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SANTA CLARA — This 49ers team is not a fluke.
No matter what happens from here on out, they proved that much on Monday night.
It was fair to question the validity of the Niners’ unblemished record heading into the contest against the Browns, but folks, there’s no question about it now: this is a good football team.
Oh, and that record is still unblemished — San Francisco is 4-0 now following a 31-3 win over Cleveland.
It’s been a while since competence and competitiveness were found around these parts; half a decade, at least. You could even argue that, until now, it’s never been housed in Levi’s Stadium.
But while the Niners have knocked on the door for the last few years under Kyle Shanahan — building the foundation of something worthwhile — it wasn’t until Monday that they got over the hump and re-joined the heavily populated fray of contenders in the NFL.
One game does not make a season, of course, but the Niners showed tell-tale signs of quality — beyond the obvious — in their beat-down of the Browns at Levi’s Stadium.
(Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Good teams win after a bye week. Check.
Good teams win at home when a national television audience is watching them. The Niners did that.
Good teams beat undisciplined squads. Ding.
Good teams with good coaches beat bad coaches. Yessir.
And, perhaps the biggest telltale sign is that good teams can dominate the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. Oh boy, did the Niners do just that, rushing for 275 yards and knocking Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield around so many times that some endorsement money probably rattled loose.
The Browns might have come into the season as the NFL’s darlings — they had the fifth-best odds in Las Vegas to win the Super Bowl to start the year — but the Niners’ humbled them on Monday night. It was a spanking that had Cleveland quitting a little more than a half-hour into the game.
The Niners did what good teams do to pretenders.
(Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
“We knew they were a great team,” Cleveland wide receiver Jarvis Landry — a lone bright spot for the Browns Monday — said. “We knew they play really good football and that we were going to have to play one of our best games. We just didn’t.”
“They beat us in every facet of the game,” Cleveland coach Freddie Kitchens, who was made to look like an Alabama-bred Jim Tomsula on Monday, said after the contest. “They did a great job. They coached better than us. They played better than us in all areas.”
There will be more humps and bumps along the way for Kyle Shanahan’s team, of course — there are still 12 games to play this season, after all.
“It’s time to play division opponents — that’s what really matters. We’re not done,” Nick Bosa — the game’s MVP after registering five quarterback hits, two sacks, and a forced fumble — said.
But don’t lose sight of this moment. Monday was an important checkpoint for this organization.
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22) scores a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball for a 83-yard touchdown run against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter of an NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22), left, gets tackled by Cleveland Browns' Terrance Mitchell (39), right, during the first quarter of their game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) runs for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) runs for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) celebrates with wide receiver Deebo Samuel after scoring against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. At left is middle linebacker Joe Schobert (53). (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates the touchdown run by Matt Breida #22 in the first quarter against Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers and a teammate celebrate the touchdown run by Matt Breida#22 in the first quarter against Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 and George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate as teammate Matt Breida #22 runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball for an 83-yard touchdown run against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter of an NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers and teammate Kendrick Bourne #84 celebrate Breida second touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22) scores a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22) celebrates his touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22) celebrates his touchdown run with San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk (44) against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22) runs against Cleveland Browns' Jermaine Whitehead (35) in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Francisco 49ers' Matt Breida (22), left, celebrates with teammate San Francisco 49ers' Kendrick Bourne (84), right, during the first quarter of their game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)
