio And More

The 3-3 Cleveland Browns will try to build on last week's stout defensive performance in a 6-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks, while also trying to get Colt McCoy and the offense going as the Browns visit the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon.

The 49ers will be rested and ready but trying to pick up where they left off before their bye last week. The 5-1 Niners will be looking to maintain their spot atop the NFC West standing, as well as their fifth straight win today, a stretch which includes impressive wins over Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Detroit prior to the bye.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, October 30, 4:00 p.m. ET

Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA

TV Schedule: CBS

Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

TV Distribution Map: The506.com

Radio Schedule: WMMS/WTAM-100.7 FM/1100 AM

For more on the Cleveland Browns head over to Dawgs By Nature and for San Francisco 49ers coverage head over to Niners Nation.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Joe Thomas Facing SF Rookie Aldon Smith

The Cleveland Browns currently have, arguably, the best left tackle in the NFL today. You could also argue that they have the best offensive lineman in the NFL today. That man is, of course, Joe Thomas, franchise left tackle and playing under a seven-year contract worth big, big dollars. The man has surrendered just 1.5 sacks on the season and only gave up four of them last year, where he didn't miss a game.

In fact, he hasn't missed a game in 70 NFL appearances. Teams fail with regularity to rush the passer and put pressure on Colt McCoy from that side of the field, but Thomas will have an interesting challenge on Sunday when the Browns head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. Aside from going up against Justin Smith, which is hard enough on its own, Thomas will also likely see a lot of rookie linebacker Aldon Smith in the 49ers nickel defense.

Smith replaces Parys Haralson in the nickle at the defensive end spot, and might actually see some time standing up if Jim Harbaugh and Vic Fangio want to see what he can do in a bigger role. Either way, Smith has been great in limited time this season and has 5.5 sacks, along with a forced fumble and a safety.

With Peyton Hillis likely missing more time, the Browns are going to look to throw the ball more. If Colt McCoy holds onto the ball for long periods of time, seeing how Smith's battles with Thomas play out will be one of the more interesting things on the day.

Peyton Hillis Injury Makes Him Questionable For Sunday; Mohamed Massaquoi Is Out

The Cleveland Browns held their final practice of the week on Friday as the get set to face the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. The final injury report came out shortly thereafter, revealing some disappointing news for Peyton Hillis and Mohamed Massaquoi.

Hillis practiced on Wednesday with his hamstring injury before shutting it down on Thursday with hopes that it get better with a day of rest. It apparently did not, however, as the running back missed all of Friday’s practice and has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Massaquoi’s news is a bit worse, however, as the wide receiver has been ruled out for the match-up with the 49ers. Concussions are nothing to mess around with so it’s good that he’s waiting until he’s 100 percent to return. The only other player definitively ruled out is defensive lineman Auston English, who first showed up on the injury report Friday with a knee injury.

The list of players joining Hillis in the questionable column is troubling. A "questionable" status means the chances are 50-50 to play and key players Joe Haden, Benjamin Watson and Tony Pashos all fall under that column. Ray Ventrone, Kaluka Maiava and Shaun Lauvao are also questionable.

As far as good news is concerned, kicker Phil Dawson practiced in full on Friday and is probable this weekend along with linebacker Scott Fujita. Artis Hicks and Buster Skrine fall in the same boat.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Running Back Reportedly Not Practicing Again Friday

It seems the brief optimism on Wednesday that Browns running back Peyton Hillis would play is all but gone. Wednesday saw Hillis do a little bit of practicing and some running, but his hamstring tightened up and he missed practice on Thursday and was considered doubtful by many of the local beat writers. Now the news just gets worse for Browns fans, via Mary Kay Cabot:

#browns rb Peyton hillis not practicing again today. 

The first official injury report for the Browns' game against the San Francisco 49ers will come out today, and Hillis would seem likely to appear on it under either questionable or doubtful. If Hillis isn't good to go, Montario Hardesty is likely to get the start again, and he did fill in nicely for Hillis against the Seattle Sehawks, rushing for just under 100 yards on the day. Hardesty has been taking all of the first-team snaps in practice with Hillis' absence.

Week 8 NFL Lines And Odds: Browns Vs. 49ers

The oddsmakers once again have the Cleveland Browns as heavy underdogs heading into Week 8 in San Francisco.

Cleveland Browns Injury Report Lists Peyton Hillis, Mohamed Massaquoi As Out

The Cleveland Browns injury report on Thursday was worse than the team's opening week report on Wednesday as the team continues to get ready for the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. As reported earlier Thursday morning, running back Peyton Hillis didn't partake in practice on Thursday after being limited the day before while Mohamed Massaquoi and Ben Watson both missed another day of practice.

As written earlier this morning, it's difficult to say exactly what caused Hillis to be downgraded overnight.

Peyton Hillis is still hopeful that he's ready to play when the Browns take on the 49ers on Sunday. He did practice with the team on Wednesday and was put through a higher workload than some believed he would be. Now it's looking like he either did too much, or he just isn't ready to do more regardless, as Tony Grossi is reporting on Twitter that Hillis isn't practicing with the team on Thursday.

Ray Ventrone was the only other player on Thursday that didn't practice while Scott Fujita was able to return to full practice after being limited on Wednesday.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Mohamed Massaquoi, Benjamin Watson Reportedly Missing Practice On Thursday

The Cleveland Browns have been carried by their defense thus far this season, and it looks like their offense is going to hurt even more. With news Thursday that running back Peyton Hillis was going to miss a day of practice after his hamstring tightened up, there's more injury news to consider, courtesy of Tony Grossi and Cleveland.com:

Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (concussion) and tight end Ben Watson (concussion) would miss their second day in a row.    

