San Francisco 49ers: 5 Season-defining moments that led to Super Bowl 54

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San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Week 5 vs. CLE: The Prime-Time Browning

Entering their Week 5 Monday Night Football matchup, the 49ers were 3-0 and set for a home showdown with the 2-2 Cleveland Browns. The 49ers were coming off their bye week and the Browns had just handed the Baltimore Ravens a shocking 40-25 defeat behind 342 passing yards from Baker Mayfield and 165 rushing yards from Nick Chubb.

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Despite San Francisco’s impressive record, many people had considered their dominance to be a fluke up to this point. Their last three opponents were far from spectacular, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers had a combined record of 3-12 after the results of the Week 5 slate. The national media had been backing the Browns for most of the week and suggesting the 49ers were nothing more than a pretender.

Nevertheless, San Francisco made a statement on national television, as they drubbed Cleveland in a 31-3 rout. The 49ers ran 40 times for 275 yards and two touchdowns, including an 83-yard scamper by the speedy Matt Breida. The defense showed they could tame any offense, as they allowed only eight completed passes, forced four turnovers, and sacked Mayfield four times. Nick Bosa celebrated by planting the flag after his last sack of Mayfield and showed the world that the 49ers deserved respect.

This game was a coming-out party for San Francisco. It was proof that they were not a beneficiary of weak opponents, but a dominant team and contender in the NFC. While many in the media attributed this game more to the Browns’ collapse than the 49ers’ dominance, it was a primetime stepping stone for the Bay Area up-and-comers.