Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers continue their stretch of four must-win games with a trip to Cleveland for a date with the 3-8 Browns after handling business against the Cardinals and Panthers.
Cleveland hasn’t been too friendly to San Francisco over time, but the 49ers have some momentum, winning consecutive games for the first time since winning the first three games of the season.
While Cleveland has had their fair share of struggles, it does have one of the few players in the league who can single-handedly win a game. We start with him in this week’s numbers to know:
18.0
Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 18.0 sacks through 11 games.
This falls under the category of “numbers you already know.” Myles Garrett might break Michael Strahan’s sack record on Sunday, and that’s not even a commentary on the 49ers’ offensive line but instead a compliment to Garrett’s recent form.
Garrett has as many sacks in the last month as the entire 49ers defense has in their 12 games this season. His hot streak began against New England at the end of October, when Garrett got to Drake Maye five times, the most sacks in a game by a player since Khalil Mack recorded six in 2023. Garrett then recorded a measly single sack the following week against the Jets before sacking Lamar Jackson four times and Geno Smith three times last week.
Now, the 49ers’ offensive line has held up well the past few weeks, but Garrett is his own monster. In Brock Purdy’s four games this season, he’s only been sacked three times, with only one of those sacks in the last two games since he’s returned from injury. However, the quality of pass rush the 49ers have faced hasn’t been quite up to what Cleveland offers. Arizona got to Purdy once a couple of weeks ago and is currently ranked 22nd in the league in sacks, while Carolina was shut out against the 49ers, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since they’ve only recorded 18 sacks on the season.
Garrett alone will be the toughest test the 49ers’ offensive line will face all season. With Garrett included, the Browns’ 12.1 sack rate leads the NFL. While the Browns are among the worst teams in the league, San Francisco can’t allow Garrett to take over the game on Sunday single-handedly.
3
The Browns have had three games this season where their quarterback has thrown for more than 200 yards.
For as good as Cleveland’s defense has been this season, the offense has been the opposite. Only three times this season has Cleveland scored 20 or more points, with the Browns 2-1 in those games. But it’s been the passing game that’s held Cleveland’s offense back.
Joe Flacco opened the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback, and he opened with a bang, throwing for a Browns’ season-high 290 yards, but four games later, he was starting for the Bengals. It took Dillion Gabriel until his second game, but his one...
