The 49ers played near-flawless football through the first five weeks of the 2023 NFL season, but on Sunday in Cleveland, they got an early wake-up call from the Browns.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers' offense struggled throughout the brutal 19-17 loss at Cleveland Browns Stadium, while 12 total team penalties for 105 yards showed there are things San Francisco still needs to clean up.
Kyle Shanahan's group didn't have a happy flight back to the Bay Area on Sunday night, but NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Donte Whitner believes the 49ers' loss could be a blessing in disguise.
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"The 49ers [losing] to the Cleveland Browns is probably the best thing that has happened to them in this early season," Whitner said on the latest "Hitner's Hot Take" segment. "Each and every week they're going to get the opponent's best effort. And Sunday was the Super Bowl for the Cleveland Browns."
The Browns, led by their NFL-best defense, were amped up to face the 49ers (5-1). Oddsmakers had Cleveland (3-2) as near-double-digit home underdogs, and the two teams even got into a pregame scuffle, firing up the home team on a cold, soggy day in The Land.
All of that produced an inspiring performance from a Browns squad playing without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Martin Emerson Jr., Juan Thornhill and Amari Cooper were among the Browns players to chirp at the 49ers after the game, proving that Cleveland took the game personal.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers, though, can't spend any more time worrying about the Browns. San Francisco has to look in the mirror and figure out what they need to correct ahead of their Week 7 road game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
"This is a refocusing time for Kyle Shanahan and this 49er team," Whitner said. "Brock Purdy has to play better. They have to eliminate the penalties, eliminate the mental errors and mistakes. The defense has to play better and there's no better way to light a fire under a team than coming off a tough loss.
"And this goes to show if you're not locked in, focused, you have mental errors, penalties. If you give up explosive plays on the defensive side of the ball, on any given Sunday, you can be beat."