Browns 3 studs and 2 duds in surprising Week 6 win over 49ers

Despite facing long odds, the Cleveland Browns found a way to steal a win in Week 6 over the San Francisco 49ers. In P.J. Walker's first start for the franchise, the Browns were able to overcome several penalties and two interceptions in the 19-17 contest.

That victory improved them to 3-2 on the year while giving the 5-1 Niners the first blemish on their record. It was a hard fought game that came down to field goals. Dustin Hopkins was the victor there, hitting on 4-of-5 attempts while Jake Moody was 1-of-3 — and missed on a potential game-winner.

Now we look back over the surprising win with three studs and two duds from Week 6.

Stud: Jim Schwartz, Defensive Coordinator

The odds had the 49ers winning this one but Jim Schwartz never cared about that. The Cleveland defensive coordinator is supremely confident and when going against Kyle Shanahan, he should be.

Schwartz entered this one with an 8-1 record against Shanahan and made it 9-of-10 with the two-point win in Week 6. Even with a litany of penalties going against his defense, Schwartz continued to dial up one solid play after another. And in the process, he made Brock Purdy look like Mr. Irrelevant.

Purdy finished 12-of-27 with just 125 yards with a touchdown and a pick. They also did well against Christian McCaffrey — before he had to leave with an injury — giving up 52 yards on 11 touches. Yes, he scored a touchdown but he didn't decimate the defense.

Schwartz has been the best offseason addition for the Browns and he deserves a game ball for this win.

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.

Stud: Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver

There's been constant discourse on Amari Cooper and his status as a WR1 — which goes back well before his days with Cleveland. The fourth overall pick out of Alabama in 2015, Cooper spent three and a half seasons with the Oakland Raiders before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.

He then spent three and a half years there as well. With each franchise, he was the No. 1 wideout and had more than 1,000 yards receiving in five of those seven campaigns. He was then sent to Cleveland in 2022 when Dallas was ready to make CeeDee Lamb their top target, and Cooper again stood out.

With Jacoby Brissett under center for the majority of the year, Cooper had 78 receptions for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite his numbers, there were calls all offseason for an upgrade with many clamoring for DeAndre Hopkins. Still, Cooper just continues to show up and balls out without getting the praise he deserves.

Issues under center have limited him but he was a huge part of the Browns first 10 points on Sunday. Their first touchdown, a 16-yard run from Kareem Hunt, came after Cooper hauled in a 58-yard pass downfield. Then in the third quarter, No. 2 somehow made a miraculous grab on the sideline when P.J. Walker threw it up to him on third-and-six.

Cooper not only made the leaping grab despite tight coverage but had the awareness to get both feet inbounds for a 26-yard gain.

He finished the day with 108 yards on judt four receptions and was a huge reason the Browns won this game.

Dud: Wyatt Teller, Guard

The Browns offense found themselves in a fortunate situation when the defense forced a long field goal following P.J. Walker's opening drive interception.

They responded by moving down the field in a hurry thanks to Marquise Goodwin going 20 yards on a reverse. David Njoku then broke free on a screen pass for a 32-yard touchdown which would have been his first of the season — had it not been for a penalty flag on the play.

While Jedrick Wills was the one seen animatedly arguing the call, it was right guard Wyatt Teller who was penalized for holding. That erased the touchdown and took seven points off the board.

Cleveland still had a shot at cutting into the lead with Dustin Hopkins coming in for a 47-yard attempt. He was wide left on the attempt, marking just his second miss on the season. That misfire meant the Browns went from tying it up at seven to giving the ball back to San Francisco with no points on the board.

Teller was also part of a miscommunication later in the game when he and Dawand Jones both failed to block Nick Bosa, who had a free sack on Walker. In the end, they still pulled it off but the offensive line had a few plays they would surely like to have taken back.

Stud: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker

After P.J. Walker threw a pick on the Browns first drive, their defense was back on the field on their own 26 with a 7-0 deficit. The 49ers looked to get the ball back to Christian McCaffrey on a screen pass but Cleveland was ready this time.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah sniffed out the play and reacted in the blink of an eye. He flew to the ball carrier and hit CMC for an eight-yard loss.

A false start and broken-up pass — courtesy of Martin Emerson — set up a third-and-23 and the 49ers had to settle for a 54-yard field goal attempt that was wide left.

Despite being faced with a daunting task, the defense stepped up and got the ball right back for their offense. That was a promising drive and the tone was set on the first play.

JOK continued to play well, even blowing up a run late in the second quarter. San Francisco secured a fresh set of downs and was looking to go in for a score. McCaffrey got the ball on a run up the middle and JOK broke through the line making a tackle for a three-yard loss.

In the third quarter, he nearly recorded a pick — although Martin Emerson wound up securing one on the next play. Brock Purdy continued to be aware of Owusu-Koramoah when No. 6 took him down for a sack deep in San Francisco territory on the very next drive.

When Cleveland cut the lead to 17-16 with under four minutes to play, the 49ers hoped to run the clock out but again, JOK ruined their plans. On first down, he wrapped up Purdy and forced him into an intentional grounding penalty. That helped get the ball back for the offense with a chance to steal the win, which is exactly what happened.

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