Aside from what appears to be a strong 2025 rookie class, there hasn’t been much reason for optimism for the Cleveland Browns and their fans this year.
Week 13 came with a rare sliver of hope. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, fresh off last week’s blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders, was making his home debut. The Browns also had some added home-field advantage, with the San Francisco 49ers traveling East to play inside the frigid and windy confines of Huntington Bank Stadium.
Those giving the Browns a chance to pull off the upset were proven right during Sunday’s first half. Sanders connected with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for a 34-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and a successful two-point conversion following a 49ers penalty gave Cleveland an 8-7 lead. San Francisco later got a 25-yard field goal from Matt Gay that doinked in off the left goal post to take a 10-8 lead at the break.
For the Browns, that was the good. The bad was a dismal second half in which the 49ers dominated the field position battle and rattled off 16 unanswered points to flip a close ballgame into a laugher.
The best and worst from the Cleveland Browns’ 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13
Winner: Edge Myles Garrett
Garrett was the best player on the field once again, recording his NFL-leading 19th sack of the season on a key third down (at the time) early in the fourth quarter. Garrett ripped right past one of the most respected left tackles in football, Trent Williams, on the play.
stretches his league lead with no. 19!#SFvsCLE on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/0e2bSRky74
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 30, 2025
Garrett now sits four sacks shy of breaking the NFL’s single-season record of 22.5, which is held by both Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. The Browns (3-9) still have five games remaining, but Garrett will be motivated to break the record as soon as possible (preferably in less than 16 games).
Loser: HC Kevin Stefanski
The Browns were very much in Sunday’s ball game until Stefanski made a head-scratching decision to keep his offense on the field — and actually let them snap the ball — on fourth-and-1 from their own 33 yard line.
Making matters worse? The ball wasn’t even snapped to Sanders; the Browns attempted to run a QB sneak with rookie tight end Harold Fannin under center, and he fumbled the snap as Cleveland scrambled to get set and avoid a delay of game penalty.
The 49ers converted the short field into a touchdown, took a two-score lead, and never looked back. Stefanski decided to the roll the dice deep in his own territory for no reason at all, and he might’ve sealed his own fate as Cleveland’s head coach in the process.
Winner: LB Carson Schwesinger
The silver lining of this Browns season? They have a ton of young, impactful talent on the roster, and Schwesinger’s been the most impressive of the bunch. The rookie recorded double-digit tackles for the fourth consecutive game and just continues to look like a franchise middle linebacker.
Andrew Berry and the Browns appear to have found a top-10 talent on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Loser: WR Malachi Corley
Another black mark on Stefanski’s record this year? Some of his players apparently have no idea what the rules are on special teams.
Corley made one of the game’s big blunders when he made a toe-tapping catch of a kickoff, before stepping out of bounds at the 5 yard line. There were multiple heads-up plays Corley could have done in that situation, but he chose the worst one (by far).
He could have, of course, just backed up and let the ball land out of bounds, which would have given the Browns the ball at the 40 yard line. The most heady play would have been to purposely place at least one foot out of bounds as he made the catch, which would have accomplished the same feat.
Instead, the Browns had to start their drive at their own 5 yard line, and wound up punting the ball back to San Francisco on the plus side of the 50. This one comes down to situational football and coaching, but Corley has to do his job there.
Winner: DT Mason Graham
That's right, another rookie. Graham’s steady rise has been impossible to ignore in recent weeks.
He was disruptive on Sunday, landing a QB hit on Purdy to go with three solo tackles and five unofficial pressures, per Pro Football Focus; that continues a positive trend, as he racked up 12 pressures and 10 QB hurries over his previous three games entering Week 13.
It’s still early, but Graham is proving the Browns right for trading away the No. 2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2025 NFL Draft.