49ers report card: Ugly across the board with one ‘F’ in loss to Browns

CLEVELAND – Here is how the 49ers (5-1) graded in Sunday’s 19-17 loss at the Cleveland Browns (3-2):

PASS OFFENSE: D

Brock Purdy battled through a career-worst passing day before piecing together a potential game-winning drive in the final 100 seconds. He connected with Brandon Aiyuk on only four of 10 targets, but two completions came on that final drive to reach the Browns’ 35-yard line, followed by a 9-yard completion to Jauan Jennings. The Browns’ top-ranked pass defense flustered and pressured Purdy (three sacks, six hits). Trent Williams played the final three quarters with a right ankle injury that bears concern for the next few weeks. George Kittle barely kept alive his streak of a catch in every game of his career with a 1-yard reception on two targets.

RUN OFFENSE: D

Christian McCaffrey busted loose for a 27-yard run on his first carry, but he managed 16 yards on his next 10 carries combined and left in the third quarter with oblique/rib injuries. McCaffrey did not comment to reporters afterward, but perhaps he was hurt on that initial run, when he was shoved out of bounds and into the 49ers’ bench, where his left ribs collided on the personal foul push from Greg Newsome. Other than that, there wasn’t much room to run up the middle on a defense yielding 3.22 yards per carry through four games. Jordan Mason did find daylight on an 8-yard touchdown run to give the 49ers a fourth-quarter lead. Ray-Ray McCloud had 15- and 18-yard runs in place of Deebo Samuel, who exited in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

PASS DEFENSE: C

P.J. Walker won with a 45.2 passer rating in place of Deshaun Watson. Walker, a former Panthers backup, was intercepted by Fred Warner (first series) and Deommodore Lenoir (fourth quarter). Oren Burks, starting in place of an injured Dre Greenlaw, nearly added an interception in the end zone before the Browns’ winning field goal. Earlier, Burks was in coverage alongside Charvarius Ward on a fourth-down conversion catch. Nick Bosa’s lone sack came on third down and forced a 50-yard field goal that kept the 49ers’ lead intact, temporarily. Bosa said of the sack: “It was a good call by (defensive coordinator Steve) Wilks. We needed to adjust earlier, and I don’t think we did that as a defense.” One late adjustment was the insertion of Randy Gregory, who had a sack and three hits in his 49ers debut, which should get him more action at the cost of either Drake Jackson or Clelin Ferrell. Ward played tight coverage, but still gave up a sideline catch to Amari Cooper and later drew a fourth-quarter holding penalty on the Browns’ go-ahead drive.

RUN DEFENSE: D

Way too many missed tackles in the box as the Browns racked up 160 yards on 34 carries. Jerome Ford for 84 yards? Kareem Hunt for 47 more? The 49ers have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their past 33 games, the NFL’s fourth-longest streak since 2006 (and three games shy of the 49ers’ 2009-11 effort). Warner’s seven tackles pushed his career total to 681, passing NaVorro Bowman for the fourth-most in franchise history.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

Harsh grade? Horrible ending. Jake Moody’s 41-yard attempt sailed just wide of the right upright with six seconds left to crush the 49ers’ comeback hopes. But Moody proved accountable and stood at his locker to answer every question from reporters. While fans ponder how things might have unfolded differently had the 49ers re-signed Robbie Gould rather than spend a third-round pick on Moody, here is a note: Gould missed a 41-yard field goal wide right at the end of a fourth-quarter comeback in Las Vegas, where he made amends with a 23-yarder in overtime to win that New Year’s Day game. Moody made all three of his field-goal attempts in each of his first three games, then Sunday brought his first miss (54 yards, wide left), from which he rebounded to make a 25-yarder for a 10-0 lead.

COACHING: D+

The 49ers’ 215 yards were their fewest in coach Kyle Shanahan’s seven seasons, and they fell to 0-5 when totaling under 250 yards. Yards aside, there was a lot of talk afterward by Shanahan, Purdy, Bosa and others about not making proper adjustments with personnel. Of all days to lose, this at least didn’t cost the 49ers any ground in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles also fell to 5-1 by virtue of their own road loss, 20-14 at the New York Jets.