Le Journal

The Cleveland Browns did not take kindly to 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who was punched in the groin last game to earn Carolina’s Tre’Von Moehrig a one-game suspension. “Like I see why he got punched in the (groin), because he said some things that you should not say to another man, ever,” Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris told reporters after the 49ers’ 26-8 victory Sunday. “But, like, I don’t respect it because you say that then run behind your O-line. That’s some real soft (expletive), and I want that known. I see exactly why they punched him in the (groin). I’m surprised nobody punched him in the jaw yet.” Jennings verbally clashed with several Browns players while defensive tackle Maliek Collins, a 2024 49ers starter, was getting medical attention for a third-quarter knee injury. Related Articles 49ers’ Brock Purdy bounces back and adds some hip-hop flair in win over Browns Kurtenbach: The 49ers are battered, bruised and extremely dangerous as they head into their bye week What the 49ers said after beating the Browns Instant analysis of 49ers’ 26-8 win over Browns in Cleveland Studs and Duds: Brock Purdy bounces back, 49ers special teams shine in win over Browns “I can’t speak for how he was raised, but if you have nothing good to say, don’t say something to somebody,” Browns star Myles Garrett said. “So he had a lot to say that was demeaning and disparaging towards some of our players. … I tried to go up and ask for what the problem was, and then he started coming at me and, I mean, some guys just roll like that.” Jennings’ response: a third-and-goal, 7-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter for a 23-8 49ers’ lead. It was his fifth of the season, and fourth in the past five games. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings celebrates after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Nothing is pretty in Cleveland in the winter. Least of all the football. But Cleveland’s nasty weather and even nastier defense didn’t faze the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It was the perfect setup for a trap game. A short week. A holiday hangover. A roster looking ahead to a desperate, long-awaited bye week. It had “no-fun letdown” written in neon letters across the script. The Niners didn’t care. They just went out and turned in one of their sharpest, most professional performances of a season that has been nothing short of a surprise party. The 49ers weren’t flashy in their 26-8 win over the Browns. They weren’t particularly exciting. But a ninth win is a ninth win. And in this league, a ninth win before December doesn’t just loom large. It casts a shadow over the entire conference. Related Articles Studs and Duds: Brock Purdy bounces back, 49ers special teams shine in win over Browns Kurtenbach: 49ers can exploit Shedeur Sanders’ weaknesses, but they can’t overlook the rest of the Browns 49ers need best of Brock Purdy as NFL playoffs loom. Can he still give it? Kurtenbach: The 49ers got away with one against the Panthers. It better be one-and-done 49ers Studs and Duds: The Niners dominate while Brock Purdy implodes What if the Niners aren’t the chasing team, but, in fact, the team being chased? San Francisco 49ers' Skyy Moore (9) returns a punt against Cleveland Browns punter Corey Bojorquez during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard) Sunday’s win puts San Francisco squarely in the driver’s seat for the NFC playoffs. The NFL’s own analytics machines are spitting out a playoff probability of 93 percent. That’s a fancy number for a simple truth: They’d really have to botch this to miss the postseason now. With one-win Tennessee coming to town for Week 15, the Niners likely need just one victory in their final four games to punch their ticket to an 18th game. Who knows? Maybe the NFC West title—or even the No. 1 seed—is still on the table. Combine Sunday’s business trip in Cleveland with the Los Angeles Rams’ stunning loss in Carolina, and suddenly the ceiling looks a lot higher. The 49ers have just one more loss than the new top dogs in the conference, the surprising Chicago Bears (who visit Levi’s Stadium in late December). “I think looking from the outside in, if people said you’re going to be 9-4 going into the bye and you’re not going to have Fred Warner or Nick Bosa and (George) Kittle is going to miss five games and Brock (Purdy) is going to miss six, I think a lot of people would have laughed,” Kittle said after Sunday’s game. Of course they would have. How couldn’t they? And yet here we are. Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Clelin Ferrell, rear, as defensive lineman Keion White (56) follows the play during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard) The fact that they’re standing here is a testament to the coaching staff and the stars who managed to stay upright. Sure, it helps to play a fourth-place schedule and run through the NFC and AFC South divisions — the easiest slate the NFL has churned out in years— but there was ample opportunity for this team to crumble. Even against inferior competition, bad teams find ways to lose. The Niners didn’t. Their performance against the Browns was just the latest exhibit of this team’s remarkable resiliency. They did what a playoff team should do: They allowed the Browns to beat themselves and added in a few additional punches for good measure. They made a bad team look awful on Sunday. (How many head coaches have the Niners gotten fired this season? I think Sunday will mark four.) It was a redemption game for Purdy. On Monday Night Football, he looked lost and perhaps even injured, tossing three woeful interceptions against the Panthers. Six days later, staring into swirling wind gusting…