Through the first five games of this NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers looked very formidable, especially after their 42-10 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. But they played a very poor game and lost their first game of 2023 to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, albeit by just two points.

Quarterback Brock Purdy had one of the first bad games of his pro career, while stars Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams all suffered injuries during the contest.

Browns stud wide receiver Amari Cooper celebrated his team’s win by reveling in the fact that the Niners are no longer undefeated.

The Browns got the job done the way they have so far this season: with a tough defense that limited San Francisco to just 107 passing yards and forced Purdy’s first interception this season while sacking him three times.

There was plenty of optimism surrounding them coming into the season, especially after they upgraded their defense, but when star running back Nick Chubb suffered a severe knee injury in Week 2, their playoff hopes seemed doomed.

Instead, Cleveland now holds a 3-2 record, and it seems to be in the hunt for a playoff spot, at least for now.

The team is toward the bottom of the league in passing yards and touchdowns, which is to be expected when quarterback Deshaun Watson has been out for the last three games with a shoulder injury. But Cooper has been holding things down with 367 receiving yards in his five games.

The Browns will visit the Indianapolis Colts, another team that has been surprisingly competitive despite its own problems, this Sunday before heading west to play the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 29. Meanwhile, the 49ers will look to get back on track on Monday against the Minnesota Vikings before they have their bye week.

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