The GameDay Opening Drive 11/30: Keep the Hope Alive in Cleveland
The Browns host the 49ers today in a game both side badly need for different reasons.
It’s gameday in Cleveland — and the stage is set for the Browns to keep their extremely slim playoff hopes alive. The Browns welcome the San Francisco 49ers to town in a matchup that features the 49ers’ star-driven offense against the Browns’ dominant defense as the focal point. But how the Browns offense navigates the tough weather — with Shedeur Sanders making his second NFL start — will also draw league-wide intrigue. The 49ers are one of the NFL’s gold-standard franchises, but trips to the lakefront have not always treated the West Coast’s best kindly. This week presents another challenge with short rest and a cross-country flight into an early kickoff window.
The Browns have some baked-in advantages here and will try to lean into them as they chase the right to stay “in the hunt.” The 49ers need a win today to keep pace in a loaded NFC playoff race and a division where the Rams and Seahawks are currently in front of them. Both teams should play as if everything is on the line. We’ll see if Jim Schwartz’s dominance over Kyle Shanahan’s offense can continue trending in the right direction — though it’s tough to ever feel fully optimistic about that.
Buckle up — this one’s going to hit.
Stay warm inside for as long as you can today and while you do that, we start your day with the podcast you all love and trust.
GameDay Preview Podcast: Week 13, Browns vs 49ers
The Browns are set to host the San Francisco 49ers in some wintry conditions today. Coming off a win in Las Vegas, the Browns look to prove it wasn’t a fluke as Shedeur Sanders makes his second career start against better competition. We start the show with some college football banter off an exciting rivalry week, then we have all the usual pertinent i…
Inside the weekly GameDay Opening Drive you will get all the pieces of information paired with your GameDay Podcast to enhance your Sundays with this team.
So, sit back, pour some coffee, turn on the best pre-game Browns song known to man, and enjoy a fresh delivery of crucial Week 13 information from yours truly.
Forecast for Cleveland calls for cold and potentially wet conditions — some sources mention cloudy/damp with wind, which could affect passing and kicking. Snow and Rain before 1 PM - could be a window between 1 - 4 pm of no precipitation, high winds - gusts up to 44 mph, high of 34 - feels like 20 degrees. This one could get nasty for those watching live.
The Browns and 49ers history dates back to their first matchup in the 1950 season. Since then they have played a total of 21 times across all those years. That isn’t very often when you consider 70+ years of NFL action. There was a very real chance the two could have run into each other in the Super Bowl in the late 1980’s but fate had other plans for the Browns.
The Browns were 9-6 against the 49ers before the move in 1995, and upon their return in 1999 they have also fared well against the Niners going 4-2. The Browns lead the all-time series 13-8-0.
Another week, another parlay on FanDuel that gets us some nice odds where you can lock in another 25% profit boost and get some better odds. Despite the weather, we turn to some low number receiving yard props as the Browns tight end numbers are low and Shedeur Sanders should get some opportunity to throw it around. Let’s take advantage of it. It’s also tough to pass on some CMC receiving yard props — especially when it is below 40 yards.
The Browns go back to their traditional home uniform against non-AFC North opponents. The look is almost turning into a throwback of sorts with all the new alternate looks they are wearing these days. Needless to say, I love this combo for the nostalgia but it’s just also very clean.
The 49ers go with their traditional road uniform and it’s another NFL classic. The gold helmets paired with pants is a perfect look.
Let’s revisit the Browns win over the 49ers in 2007 where the Browns needed to get a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and accomplish the rare feat of getting double-digit wins in the regular season. Cleveland’s 10 wins were its most since its expansion rebirth. The Browns had last posted double-digit wins in 1994 (11). On the day Josh Cribbs returned a punt for a touchdown and would have had a kickoff return in the same game if not for a phantom holding call.
The defense dominated Chris Weinke and the 49ers offense, and despite an injury pinky finger Derek Anderson led two scoring drives and Brady Quinn another to help the Browns win 20-7. Hopes for the playoffs would end later in the day as the Colts, resting all of their starters, would fall to the Titans.
Catch us LIVE after the game on the Browns Film Breakdown Show where we will cover everything Post-Game at 4:25PM on our YouTube Channel.
As always, Go Browns!
