The San Francisco 49ers didn't underestimate the Cleveland Browns. They made that clear throughout the week leading up to the game and in the aftermath of Sunday's defeat at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Head coach Kyle Shanahan believed he had his players well-prepared, emphasizing that they were about to face a really good football team and the toughest defensive test so far this season.
In the end, the 49ers had a chance to win, with Brock Purdy orchestrating a final drive that positioned the team for a potential game-winning field goal. Unfortunately, that kick missed its target, resulting in San Francisco's first loss of the season and breaking a 15-game regular-season winning streak.
"There's things we can certainly improve upon," general manager John Lynch said Friday morning on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "We feel like we've got the makings of a championship team. But I think also, the mark of a good team is when you have a rough day, to still be there at the end and have opportunities to win. And that was the unfortunate thing—we had that, we let that go.
"And I'm not just talking about the last play, the missed kick. I'm talking about many more other opportunities through that game. We left a lot out on the field, and we took our medicine. Hopefully, we learned from it. Sometimes, things like this can be a good thing, just to tighten details, and we'll see how we respond. It's important that we do."
Apart from an impressive opening drive and the final push to secure the win, Purdy had one of the toughest games of his career. The quarterback only completed 44.4 percent of his passes for 125 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, resulting in a career-low 55.3 passer rating.
Purdy missed opportunities, some of which could have put the 49ers in an excellent position to win the game.
"I think Brock's been phenomenal for us," Lynch said. "We've talked a lot about that. When you are that good, there's a standard that you've created. And so when you're a little off, for a lot of reasons, let's not sugarcoat it, during the course of the game, and early in the game, we lost [WR] Deebo [Samuel]. Then, shortly thereafter, [we] lost [RB] Christian [McCaffrey].
"They're a big part of what we do, and so, when you're missing them, especially when it happens live, so you haven't prepared for it all the week, it's going to affect what you do and who you are. Having said that, I'm sure Brock holds himself to a high standard, and there were some throws he'd like to have back. ... [T]here's a lot we'd like to have back as a team, so all we can do is learn from that.
"Brock has shown that he's a guy who responds. [He] hasn't had many bad days, so this is an opportunity for him to show everyone that he's looking forward to that opportunity to get back on the field. And we expect the standard from him because that's really what he's showing to us."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
