49ers Grind Out Windy Win as Rookie Sanders Gets Reality Check in Cleveland
December 1, 2025
This was a matchup that we identified as an interesting one with a few stories to follow. With Dillon Gabriel still in concussion protocol going into the week, Shedeur Sanders was going to be given his second career start. There was a lot made after Week 12 about how well Shedeur believes he would have played had he received more than a week to prepare (didn’t he have all the weeks prior as well as all summer)? But nonetheless, he’d be given a second go at it. And then we have the 49ers who have been struggling with injuries, and looked fairly average last week against Carolina. They escaped with the victory despite Purdy’s three interceptions but would be facing a much tougher defense on Thanksgiving weekend.
Shedeur Sanders came in as the first Browns rookie quarterback to win their first career start since 1995. When you think of all the quarterbacks they’ve had since that season, it’s actually kind of a crazy statistic. Sunday presented a chance to get a win streak going for the 3-8 Browns just looking for anything positive at this point. Passing would be difficult for both teams as there were reportedly 20-30 mph winds with gusts pushing it higher between 40-45. Any time you’re looking at weather like that, passing will be tough, especially those middle to deep routes. We saw it early when Sanders had a wide open Jerry Jeudy deep and the pass just appeared to sail on him. Sure, Jeudy miiiiight have eased up a bit instead of running through, but still. Cleveland was looking to establish the run game early on behind Sampson and Judkins and had some success but were a little too one dimensional. Sanders was struggling a little bit, holding the ball, passing on reads that appeared to be tighter windows and taking sacks. He did manage to find fellow rookie Harold Fannin for a beautiful touchdown throw, but would finish the first half with just 96 yards through the air. The 49ers defense is no cake walk and they were making Sanders look like a rookie.
San Fran wasn’t having as big of an issue moving the ball despite the weather, at least once the second half came around. While Cleveland’s defense was making things difficult for Purdy and CMC, they were still slowly moving the ball and managed to obtain a 10-8 lead at half time. The Browns defense was tough, holding Christian McCaffrey to just 53 yards on the ground, and provided relentless pressure. For as well as Fannin was playing, his one key fumble in Cleveland territory opened the door for the 49ers to strike and that’s exactly what happened just a few plays later on a Purdy rushing touchdown. Without much major action taking place in this one, San Fran would quietly take the 26-8 win.
The Cleveland offense was unable to muster much of anything battling not only the windy conditions but an aggressive 49ers defense looking to get after the quarterback. Sanders did appear to have some issues processing what he was seeing which resulted in 3 sacks (losing 34 yards!) and a few more throwaway balls. He only faced pressure on 13 of his dropbacks and was relatively well protected. What we need to do is remove the name associated with the player and take a step back. He’s a 5th round rookie that’s going to need some time. Some players need a full year of reps or more but don’t always receive it. Sanders will at least get the remaining schedule to show the front office and coaching staff his progress.
The 49ers came in and got the win that we expected. More importantly, they looked much more competent offensively considering the conditions, and considering Myles Garrett was on the opposition. The victory became even more meaningful when the Rams surprisingly took the loss to Carolina making the division race that much tighter down the stretch. They’ll enjoy a week 14 BYE and look to get everyone healthy for the final few weeks.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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