Browns 3 studs and 2 duds in surprising Week 6 win over 49ers
• Amari Cooper continues to remind us why he's WR1
• JOK was everywhere all day long
By Randy Gurzi
Dud: Za'Darius Smith, EDGE
Za'Darius Smith had a rough start to the game on Sunday as the veteran had two penalties on the opening drive, although the first was declined due to the fact that San Francisco had a massive gain on the play.
On just the second play of the game, Smith was flagged for being offside but the 49ers took the play since Christian McCaffrey gained 27 yards on the run. To make matters worse, Greg Newsome was flagged for a late hit, which tacked on 15 more.
Just two plays later, Smith blew up a run play as he tackled McCaffrey for a three-yard loss which should have moved them back to the Cleveland 32 for a third-and-eight.
That wasn't the case though since Smith was hit with a facemask penalty, giving San Francisco a fresh set of downs on the 14. It was just two more snaps before McCaffrey capped off the opening drive with a 13-yard touchdown reception.
Smith finished without an official tackle on the day, meaning the penalties were the only times when his name was called in this one. So far in 2023, Smith has been a disruptive force starting across from Myles Garrett — and that will continue going forward — but this wasn't his best outing. Thankfully, however, there were several other defenders who were able to shine as the Browns held San Francisco to 17 points.