CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Shedeur Sanders' second straight start was wrecked by numerous mistakes by the Browns, including two turnovers and a 66-yard punt return by the 49ers.
As a result, the Browns lost 26-8 to the 49ers on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field to fall to 3-9, guaranteeing their second straight losing season.
Sanders had a chance to become the first Browns quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win his first two starts for the club.
It wasn't to be because of a fumbled snap on an attempted sneak by tight end Harold Fannin Jr., a muffed punt by Gage Larvadain, and the 66-yard punt return. All three mistakes led to touchdowns for the 49ers, who improved to 8-4.
The Fannin fumble and Larvadain muffled punt came minutes apart in the second half, and put the game out of reach at 23-8. The 49ers tacked on a field goal with 4:09 left to make 26-8.
By that time, most of the freezing cold fans -- many of whom braved the elements to watch Sanders -- had emptied the stands and fled for the exits.
Sanders actually had a decent outing and built on his starting debut against the Raiders. In that game, he went 11 of 20 for 209 yards for an 87.5 rating during the 24-10 Browns victory last week.
On Sunday, he went 16 of 25 for 149 yards with 1 TD and 0 INT en route to a 93.6 rating. He was sacked three times.
His signature play this game was the 34-yard touchdown pass to Fannin in the second quarter that put the Browns up 8-7. He rolled left and hit Fannin on an up and out before getting hit. Quinshon Judkins ran in for two points for the conversion.
Thanks to some excellent defense, some hard running by Judkins (91 yards on 23 carries), and Sanders' fine TD pass, the Browns trailed only 10-8 at the half.
Sanders headed into the game with a chance to earn another start and put another dent in the Browns' plans to draft a quarterback with one or both of their first-round picks in the 2026 draft.
He once again showed good poise for most of the game, and went to the right place with the ball. He didn't throw any interceptions, and was sacked only once until being taken down hard twice in the fourth quarter.
With 9:19 left in the game, Sanders slid awkwardly on a 4-yard sack and got up slowly. He walked gingerly to the sidelines, and was replaced for a play by Dillon Gabriel.
But Sanders, who certainly earned another start with his heads-up play and continued progress, missed only one play before returning to the field. Once again, he showed his toughness in absorbing a hit and pressing on.
Sanders also played most of the game without right tackle Jack Conklin, who was lost late in the first half to a concussion. KT Leveston replaced him. But Sanders eluded pressure again for the second straight week, and got the ball off several times before getting drilled.
The Browns suffered their second special-teams gaffe of the game -- and their second turnover in two drives -- in the fourth quarter when Gage Larvadain muffed the punt and the 49ers recovered at the Browns 18.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy found receiver Jauan Jennings for a 7-yard TD pass on a post route to increase their lead to 23-8. The two-point pass failed.
It was the second straight TD by the 49ers off a Browns turnover.
Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. fumbled the snap on an attempted sneak on a fourth and 1 with just over 7 minutes left in the third quarter. Purdy finished off a 32-yard drive after the turnover and scored on a 2-yard run.
The Browns had surrendered a 66-yard punt return in the first quarter that led to Christian McCaffrey's 1-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.
The Browns planned to run a fourth-and-1 sneak with Fannin in the third quarter, but Fannin fumbled the snap, and the 49ers recovered to start at the Browns’ 32. Purdy found tight end George Kittle for 14 yards on third and 8 to the Browns’ 4, and Purdy made them pay three plays later with a 2-yard touchdown run.
He faked a handoff to McCaffrey and scampered in on the left side to make it 17-8.
Conklin suffered a concussion late in the first half and was ruled out of the game at halftime. He was replaced by K.T. Leveston. Center Ethan Pocic had already spent a drive on the sidelines in the first half and was replaced by Luke Wypler but returned.
In the third quarter, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who's been playing at a Pro Bowl level, went down on a non-contact injury and was carted off. He was soon ruled out for the game. It was a tremendous loss for the Browns considering how much Collins, the former 49er, has helped Myles Garrett this season as well as being a force in his own right.
He is second on the team with 6.5 sacks.
The Browns were already without defensive end Alex Wright (quad) and his replacement Isaiah McGuire, who injured his foot during the game.
Taking over with 39 seconds left in the half, the 49ers took a 10-8 lead on a 25-yard field goal by Matt Gay that smacked the left upright and went in against the wind at the Dawg Pound end of the stadium as the half expired.
The play before, Kittle caught a 33-yard pass to the 7 over Browns safety Ronnie Hickman to set up the score.
Purdy also completed passes of 13 and 12 yards on the six-play drive.
The Browns outplayed the 49ers in the first half, even though they didn't have the lead to show for it. They outgained the 49ers 177-134, and dominated time of possession 17:49-12:11.
Sanders went 8 of 11 for 96 yards in the first half with one TD and 0 INT for a 129.4 rating. Purdy went 9 of 15 for 115 yards with 0 TD and 0 INT for a 84.0 rating.
McCaffrey was held to 9 yards on six carries in the first half, while Judkins rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries in the first half.
Sanders stepped up in the pocket and found Fannin on an up-and-out for a 34-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds left in the half. The 49ers had too many men on the field on the extra point attempt, giving the Browns a chance to go for two points.
Judkins rumbled in off right guard for the conversion and an 8-7 Browns lead.
Before the perfect pass to Fannin, after which Sanders took a hard hit, the Browns had run the ball nine straight times with four different runners: Judkins, Bond, Malachi Corley and Dylan Sampson.
The Browns' special teams have given up way too many big returns this season, and let up again early in the game when Skyy Moore dashed 66 yards to the Browns 16 on a punt return.
Purdy found McCaffrey for a 12-yard pass to the 2 on third and 8, and then punched it two plays later from the 1 to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead. It was McCaffrey’s 13th TD of the season, and eighth rushing.
The Browns had already lost two games this season because of special teams: the opener against the Bengals in which Andre Szmyt missed two kicks; and the Jets game, in which the Browns surrendered two returns for TDs.