Five Things to Watch when the 49ers Face the Browns

Face it. The 49ers almost certainly will beat the Browns this Sunday. Cleveland doesn't have its starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, nor its starting running back Nick Chubb. They're in trouble.

Still, the Browns will reveal things we didn't know about the 49ers, particularly their offense, which will have to face perhaps the best defense in the league.

Here are five things to watch when the 49ers face the Browns:

1. How do the 49ers handle Myles Garrett?

Last week, the 49ers completely neutralized Micah Parsons, but the Cowboys helped them do that by leaving Parsons on the right side of their defense across from Trent Williams. The 49ers knew where Parsons would be and were able to double team and shut him down. This week, the 49ers won't know where Myles Garrett will be -- the Browns move him around from play to play, sometimes while the offense is getting set at the line of scrimmage. Garrett will face right tackle Colton McKivitz. How will McKivitz play, and how much help can the 49ers give him?

2. How does Brock Purdy handle bad weather?

There's a 60 percent chance of rain on Sunday in Cleveland. How will Purdy's surgically-repaired elbow hold up? Will he have the arm strength to drive the ball through the rain and the wind or will the elements affect his passes? Purdy hasn't had to play in bad weather yet. This will be a new test for a quarterback who already lacks arm strength.

3. Brandon Aiyuk vs. Denzel Ward.

Aiyuk has been unguardable so far this season, but he hasn't faced a cornerback as good as Denzel Ward yet. Ward has been to two Pro Bowls and has intercepted 13 passes in his career. If Aiyuk can beat Ward consistently, no one can shut him.

4. Christian McCaffrey vs. the Browns elite run defense.

Last week, the Cowboys made it a point of emphasis to shut down McCaffrey, and they succeeded, as they held him to just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. This week, he'll have to face a Browns defense that has allowed just 3.2 yards per rushing attempt. Will he get shut down for the second week in a row? It's possible the 49ers will have to move the ball through the air to win this game.

5. Kyle Shanahan vs. Jim Schwartz.

Shanahan has faced Schwartz nine times in his career and beated him just once. Schwartz is one of the pioneers of the Wide 9 defense, which Shanahan respects so much, he adopted it for the 49ers. Can he finally score 30 points against Schwartz? In nine matchups, Shanahan's offense has scored more than 20 points against Schwartz's defenses only one time.