Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland and San Francisco have been battling since the days of the AAFC. Here are 5 memorable games between the teams.
The Cleveland Browns will close out the month of November when they host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season.
The series between the Browns and 49ers dates back to the days of the All-America Football Conference, with the first meeting coming on October 27, 1946. Cleveland holds a 20-10 advantage over San Francisco, which includes a title game victory in 1949.
Related: Browns 2025 Schedule Primer: Week 13, San Francisco 49ers
The Browns have also been competitive against the 49ers since 1999, with Cleveland holding a 4-2 edge, including wins in two of the last three meetings.
Let’s take a run through five of the most memorable games between the Browns and 49ers.
Cleveland closed out its four-year run of dominance in the All-America Football Conference by downing San Francisco and claiming their fourth consecutive league title.
The Browns were all business in building a 14-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Edgar Jones and a 68-yard touchdown run by Marion Motley. San Francisco tried to answer back with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Frankie Albert to Paul Salata early in the fourth quarter, but the Browns held firm and scored their third rushing touchdown of the day with six minutes left when Dub Jones scored on a four-yard run.
Cleveland’s defense held the 49ers on their next possession, and the Browns ran out the clock with 11 consecutive runs. The game may have marked the end of the AAFC, but it was just the beginning of Cleveland’s dominant run through the NFL during the decade of the 1950s.
The Browns and 49ers met up on a sunny day at Kezar Stadium in a game that was filled with plenty of offense.
San Francisco jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the second quarter, thanks in part to a 35-yard interception return by Mel Phillips. But the Browns fought back, and after Leroy Kelly’s second rushing touchdown of the game, took a 31-27 lead early in the fourth quarter.
That scoring drive was costly as quarterback Bill Nelsen left the game with a knee injury, and on Cleveland’s next offensive possession, Don Gault threw an interception. San Francisco took advantage of the turnover as John Brodie tossed his third touchdown pass of the day, this one a 61-yarder to Jimmy Thomas, to give the 49ers the win.
The Browns rolled up 448 yards of total offense, including 308 passing yards from Nelsen and 157 receiving yards from Fair Hooker, but were ultimately done in by four turnovers.
Cleveland’s defense was on display during an early-season appearance on Monday Night Football, breaking a nine-game regular-season winning streak by San Francisco.
After a first quarter dominated by field goals, the...
