Johnny Manziel is ‘Money’ For The Cleveland Browns In Win Over 49ers

Dec 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) leaves the field after the Cleveland Browns beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-10 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

So what if the San Francisco 49ers have the worst offense in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns’ running game and defense came to play and helped Johnny Manziel be Johnny Football. With the third win of the season on the board, Factory of Sadness breaks down everything you need to know from Sunday’s game.

Rapid Reaction: 1st Half

Here’s Johnny! I’m sure too much will be made about Johnny Manziel signing a $100 bill prior to the game, as ESPN reporter Pat McManamon filed a story about the matter before Manziel could even take a snap!

But  Manziel looked great for 99 percent of his plays in the first half. He was an effective 13of 20 for 162 yards, showing great mobility and play making ability outside of the pocket. He wasn’t perfect, but he showed the skill set that saw him put up big numbers in Pittsburgh.

His one bad play was an incredibly terrible, and predictable for that matter. You can’t throw across your body to the center of the field. It’s like being out after 2 a.m. Good things rarely happen.

Aside from that throw, Manziel was great on the move.

Defensively, don’t look now, but there was actually a pass rush in this game for the Browns! Sacks from Armonty Bryant, Desmond Bryant, and Jordan Poyer highlighted the pressure applied to Blaine Gabbert. The 49er’s offense is dead last in points per game, but the Browns have not been able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. At least the defense is seizing the opportunity against a poor unit the way good defenses should.

If I’m Travis Coons, I may start kicking field goals into the back of the heads of my lineman in practice. Coons had his first field-goal attempt of the day blocked, meaning all of his misses have come via the blocks. Three of his last four kicks have been sent back by the defense. Coons made an NFL record 18 field goals in a row to start his career, so the Browns have found their guy. But an offense that doesn’t generate a ton of points needs to let Coons take advantage of the opportunities he gets.

The 112 rushing yards for the Browns are almost too good to believe. The number is a big skewed by the big 50 yard run by Crowell and a 20 yard run by Duke Johnson. Either way, the team averaged 5.6 yards per carry, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. If the Browns can continue to run the ball effectively, it will help Manziel and this team going forward.

Next: Rapid Reax: 2nd Half