The 49ers face the Cleveland Browns on 1978-09-03 at the visitors' stadium. Steve DeBerg is the starting quarterback. O.J. Simpson is in the running back rotation in his first 49ers year after the Buffalo trade. Freddie Solomon and Paul Hofer are the receivers.
The roster transition under general manager Joe Thomas continues to define the year.[1]
The Sunday matchup against the Cleveland Browns is the kind of road game where the roster's offensive line has the matchup the coaching staff has been pointing toward all week. The Joe Thomas front-office tenure continues to be defined by the post-Brodie quarterback room.
Steve DeBerg is the listed starter. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Cleveland Browns' offensive line. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the staff has been working through.
Around the conference Week 1 continues to shape the 1978 playoff race. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins share the NFC East projection. The Rams remain the NFC West projected leader. The road matchup with the Cleveland Browns is the calendar's sense-check on the rebuilt 49ers roster's pacing. Around the conference the slate continues to clarify the playoff seeding picture across the closing weeks.
Through 0 games the 49ers are tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar 1978, defines the roster transition under Joe Thomas. Steve DeBerg's passing line is the offensive identity. O.J. Simpson is in the rushing rotation. The Cleveland Browns are tracking their own divisional standing. Vegas opens the lines accordingly.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Houston Oilers | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Baltimore Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
49ers 0, Cleveland Browns 749ers 7, Cleveland Browns 1449ers 7, Cleveland Browns 1449ers 7, Cleveland Browns 2449ers 7, Cleveland Browns 24[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 07777 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 714142424 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Greg Pruitt 2 yard rush ( Don Cockroft kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ken MacAfee 7 yard pass from Steve DeBerg ( Ray Wersching kick) | 7-7 |
| Browns | Ozzie Newsome 33 yard rush ( Don Cockroft kick) | 7-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Reggie Rucker 69 yard pass from Brian Sipe ( Don Cockroft kick) | 7-21 |
| Browns | Don Cockroft 23 yard field goal | 7-24 |
The 49ers lost 7-24 on the road against the Cleveland Browns on 1978-09-03. DeBerg threw three interceptions. O.J. Simpson ran for 78 on 22 carries in his 49ers debut. The Browns' defensive line produced four sacks. The 49ers were held to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been working through. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that defined the afternoon.[1]
The 49ers lost 7-24 against the Cleveland Browns. DeBerg threw three interceptions. O.J. Simpson ran for 78 on 22 carries in his 49ers debut. The Browns' defensive line produced four sacks. The 49ers were held to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of game-script the calendar's transition year has been working through. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been producing across the start.
The rushing rotation produced the workhorse afternoon the offense has been building around. The receiver room caught the routes the playbook has been calling. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that, in calendar 1978, defines the rebuild's progress. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture.
49ers 7, Cleveland Browns 24. Margin: minus 17. The Sunday's box score reads in line with the calendar's transition-year pacing. Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation produced the workhorse line. The defensive unit produced its pressure.
A 7-24 road loss at the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers' transition-year calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
DeBerg threw three interceptions. O.J. Simpson ran for 78 on 22 carries in his 49ers debut. The Browns' defensive line produced four sacks. The 49ers were held to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been working through across the season's first weeks.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1978, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the year's transition.
By the numbers
Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation ran the workhorse line. The receiver room caught the route distribution. The defensive unit produced the pressure that, in transition-year play, defines the calendar's pacing.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The Joe Thomas front-office continues to shape the depth chart. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in calendar 1978, defines the transition-year pace.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 16/32 | 174 | 1 | 3 | |
| CLE | |||||
| Brian Sipe | 12/25 | 190 | 1 | 0 | |
| Greg Pruitt | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| O.J. Simpson | 22 | 78 | 0 | 18 |
| Greg Boykin | 15 | 52 | 0 | 8 |
| Dave Williams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CLE | ||||
| Greg Pruitt | 22 | 106 | 1 | 22 |
| Ozzie Newsome | 1 | 33 | 1 | 33 |
| Brian Sipe | 4 | 32 | 0 | 35 |
| Cleo Miller | 10 | 31 | 0 | 6 |
| Mike Pruitt | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Tom Sullivan | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terry LeCount | 5 | 63 | 0 | 17 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 28 |
| Ken MacAfee | 3 | 22 | 1 | 10 |
| O.J. Simpson | 3 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
| Greg Boykin | 2 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| CLE | ||||
| Reggie Rucker | 3 | 113 | 1 | 69 |
| Greg Pruitt | 3 | 25 | 0 | 22 |
| Dave Logan | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Cleo Miller | 3 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Mike Pruitt | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Ozzie Newsome | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1978 W1 - 49ers at Cleveland Browns - Game Thread
