Last week marked the first time since 1999 that a Browns quarterback won in his first start. Shedeur Sanders led the team to a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Things won’t get any easier as Sanders and Co. play host to the San Francisco 49ers. Here’s a quick breakdown and what we can expect to see this Sunday.
You can’t talk about this 49er offense without mentioning RB Christian McCaffrey. The former Stanford Cardinal has clearly bounced back from an injury-plagued 2024 season and returned to elite form. McCaffrey has the most carries (217), tenth-most rushing yards (796), and shockingly enough, the second-most receptions (81) in the league. There’s no one singular answer for defending a player who can impact a game both rushing and receiving on the level of McCaffrey. Cleveland has struggled defending against “receiving threat” running backs in recent weeks. New York Jets RB Breece Hall and Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty both accounted for over 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown against the Browns. All three phases of the Cleveland defense will have to play sharply in order to contain McCaffrey.
Ever since All-Pro DE Joey Bosa’s season-ending knee injury, this 49ers’ pass rush has lost its luster. They currently have a league-worst sack rate of 2.97%. DE Sam Huff is the only starter with 2+ sacks and 10+ quarterback pressures. Given the season-long struggles of the O-Line and QB Shedeur Sanders’ penchant for taking unnecessary sacks, this matchup could be advantageous for Cleveland.
Strengths:
- Arguably The Best Offensive Line In the NFL
- Good Run Defense
- Second Least Penalized Team In the NFL
Weaknesses:
- Secondary Susceptible To Big Plays
- Ineffective Play From Starting QB
Key Matchup:
- Myles Garrett Vs Trent Williams
This has all the makings of an exciting game. Shedeur Sanders’ first home game as a starter, PFF’s highest-rated DE (Garrett) versus the second-highest-rated OT (Williams). It’s clear that a change in quarterback was the shot-in-the-arm that the offense needed. Is this a game that the Browns can win? Absolutely yes? Will they win? Probably not. Even counting for the morale boost from the win against the Raiders, the talent discrepancy between San Francisco and Cleveland currently is too wide for the Browns to overcome.
Score Prediction:
- CLE-19
- SF-24
The post Week 13 Opponent Scouting Report: San Francisco 49ers appeared first on Cleveland Sports Talk .