49ers (5-0) at Browns (2-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland TV: Fox
Spread (BetMGM):
49ers by 4.5
49ers’ keys to victory: Get pressure on QB Deshaun Watson. The Cleveland offensive line has played well below standard, and its run game has been flailing since the injury to RB Nick Chubb. The 49ers have a formidable front, especially with the addition of Randy Gregory. For the 49ers to come away with a victory, they have to contain Watson and make life difficult for him.
Browns’ keys to victory: Coming out of its bye, Cleveland has to find a semblance of a competent passing attack. The returns in the win against the Titans in Week 3 were promising, but then backup QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson was ill equipped in his first career start a week later. We are five weeks into the season and do not know exactly who the Browns are offensively. The run game needs to be fixed, too, but if the Browns cannot air out the football, their hope of beating the 49ers is dead.
Matchup to watch: 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan vs. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. The Browns have perhaps the best defensive unit in the NFL, and the 49ers have the best offensive mind in the league. The game will be decided in the chess match between the brains behind their respective elite units. Can Schwartz dial up enough pressure to contain San Francisco?
Who wins? The Browns will have opportunities to get pressure on QB Brock Purdy, but the depth of playmakers the 49ers have is hard for any team to overcome, as the Cowboys learned in Week 5. It’s hard to pick anybody to beat San Francisco.
49ers, 24-21