Unbeaten 49ers crush turnover-prone Browns
Redskins fire Gruden after 0-5 start NFL Standings
SANTA CLARA, Calif, Oct 8, (RTRS) Matt Breida set the tone with a long run as part of his 114-yard night, and the San Francisco 49ers dominated the visiting Cleveland Browns in a 31-3 victory Monday in Santa Clara, Calif.
Teammate Tevin Coleman added 97 yards on the ground. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed 20 of 29 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers (4-0), the only unbeaten team in the NFC, held Cleveland to 180 total yards. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa recorded two sacks.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 100 yards, completing just 8 of 22 throws for the Browns (2-3), who committed four turnovers. For Mayfield, a second-year pro, it marked his first career start without a passing touchdown. He was intercepted twice.
Breida ripped off an 83-yard touchdown run on the 49ers’ first offensive snap on the first of his 11 carries. He returned 49 yards.
The 49ers made the most of the turnover on Coleman’s 19-yard touchdown run. He finished with 16 carries.
Mayfield had 80 passing yards in the first half.
Meanwhile the Washington Redskins fired head coach Jay Gruden early Monday following the team’s 0-5 start.
The Redskins made the announcement via Twitter, saying Gruden had been informed of the decision in an early-morning meeting with owner Daniel Snyder and team president Bruce Allen.
“I’m not bitter,” Gruden told the Washington Post. “This is a productionbased business, and I didn’t get it done.” The team wrote in its release, “Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations.” Washington is 0-5 for the first time since 2001.
“To make a decision like this is difficult but it was necessary,” Allen said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “Our 0-5 start is not just disappointing, we had much different expectations for this beginning of the season.
“We owe it to our fans, our millions of fans not just here in the great nation’s capital but across the world, the players, the coaches and their families to do everything we can to win.” Redskins assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan will be the interim head coach, Allen confirmed.
“Under Bill’s leadership, the programs he’s going to put in, the discipline and execution, we believe we’re giving him the best opportunity to beat the Miami Dolphins (on Sunday), and the rest of the year,” Allen said.
The Post reported that Gruden was annoyed at Allen’s suggestion that his work ethic – or that the team’s preparation -- was lacking.
“I want to make sure that everybody knows that I actually did work,” he said.
Allen said that Callahan will decide who starts at quarterback, whether it’s Case Keenum, Colt McCoy or rookie Dwayne Haskins.
Callahan, however, told reporters in his press conference on Monday that he’s not prepared to start Haskins.
“We’re going to continue to develop him and heighten his maturation process. Try to get him on schedule so he is prepared,” Callahan said of Haskins, who was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Allen defended the selection of Haskins amid reports that the team was split about taking him in the draft.
“As far as Dwayne, we’re excited as hell to have him on this football team,” Allen said. “We think he has a great future. He’s working very hard. He’s learning the system. When Coach Callahan decides to put him in, he’ll make that decision.