How Crucial Were Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt In Browns Win Over 49ers?

For the first time since Week 2, the Cleveland Browns rushing attack actually looked like what we've become accustomed to seeing.

Monday marks four weeks since we witnessed Nick Chubb's gruesome knee injury that ended his season. Since then, the Browns have been looking for the right solution to fix their run game.

On Sunday, Cleveland welcomed in the San Francisco 49ers defense, which is arguably the best defense in the league. Prior to Sunday, the 49ers were holding opponents to 80.2 rushing yards and 14.5 points per game.

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) runs with the ball during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns stepped to the table missing not only Nick Chubb, but Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, and Deshaun Watson. A true "David vs. Goliath" matchup on that side of the ball.

The result of this clash was the Browns rushing for 160 yards on 34 carries, good for 4.7 yards per carry. It was the first performance from the Browns backfield that resembled how the offense looked with Nick Chubb, without Chubb actually playing.

One of the most important parts of Sunday's run game plan was the way that it neutralized the rush of Nick Bosa and company. The Browns used some unique gap scheme action to use the 49ers' aggressiveness against them. Sunday was vintage Kevin Stefanski.

Jerome Ford was the bell cow for the Browns. He finished the game with 17 carries for 84 yards and no touchdowns. Although he did not eclipse the century mark, it was still his best effort as a Cleveland Brown and he proved that he belonged.

His running mate is Cleveland's own, Kareem Hunt. This was Kareem's welcome home party as he got the scoring going for Cleveland in the first quarter. He finished the afternoon with 12 carries for 47 yards and one touchdown. 

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) celebrates after scoring during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Stefanski certainly felt the toughness in that rushing attack when he was asked if he thought Sunday's performance could be a breakout game for Hunt specifically.

“I do. And I think we’ve talked about Kareem getting back into football shape and he’s there or he’s getting there," Stefanski said. "He hadn’t been tackled in a while, but felt like we wanted to get him going early so started him in this game and got him a screen early, but I can’t say enough about Kareem and Jerome (Ford). Those guys are running hard, hitting it. It’s not always pretty, but I’m really proud of those guys.”

The Browns run game was lethal on Sunday afternoon. It truly helped them control the clock and get into advantageous situations. It will be fun to see this offense grow and evolve.