49ers HC Kyle Shanahan will face his kryptonite in Cleveland

This is Shanahan's biggest nemesis.

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Sometimes football is like rock, paper, scissors.

One scheme can beat another, but be stumped by a different scheme. That same scheme can be beat by a different scheme. In this analogy, the San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan could be considered a rock, while the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is paper. No matter what, paper covers rock. 

Can Kyle Shanahan lead the San Francisco 49ers to a win against Jim Schwartz?

Kyle Shanahan has been an offensive coordinator or head coach since 2008. He has faced off with a team that has a Jim Schwartz defensive scheme ten times, and his teams have won just one of those games. 

To find his only win you have to go back to 2008, when he was the Houston Texans' offensive coordinator. Even in that game, the Texans won 13-12 over the Titans, and the two split the series that season. 

He moved on to Washington, where he went 0-2 against the Detroit Lions led by Schwartz. In 2014, he lost to the Buffalo Bills when he was the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator. 

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When he was with the Atlanta Falcons, he was 0-1 against Schwartz, who led the Philadelphia Eagles at that time. 

Shanahan is now 0-4 against Schwartz with the 49ers. He lost to the Eagles twice, the Titans, and these Cleveland Browns. Most fans remember that game, a 19-17 loss to PJ Walker. 

It is not just some voodoo thought; it is a tactical advantage. Schwartz runs a wide-9 defense, and he sets the edges out further than most coordinators. It can cause outside zone teams to struggle to find the gaps. Beyond that, Schwartz had led some good defenses, from Ndomakung Suh to Fletcher Cox and now Myles Garrett. 

Shanahan has been adapting his ways this season in hopes of sparking the run game, and he has found a bit of a spark thanks to running the ball inside with more power concepts. This is the way to beat a defense led by Schwartz; his offenses just have not been capable of running these concepts in the summer. 

Cleveland has an excellent run defense; they are at home, and they are going to want to keep winning for Shedeur Sanders. If the offense gives this unit any spark, the 49ers may be in trouble. 

Can Shanahan break his ways, or are we in for another slog against a Jim Schwartz defense?