Inconsistent Browns offer stern test
SANTA CLARA >> Just when everything seemed to be going right, the 49ers are staring at the biggest threat they’ve yet to encounter during their perfect start to the season.
Here comes Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and Myles Garrett, all of whom carry chips on their shoulders for various reasons. All three come to Santa Clara posing the kind of challenge that will make a 4-0 record difficult for the 49ers to attain come Monday night.
A bounce-back victory in the form of a 40-25 thrashing of the Ravens on Sunday was certainly attention-grabbing in San Francisco.
But there are reasons why Cleveland has won just as many games as it’s lost thus far. So perhaps the 49ers’ task isn’t as daunting as some would believe?
Let’s take a closer look.
GAME ESSENTIALS >> 49ers (3-0) vs. Browns (2-2) at Levi’s Stadium, Monday at 5:15 p.m. on ESPN. ODDS: 49ers -3.5.
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS OPTIMISM
A FORMULA TO CONTAIN MAYFIELD >> QB Mayfield was one of the biggest reasons why the Browns ripped the Ravens as he went 20 of 30 for 342 yards and a TD while otherwise managing the game quite well. One difference from a week ago when he struggled against the Rams? Mayfield was able to operate within the pocket most of the night. The Rams kept pressure on him during their 20-13 win and Mayfield didn’t respond — he was only 1 of 10 for 19 yards and an interception when flushed from the pocket. Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and DeForest Buckner thus have their marching orders: Chase Baker from the pocket.
WILL FREDDIE GET IT FIGURED OUT? >> Browns coach Freddie Kitchens’ play-calling has come under a lot
of scrutiny this season, particularly a week ago against the Rams. He even called himself out for a few questionable calls in that loss, including four disastrous plays at the end of the game (A draw play on 4th-and-9?). Before Sunday, the Browns only scored on 27% of their drives, fourth-lowest in the NFL. They were ranked 24th in yards gained, 25th in rushing yardage, 27th in first downs and 28th in points scored. Then came the Ravens. Kitchens’ calls resulted in a whopping 530 yards and 40 points. The question is whether this past week’s game was an anomaly or were the first three games the outof-character ones?
RIDING THE BROWNS ROLLERCOASTER >> The temptation is to believe the Browns have things figured out, but that was the belief after a Week 2 shellacking of the Jets. The truth is the Browns have been wildly inconsistent this season, having yet to put back-toback solid performances together. They opened with an embarrassing 43-13 loss at home to an ordinary Titans team before beating the Jets. Then came the embarrassing loss to the Rams that was filled with head-scratching plays by Cleveland. The pattern tells us the 49ers may not see them at their best this week.
THREE REASONS FOR 49ERS PESSIMISM
A FEARSOME FOURSOME >> The Browns’ defensive line is easily the toughest one the 49ers have faced this season as the star-studded foursome includes All-Pro Garrett, Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi. Garrett, when he’s not drawing penalties and fines for his nasty play (he’s had to pay more than $52,000 so far), has been a nightmare for quarterbacks. He’s second in the league with six sacks. With 49ers rookie left tackle Justin Skule still adjusting to the NFL, he may have trouble dealing with Garrett or Vernon.
OBJ AND CHUBB = NIGHTMARE FOR DEFENDERS >> Mayfield said it best earlier when discussing how Beckham performs in nationally-televised games. “When the lights come on, on a Sunday or a Monday in this situation, he’s going to turn it on,” Mayfield said. Beckham has only had one breakout game in four games as a Brown — on Monday night in New York against the Jets, when he had six catches for 161 yards and a TD.
Then there’s running back Nick Chubb. Will he dash the 49ers’ hopes for a 4-0 start? He certainly squashed the Ravens’ chances last week when he rambled for 165 yards and three touchdowns in Cleveland’s win. The trouble with dealing with Chubb is that he’s powerful enough to run between the tackles and quick and elusive enough to cause problems on the edge. The second-year standout is just 13 yards behind the NFL’s current leading rusher, ex-Stanford star Christian McCaffrey of Carolina.
PROBABLE DIFFERENCE-MAKER: BAKER MAYFIELD. >> As Mayfield goes, so goes the Browns offense. The brash quarterback seems to be hitting his stride again after last week’s big win, and after getting sacked 11 times in the first three games, his offensive line helped keep him upright and dangerous again. Fueled by a season-best 102.4 quarterback rating, Mayfield certainly holds the key to Cleveland’s chances of knocking off the 49ers.