Massaquoi was injured at the end of the first half against the Seattle Seahwks, going up for an incomplete pass over the middle. Watson was also injured in the first half, but wasn't reported to have the injury until the second half, so it's unclear when he actually got hurt. With the potential of losing Massaquoi, Watson and Hillis for the game, the Browns offense is going to have a lot of trouble against the 49ers defense.

Also of note was kicker Phil Dawson, who will reportedly practice today, along with right guard Shane Lauvao.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Peyton Hillis Reportedly Not Practicing Thursday

Peyton Hillis is still hopeful that he's ready to play when the Browns take on the 49ers on Sunday. He did practice with the team on Wednesday and was put through a higher workload than some believed he would be. Now it's looking like he either did too much, or he just isn't ready to do more regardless, as Tony Grossi is reporting on Twitter that Hillis isn't practicing with the team on Thursday:

Peyton Hillis not practicing with #Browns today -- Pat Shurmur.    

He also goes on to say that Hillis is trying to get healthy and that he doesn't sense any frustration. ESPN's Adam Schefter was on SportsCenter Thursday morning, saying that Hillis had planned to play but that his hamstring tightened up considerably before practice began, and Shurmur made the decision to have him not practice with the team. That doesn't necessarily rule him out for Sunday's game, but his injury still appears raw, at this point.

Cleveland Native And Former Ohio State Buckeye Alex Boone Reveling In Second Chance

VIDEO: Peyton Hillis Done Talking Contract

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis is sick and tired of talking about his contract.  So much so that Madden coverman is refusing to answer questions about his contract for the rest of the year.  Don't believe me?  See for yourself:

Cleveland Browns Injury Report: Peyton Hillis, Joe Haden Limited In Practice

The Cleveland Browns first injury report of the week did not reveal any major differences from what was reported earlier Wednesday morning. Mohamed Massaquoi and Ben Watson did, in fact, miss practice while Peyton Hillis, Joe Haden and Scott Fujita were limited.

Massaquoi, Watson, Raymond Ventrone and Shawn Lauvao were the only four players that missed the morning's entire practice as the Browns worked to gear up for their game against the San Francisco 49ers. As SB Nation Cleveland colleague wrote earlier Wednesday, Massaquoi and Watson are obviously the most important.

The biggest news is that the two receiving targets, WR Mohamed Massaquoi and tight end Benjamin Watson, are sitting out of practice with concussions. Both of the receivers suffered concussions before the second half, near the end of the first half. Massaquoi was hurt going up for a pass over the middle, and it's still unclear when Watson suffered his injury, but they'll need to pass an exam before they can practice again, let alone play.

Hillis was able to practice despite his hamstring injury, Fujita was limited due to the concussion he suffered earlier in the season, Haden's knee injury didn't allow him to fully return to practice and kick Phil Dawson has a right thigh injury.

Both Artis Hicks and Buster Skrine well full participants in practice despite being listed on the injury report.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Mohamed Massaquoi, Benjamin Watson Sit Out Practice Wednesday

With the news earlier that running back Peyton Hillis will do some work (and that he looked good) in practice, there's a lot more going on for the Cleveland Browns in regards to injuries. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, there are multiple players limited or not practicing at all on Wednesday.

The biggest news is that the two receiving targets, WR Mohamed Massaquoi and tight end Benjamin Watson, are sitting out of practice with concussions. Both of the receivers suffered concussions before the second half, near the end of the first half. Massaquoi was hurt going up for a pass over the middle, and it's still unclear when Watson suffered his injury, but they'll need to pass an exam before they can practice again, let alone play.

Also of note is linebacker Scott Fujita, and the fact that he's back in action, participating in full practice on Wednesday. He sat out Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a concussion he suffered against the Raiders. He was sent home multiple times during the week leading up to the Seattle game with post-concussion symptoms. Barring some kind of set back in practice, Fujita is expected to play on Sunday against the 49ers.

Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell is reportedly going to be active, as well. He's only been active for one game this season, and played only special teams in that time. According to Cabot, Mitchell should be prepared to play on offense as well as special teams.

Kicker Phil Dawson and offensive lineman Shaun Lauvao will be limited in practice, as well.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Peyton Hillis Returns To Practice, Will Start Sunday If He Plays

Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is doing his best to stifle any controversy regarding much-maligned running back Peyton Hillis.  During his weekly meet-up with the press, Shurmur made it clear that Hillis, if healthy, will be his starting running back when the team takes the field in San Francisco on Sunday.

"He's our starting halfback,'' said Shurmur.

Hillis has had a tough follow-up season to his break-out 2010 season.  Battling injury and illness, Hillis has just 211 yards rushing on 60 carries and 2 touchdowns.  Hillis has not shied away from the fact that he wants a new contract - he is in the final year of his original rookie contract - and the Browns have publicly stated they will let the year play out before decidiing on what - if anything - to offer Hillis as a free agent.

Hillis missed Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Montario Hardesty.  Hardesty led the Browns with 95 yards on 33 carries in Cleveland's 6-3 and was a big part of the 40+ minutes of possession the Browns enjoyed.

Browns Vs. 49ers: Cleveland Has Tall Task In Trip To San Francisco

Follow the Browns over at Dawgs By Nature, while all your San Francisco conversation is happening at Niners Nation.