CLEVELAND – The NFL’s two franchises with arguably the most contrasting quarterback lineage clash Sunday in a rare meeting on the shores of Lake Erie.
In this rendition of the 49ers (8-4) vs. the host Browns (3-8), the QB pairings are Brock Purdy vs. Shedeur Sanders.
Spoiler alert: the quarterbacks likely won’t dictate the outcome amid inclement weather (rain, snow, 20-mph wind, temps in the 30s, yikes).
Sanders is looking to win his first home start, having just become the first Browns rookie quarterback in the past 18 tries to win a starting debut; Cleveland beat the host Las Vegas Raiders 24-10 last Sunday.
Purdy is looking to become the 49ers’ first winning quarterback in Cleveland since Joe Montana in 1984, as part of their best Super Bowl-winning team in franchise history.
Since that 41-7 victory – current Pro Football Hall of Fame seniors finalist Roger Craig ran for two touchdowns – the 49ers have gone 0-4 in Cleveland. The quarterback matchups:
Sept. 13, 1993: Steve Young (49ers) vs. Bernie Kosar (Browns). Score: 23-13.
Dec. 30, 2007: Chris Weinke vs. Derek Anderson, 20-7.
Dec. 13, 2015: Blaine Gabbert vs. Johnny Manziel, 24-10.
Oct. 15, 2023: Purdy vs. P.J. Walker, 19-17.
To avoid a fifth straight loss in Cleveland, here are the 49ers’ five keys:
1. RUN BETTER
Coach Kyle Shanahan gave a fabulously sarcastic response Friday when a reporter asked for the 49ers’ weatherproof game plan. “Can’t give you our secrets,” Shanahan said before quipping, “but we’re going to air it out, throwing it every play. The harder it rains, the more we’re going to throw.”
Folks, they’re going to run. And that won’t shock Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is 8-1 against a Shanahan-called offense.
“We’re run-blocking our best of the year, so far,” right tackle Colton McKivitz said. Shanahan reinforced that in Friday’s meeting with his offense before flying to Cleveland.
“Everyone has bought in now, and everyone sees the value in blocking and straining as hard as we can,” McKivitz added. “November and December are where your season is made, so I’m glad we’re all coming together right now. It’s going to be raining and snowing, typical Cleveland, but if we need to throw the ball, we can do that, too.”
Prior to yielding just 60 rushing yards last game to the woeful Raiders, the Browns’ three previous games saw them allow an average of 163 rushing yards and 33 carries per game (to the Patriots, the Jets and the Ravens).
The 49ers are averaging only 99.2 rushing yards per game, their lowest mark since 2015 (96.5 ypg.). But that average jumps to 143.8 rushing yards in their four wins since Oct. 19 against Atlanta.
2. BALL SECURITY
This truly is the No. 1 factor in any game, and the 49ers are fresh off a game with serious ball-security issues. Of course, there were Purdy’s three interceptions thrown before halftime, and he has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8:7 this season.
Inclement conditions will fuel concerns about Purdy’s past weather games. In that 2023 losing visit to Cleveland, he was just 12-of-27 for 125 yards, but don’t overlook him finishing 3-of-4 to set up a last-seconds field goal, which Jake Moody missed from 41 yards. (Sidebar: Matt Gay will be the 49ers’ kicker this game.)
“If it’s some kind of rain or if the ball’s wet, I mean, it does change the mindset of taking care of the ball,” Purdy said. “But, at the same time, you do have to drop back, you’ve got to throw it on time. And if it’s not there in time, let’s be smart with the ball.”
Christian McCaffrey hasn’t lost the ball amid a NFL-high 298 touches this season, but he fumbled last game at the 49ers’ 18-yard line and McKivitz recovered. McCaffrey also didn’t lose a fumble in Week 4 against Jacksonville.
The 49ers’ defense, after one interception through 12 games, has a pair in each of the past two games.
3. BEWARE OF GARRETT
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett obviously poses the biggest threat to the 49ers’ possessions. He leads the NFL with 18 sacks, and he’s forced three fumbles.
“Obviously I think he’s the best in the league at what he does and you have to have a game plan ready for him and more than anything understand I can’t be holding onto the ball too long,” said Purdy, whose blindside will be protected by three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.
While Williams expects Garrett on his side 85% of the snaps, McKivitz has done his homework for facing Garrett. “He has speed, length and good bend to turn the corner,” McKivitz said. “He’s putting on a show so far this year.”
4. RATTLE SANDERS
Sanders emerged from last Sunday’s starting debut in Vegas with a message: “A lot of people wanted to see me fail and it ain’t going to happen. It ain’t going to happen.”
People saw Sanders infamously slide in the draft to a fifth-round flier by the Browns, and he opened camp as a fourth-string option. The 49ers are wary of the play-making ability and resiliency he showed at Colorado.
“He’s mobile, he’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “… You anticipate someone like him who’s got that confidence, who has that skill set, he’s just going to get better and better every week.”
Sanders’ father, Deion, won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors with the 1994 49ers team that won the Super Bowl – and he also won over a teenage fan in Kyle Shanahan, who’s in his ninth year as the 49ers coach and proudly admits he wore a Deion Sanders jersey daily during that playoff run.
“It is weird just because he was my hero growing up,” Shanahan said of this matchup.
5. THE OTHER ROOKIE
Sanders isn’t the Browns’ rookie that is most concerning. Rather, it’s running back Quinshon Judkins, a 5-foot-11, 221-pound, second-rounder out of Ohio State
Of his seven rushing touchdowns, six have come in the Browns’ three wins, including two scores last Sunday at the Raiders and three against the Miami Dolphins.
After debuting in Week 2, he’s rushed for 667 yards with an average of 3.9 yards per carry. That’s not bonkers but he’s on the 31st-ranked offense that generates 258.5 yards overall per game.
The 49ers will be without arguably the best run-stopping defensive end they had left, as Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) is sidelined with earlier casualties Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos. Linebacker Curtis Robinson needs better productivity than last Sunday’s starting debut, when he had three tackles and two missed tackles.