BEREA — The ball hasn't quite made it all the way home for Martin Emerson Jr.

Emerson, the second-year Browns cornerback, had his first career interception in Sunday's 19-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the ball is currently spending time in a holding cell of sorts within the team facility.

"We have a cage in the defensive room," Emerson said Wednesday. "Every time we get a turnover or a stop on fourth down, a big play and we just put it into the cage. So it's in the cage right now."

So when, exactly, does Emerson gain full possession of his prized interception?

“At the end of the season," Emerson said. "So that's a long time from now. Hopefully I get a few more in there.”

The Browns would love to see their third-round pick out of Mississippi State get a few more in there this season. That would mean, quite honestly, they as a defense were getting a few more interceptions than the two they have entering Sunday's game at the Indianapolis Colts.

The question is whether or not they'll get those opportunities against the Colts, who will again start backup Gardner Minshew II after announcing Wednesday rookie Anthony Richardson will have season-ending shoulder surgery. Minshew has thrown three interceptions this season, but all three of them came in last Sunday's loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Minshew has the three picks on 138 pass attempts this season, a 2.2% interception rate that is tied for sixth in the league. He threw it 55 times, completing 33, for 329 yards in a 37-20 loss to the Jaguars.

"Obviously, when you go out and play like we did last week, you’ve got a bad taste in your mouth," Minshew told Indianapolis-area reporters Wednesday. "Excited to get back out there with a great challenge in front of us, an opportunity to really turn things around and play the way we want to play.”

It's not even about turning Minshew or the Colts over, which has been a season-long issue for what is a Browns defense elite in virtually every other category. It's just about continuing to build off the previous week for that defense, especially for its younger players like Emerson.

Emerson's pick was part of a bigger all-around performance put forth by the Browns against a 49ers offense that was arguably as good as any in the league. Although San Francisco did lose wide receiver Deebo Samuel early and running back Christian McCaffrey in the second half, the Browns still managed to hold it well below its season averages in points, total yards, rushing yards and passing yards.

To replicate that feat against a Colts team significantly less explosive than the 49ers, Emerson said it starts one way.

"Man, just doing my job honestly," Emerson said. "I don't really want to try to do anything different, just doing my job. Don't try to find a play, just let the plays come to me and make my plays that come to me.”

That's what happened for Emerson on the interception against the 49ers. Although there's been some debate on whether or not there was contact to the arm of quarterback Brock Purdy, there was no debate about where Emerson was in coverage.

Emerson had remained with receiver Brandon Aiyuk virtually step for step on the route. When the pass got past Aiyuk, the cornerback was there to make the pick.

“We were in man, so I was off," Emerson said. "I was playing ‘good eye’ the whole time. We say ‘good eye, bad eye.’ I wasn't peeking at the quarterback, I was just watching my man. Soon as he broke, soon as he broke the inside breaking route, I peeked up — the ball was just right there, literally. It was just in my chest, man. So I just had to make the catch and just try to get some positive yards.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Martin Emerson Jr. letting plays come to him in Browns defense