Kyle Shanahan Assesses the Browns' Elite Defense

Cleveland has a better defense than Dallas, so they will present more than uptick in a challenge for the 49ers' offense.

Facing the Dallas Cowboys was an incredibly easy outing for the San Francisco 49ers.

The defense of the Cowboys was supposed to be the premier matchup for the 49ers, but they made easy work of Dallas. In reality, the real premier matchup for the 49ers offensively is going to be this week when they hit the road to take on the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland has a better defense than Dallas, so they will present more than uptick in a challenge for the 49ers' offense. Versus the pass, the Browns have a league high of only 125 yards allowed per game. They also only allow 15 points per game. Cleveland's defense is legitimate and one that could give the 49ers their greatest difficulties of the season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke on Wednesday at his press conference where he gave his assessment of the Browns' elite defense.

"When you have the D-Line they have, the downhill linebackers, you better have some good corners and they have very good ones. They play a lot of man-to-man coverage. They'll mix in some zone. But, when you play that much man-to-man and you're also the number one pass defense in the league, you’ve got to have some good corners.”

A main part of what makes the Browns' defense ridiculously good is elite pass rusher Myles Garrett. The 49ers will be going from one tremendous pass rusher in Micah Parsons to another in Garrett.

"He is one of the most talented guys I think anyone's seen," said Shanahan. "And the style they play on defense is very similar to ours. They rush the passer every play and then react to everything else. Him combined with [Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim] Schwartz’s scheme and the guys around him, it's a problem. It's obvious why they're a top defense right now.”

What is encouraging with the 49ers going up against Garrett is that they formulated a superb plan in rendering Parsons ineffective. Now, utilizing that same exact plan will probably not work. The Browns are sure to devise ways of circumventing what worked against Parsons, so some changes will need to be made against Garrett. Plus, Garrett and Parsons are not the same type of pass rusher. What worked on Parsons might not work on Garrett.

If the 49ers can successfully slow him up, then everything will be operated more smoothly. From there, the real battle will be between the receivers of the 49ers and the secondary of the Browns. So, first and foremost, slow down Garrett, then win the matchups with the secondary and even linebackers.