How the Browns Made 49ers QB Brock Purdy Look Ordinary

Teams play zone because they bet the opposing quarterback can't lead a methodical 10-to-12 play drive without making a mistake. Purdy is efficient. He can surgically dink and dunk all afternoon if you let him.

The Browns just showed the rest of the NFL how to shut down Brock Purdy.

Play tight man-to-man coverage.

Of course, that's easier said than done. Not every team can match up with the 49ers offensive weapons man to man. The Browns could, and that's why Purdy finished the game with a passer rating of just 55.3.

Against zone coverage, Purdy can figure out where he should throw the ball before it's even snapped. With all the shifts and motions in the 49ers offense, he can gather enough data before the play starts to figure out what the coverage is most of the time. And when it's zone, Purdy is smart enough to know precisely where the void will be and who will be open. Purdy is lethal against zone coverages.

Against man coverage, Purdy can't know pre-snap where to throw the ball, because he doesn't know which of his offensive weapons will win their route and get open. Against man, Purdy has to stand in the pocket, hold the ball a bit longer and read the field. Against zone, he has the answers to the test before it begins.

The reason Purdy has faced so much zone is Christian McCaffrey. Most teams do not have a linebacker who can match up man to man with McCaffrey, so teams play zone, which allows Purdy to carve them to pieces. But McCaffrey got injured last week, and so the Browns played man coverages, and suddenly Purdy's throwing windows were much, much smaller, and he struggled.

Let's see if other teams can replicate what Cleveland did.