49ers' Shanahan and Purdy Can Slay Personal Demons in Cleveland

How the Niners can win this difficult challenge

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) scrambles from Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during the second half at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

No one thinks of Cleveland as the land of redemption, but for Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy, Sunday is an opportunity to defeat some personal demons.

For Shanahan, he’s struggled against Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who has defeated the 49ers head coach in nine of their ten meetings. The reason why, a Schwartz defense is stacked in the front seven, and has no weaknesses among the 11 starters. Where Shanahan likes to attack, he’s met with strength, and Schwartz knows the 49ers tendencies well.

For Purdy, the narrative is that he can’t play well in bad weather. He did in college at Iowa State, but as a pro, Purdy has struggled in the rain, sleet, and snow. The forecast in Cleveland at game time is what you’d expect in late November: rain, light snow, strong gusting winds, and under 40 degrees.

Is this the game where Shanahan and Purdy go hunting, or will the story stay the same?

49ers on Offense

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First, Shanahan must contain the Browns dangerous pass rush starring Myles Garrett as Thanos. Garrett needs five sacks to break the NFL season record of 22.5; he has 13 sacks in his last four games. The Niners have 13 sacks on the season.

To deal with the Cleveland front four, Shanahan will need to leave in extra blockers to chip and help in pass protection. George Kittle may get fewer targets in the passing game given the need to utilize him as a blocker in this matchup. The receivers will need to carry more of the target load this week.

Brock Purdy comes off a three-interception game against Carolina. Postgame, Purdy noted that his problems stem from not driving the ball consistently, emphasizing that it has nothing to do with his turf toe injury. Therefore, it’s connected to his footwork and mechanics, and Purdy will need stable footing in Cleveland to avoid floating the ball.

Last week, Purdy had trouble with the deep ball, going 1-7 with three picks on passes of 15 yards or longer. To deal with the Cleveland pass rush, Shanahan will need to employ a short passing game to get the ball out quickly to the perimeter and on slants.

Purdy played the Browns in 2023 and struggled in the second half. He completed under half his passes at 5-14 for just over 50 yards, drew an intentional grounding, had two sacks, and an interception.

What the Niners will need is a running game. Cleveland’s defense ranks 3rd against the run, averaging 3.8 yards per carry against, and they’re also third in fewest touchdowns against on the ground with five. In the passing game, the Browns are second in sacks and fourth in pressure rate. The Browns' defense is ranked second in the league overall.

So where do the Niners find success? Go back to the Atlanta game plan on the ground, go with less wide zone and more gap scheme in north-south football. It won’t work as well as it did against the Falcons, but on a wet field in cold weather, footing can be an issue running wide. The run game needs to attack head-on. Dominic Puni is fully healthy now and playing well.

Passing the ball, controlled rollouts for Purdy to avoid pressure and buy time. They may also utilize block and release screens for Christian McCaffrey and Kittle. The passing game will need to get the ball out quickly while staying patient, satisfied with small chunks that move the sticks.

Shanahan has had consistent success with his opening script drive; that possession will give an early indication of who has the upper hand in the coaching battle, Shanahan or Schwartz.

Cleveland on Offense

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This is the second career start for rookie QB Shedeur Sanders. He put up 24 against the Raiders last week. Sanders throws an accurate long ball and was 2-4 deep. He’s a limited athlete but elusive in the pocket. He doesn’t look to run but to create space to throw. That makes him an off-schedule threat in scramble drills; Sanders improvised and connected on a 52-yard pass to Isaiah Bond last week.

The Browns offense was overly simplistic against Las Vegas to ease Sanders in. NFL analysts, including J.T. O’Sullivan, remarked on the predictability of the Browns' run-run-pass play calling in the Raiders game, as well as the lack of hot routes to offer check downs. Presumably, Cleveland offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will correct that this week and install the full playbook in the game plan.

Robert Saleh will look to confuse Sanders by masking looks, and if somehow there are no hot routes again, the Niners can take advantage in blitzes.

Quinshon Judkins did not have success in rushing yardage last week at only 2.8 yards per carry. However, he took direct snaps from the wildcat formation in the red zone and scored two touchdowns.

The Niners will again be without Tatum Bethune this week and will start Curtis Robinson at Mike. Robinson took poor pursuit angles and failed to bring down ball carriers on some key plays last week, including a one-on-one missed tackle that led to Rico Dowdle’s 17-yard run.

The Niners signed linebacker Eric Kendricks this week. If he’s activated from the practice squad, then they’ll plan to put him on the field, but it would be unrealistic for him to see a lot of snaps.

Prediction (7-5)

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This should be a field position game where turnovers will be key and special teams will be heightened. Kickers will need to execute on field goals in difficult conditions. I expect a low-scoring game where the Niners will try to piece together time-consuming scoring drives, but touchdowns will be hard to come by.

Purdy will need to play a cautious game to protect the ball, ensuring that he has his feet under him to drive his throws. This isn’t just rain and snow but gusting wind conditions. The problem is that he faces Garrett on a record-setting hot streak, leading a formidable Browns defensive line, and Purdy will have fewer targets out on routes.

The Niners will hope to get McCaffrey going on the ground, but Cleveland is a tough matchup for him, led by one of the league’s best linebackers in Carson Schwesinger.

I expect turnovers on both sides, kicking makes and misses, and the Cleveland defense being the key force in the game. As a result, I have the Niners struggling to put points on the board. The Niners' offense doesn't match up well with this defense, from the coaches on down.

Cleveland 17 49ers 13