Browns hope to catch 49ers ‘riding high horse’ into Sunday’s clash

Browns hope to catch 49ers ‘riding high horse’ into Sunday’s clash originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers sent a message to the rest of the NFL on “Sunday Night Football” by dismantling the Dallas Cowboys 42-10 at Levi’s Stadium. They are one of two remaining undefeated NFL teams and boast the league’s best point differential (plus-99).

You name the stat, it favors the 49ers. But the Cleveland Browns view all that positivity as an opportunity to strike Sunday in their Week 6 matchup.

“They’ve got to see us. At the end of the day, they’re coming to our house,” Browns safety Grant Delpit told reporters Thursday in Cleveland. “Like I’ve said before, they’re a great team right now. Their quarterback [Brock Purdy] is playing probably the best in the league, and the scheme fits him. They have a great defense.

“But like I said, man, they are riding their high horse right now. That’s probably the best time to get them.”

The 49ers entered the 2023 season determined to avoid a slow start that has plagued them in recent years. San Francisco started last season 3-4 before rattling off 12 straight victories en route to the NFC Championship Game. In 2021, the 49ers stumbled to 2-4 and had to win four of their last five games to make the playoffs.

These days, coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad is 5-0 for the first time since it won eight straight games to start the 2019 season and later advanced to Super Bowl LIV.

“They’re a great team right now. Nobody has been able to stop them,” Delpit said. “They don’t turn the ball over a lot. They get a lot of takeaways on defense. They have a unique scheme on offense. We run a similar defense to them that they run, so they’ve seen it before.

“It’s going to be a war. We’re ready for it.”

The 49ers’ offense logs the third-most total yards per game (402.6). The Browns’ defense surrenders the fewest in the league (196.8 per game).

“I think we match up well,” Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward said Thursday. “They’re a dynamic offense and definitely presents a great challenge for us. I think we’re up for a challenge and looking forward to it, going against those guys and seeing where we’re at.”

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