San Francisco 49ers: Three key matchups to watch for in week five vs. Browns
Monday night football is inching closer and closer for the San Francisco 49ers. With all the time off they have had from their bye week, they should be well rested and prepared for their matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are coming off their most impressive win in the season so far over the Baltimore Ravens and will want to continue to ride that momentum this week. Cleveland is a team that is loaded with talented players, so there will be some tough matchups for the 49ers to handle.
Some of these matchups are so crucial that they could be the difference between winning and losing. With that said, here are three key matchups to watch for in week five versus the Browns.
Emmanuel Moseley versus Odell Beckham Jr.
Emmanuel Moseley slides in opposite of Richard Sherman with the injury to Ahkello Witherspoon. Moseley is sure to be a point of emphasis to attack for the Browns’ offense, especially when matched up with Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham moves all around the formation, so he likely won’t take too many snaps against Moseley. But when that does happen, it is one to keep an eye on because Baker Mayfield will likely go his way.
Mayfield tends to predetermine some of his passes, so the moment he see’s Moseley on Beckham he could instantly go there seeing it as a mismatch. Beckham will not be an easy cover for anyone in the secondary, but if the 49ers can take him away then the Browns offense will be limited. However, that will only happen if Moseley can hold his own against Beckham. It’s a huge reason why Moseley is an x-factor because if he is getting abused, then it’ll be a long day for the 49ers’ defense.
Justin Skule versus Myles Garrett
Justin Skule’s debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a warmup for his matchup against the pass rush of the Browns. Specifically when he goes up against Myles Garrett who is currently second for sacks tallied. Garrett is a human wrecking ball. He won’t attack with finesse much because his power is just so dominant. Somehow someway, Skule is going to need to slow him down. I doubt he can outright shut him down, but to slow him down would be major.
Of course, I don’t expect him to be on an island against him or even Olivier Vernon. But the key matchup to watch for is against Garrett because Skule has a better chance of slowing down Vernon. That isn’t really where our concern should be until Garrett lines up on the left side. It could potentially get ugly for Jimmy Garoppolo if Skule is constantly getting beat. Garoppolo faced a great deal of pressure in week three and it could happen again versus the Browns who are much better with their pass rush.
Deebo Samuel versus Denzel Ward
We are still waiting for that breakout game from Deebo Samuel to have. Unfortunately, we might still be in the waiting room for it on Monday night because he does not have an easy defender to go against. Samuel will see snaps against Denzel Ward (If he is active), likely not for the entire game, but will see a share of them. Ward is an ascending star cornerback in this league, which in the long-term will be beneficial for Samuel to go up against a great talent.
However, for this game it will be tough sledding. George Kittle is likely going to have to help Skule from time to time, so it will be on Samuel to step up and be the producer. This is a matchup that will be interesting to watch because it can mean the difference between a stalled drive versus a maintained one. Kyle Shanahan is sure to devise ways to get Samuel open as he always does like motioning him or moving him around the formation. From there it’ll be on Samuel to win his matchup and play second fiddle to Kittle.
