49ers at Cleveland Browns

Jamal Lewis ran for 128 yards and the Cleveland Browns beat the 49ers 20-7 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the season finale. Derek Anderson threw a touchdown. Chris Weinke threw a touchdown to Darrell Jackson but added an interception. Frank Gore ran for 94. The Browns' Phil Dawson made multiple field goals. The 49ers finished 5-11 with the loss.[1][2][3]

The Cleveland Browns beat the 49ers 20-7 Sunday morning at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the season finale. The 49ers' fourth different starting quarterback of the year, Chris Weinke, threw a touchdown to Darrell Jackson in the third quarter for the team's only score of the day.

Frank Gore ran for 94. Vernon Davis caught two for 32. Darrell Jackson caught the touchdown. Derek Anderson threw a touchdown for the Browns. Jamal Lewis ran for 128 yards on 26 carries. The kind of road finale where the year's identity tape, against a playoff-hopeful opponent, was the kind of result the line predicted.

5-11. The year's final record. The kind of road finale that ends Mike Nolan's third year on the wrong side of the franchise's playoff conversation. The offseason begins with the head-coaching watch from late October still open, the offensive identity in transition, and the Alex Smith shoulder uncertainty going into 2008. The kind of December finale that closes the chapter on one of the franchise's most disappointing recent years.

Browns 20, 49ers 7. Margin: -13. Sixteen-game record: 5-11, -145 differential.

* Derek Anderson: 11-of-20 for 152, 1 TD, 1 INT.
* Jamal Lewis: 26 carries for 128.
* Braylon Edwards: receiving production.
* Chris Weinke (1st 2007 start): 13-of-22 for 104, 1 TD (to Jackson), 0 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 23 carries for 94.
* Darrell Jackson: 3 catches for 28, 1 TD.
* Vernon Davis: 2 catches for 32.
* 49ers' 4 different starting QBs in 2007: Smith, Dilfer, Hill, Weinke.
* 49ers 5-11 (final); Browns 10-6.

A 20-7 road finale loss at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The 49ers finish 5-11. Mike Nolan's third year ends with a fourth-different starting QB at season's end.

How it unfolded

Cleveland scored on their opening drive with a Phil Dawson field goal. The Browns added a Jamal Lewis touchdown to make it 10-0. Dawson added a second field goal to make it 13-0 at halftime. The third quarter was Chris Weinke's touchdown to Darrell Jackson to make it 13-7. The Browns added a Derek Anderson touchdown to push the lead to 20-7. The fourth quarter was scoreless.

The turning point

The Jamal Lewis touchdown in the second quarter. With the score 3-0 and Cleveland's offense looking for the kind of statement the playoff-hopeful Browns needed, Lewis's score pushed the lead to 10-0 and set the kind of one-way pace the rest of the day produced.

By the numbers

Weinke 104 passing on 22 attempts with a TD and no INTs. Gore 94 rushing on 23 carries. Davis 32 receiving on 2 catches. Darrell Jackson 28 receiving on 3 catches with the TD. Derek Anderson 152 on 20 attempts with a TD. Jamal Lewis 128 rushing on 26 carries.

Personnel watch

Chris Weinke, the fourth-different starting quarterback of the year. Shaun Hill on the injury report. Frank Gore's productive day. Vernon Davis quiet. Darrell Jackson's touchdown reception against the team that hosted his career. The kind of finale where the year's QB carousel produced one last name on the depth chart.

What it means

5-11 with the offseason beginning. The year's record, the worst in Mike Nolan's three-year tenure. The offseason will be about whether Nolan keeps the job (he did, briefly, before being fired in October 2008), whether Alex Smith's shoulder heals, and whether Jim Hostler returns as offensive coordinator (he did not). The kind of finale where one of the franchise's worst recent seasons ended with a quarterback the team had not started all year.