What to watch for when the 49ers are on offense against the Browns
The San Francisco 49ers are averaging over 33 points a game and head into Week 6 with their offense ranked second in the NFL by DVOA, but head coach Kyle Shanahan knows his attack is unlikely to have everything go its way against a Cleveland Browns defense first in the league by the same measure. […]
The San Francisco 49ers are averaging over 33 points a game and head into Week 6 with their offense ranked second in the NFL by DVOA, but head coach Kyle Shanahan knows his attack is unlikely to have everything go its way against a Cleveland Browns defense first in the league by the same measure.
Speaking this week, Shanahan said of the test ahead of the Niners against Jim Schwartz's defense:
"This game to me is the biggest challenge we’ve had so far. I thought that was going to be Dallas too going into it. But then you look at this and you look at this, the defensive numbers just jump out. You don’t see very much that they’re not number one or two in everything. Red Zone’s the only thing they’re not, but that’s the only because I think they’ve had eight plays there all year. Baltimore ran it in, so that didn’t help their rankings there. But everything else is top notch. They’re doing that too, offensively right now, so it should be a hell of a battle."
Most eyes during that battle will be on the MVP frontrunner nobody saw coming, as Brock Purdy faces another examination of that status, but there are several more granular things to watch for when the 49ers have the ball in Cleveland.
Colton McKivitz's latest challenge
Though he gave up three pressures against the Cowboys, right tackle Colton McKivitz has clearly made progress as a pass protector since his chastening first start at the right tackle spot in Week 1, in which he surrendered three sacks to Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt.
McKivitz held his own against Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence last week and will face another stern test in Cleveland against both Myles Garrett and Za'Darius Smith.
Smith is listed as the left defensive end, but the Browns will likely throw both him and Garrett at McKivitz knowing there is not much hope of attacking All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams with reward.
Cleveland's ability to disrupt Purdy and get the offense out of rhythm is the Browns' main hope of an equalizer in a game Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss through injury. As such, McKivitz continuing his upward trajectory is paramount to the 49ers' hopes of remaining unbeaten.
Christian McCaffrey vs. Browns run defense
While Jordan Mason averaged 6.9 yards per carry in spelling the 49ers' starting running back, Christian McCaffrey had one of his quieter games in terms of production against Dallas, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while adding 27 receiving yards.
McCaffrey's impact extends beyond numbers, with his influence also extending to the effect of him in motion (more on that later) and the ground game setting up an effective play-action attack.
Yet with so much of the Shanahan offense revolving around the run game, McCaffrey's ability to produce efficiently on the ground could have a big say in the outcome in Cleveland.
In the Browns' defense, he and those attempting to open holes for the leading non-quarterback MVP candidate will face a stiffer test than they would have done against the same opposition last season.
The Browns' run defense was abysmal last year, but Cleveland threw money at the problem in the offseason, signing Damon Harrison and also bringing in Shelby Harris at defensive tackle, and that approach has worked.
Cleveland's run defense is third in the NFL by DVOA, meaning it could again prove to be tough sledding for McCaffrey. The 49ers will need to slow Cleveland's pass rush to maximize their chances of victory, and McCaffrey and Co's success in finding holes in a suddenly stout run defense will be crucial in doing so and alleviating some pressure on the passing game.
Shanahan's split backs
It's no secret that Shanahan is excellent at tormenting linebackers. The 49ers head coach does a consistently excellent job of putting second-level defenders in conflict and, in turn, opening holes in the middle of the field for his quarterback to exploit in the passing game.
One of the more fascinating aspects of the offensive performance in the second half against the Cowboys was that one of the tools Shanahan deployed to help him perplex the linebackers was split-back looks with both McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel in the backfield.
The dual gravity of the NFL's best receiving back and the league's top running receiver is a personnel advantage no other team can wield over opposing defenses, and their primacy in the heads of opposing defenders was extremely apparent when they lined up either side of Purdy.
Shanahan used the star-studded split-back set with motion by McCaffrey to open a running lane for Samuel on the play above. In the red zone on the 49ers' scoring drive for George Kittle's third touchdown, he went to the same look again, motioning McCaffrey and this time including a play-fake to Samuel to set open a wide-open throw to Kyle Juszczyk.
Such personnel looks are just another weapon in the extensive arsenal Shanahan has at his disposal, and he will be mindful not to lean on it too heavily. Still, the 49ers will be keen to put significant doubt in the mind of a Browns defense that is 11th in blitz rate, per Pro Football Reference.
The Niners want to put the Browns defense on the back foot and dictate the terms of an intriguing matchup. Deploying their two most versatile offensive players in the backfield together is a sure fire to way to generate such pause, and it will be interesting to see if the McCaffrey-Samuel backfield is an increased part of the gameplan as Shanahan looks to oversee a first 49ers win in Cleveland for nearly 40 years.
Final 49ers injury report for Week 6, at Browns
There’s doubt about one starter.
