Browns-49ers Preview

There are many, many perplexing things about San Francisco.  Is Rice-A-Roni really as delightful as the commercials make it appear?  Can a person really cling to the sides of a moving trolley in a haphazard fashion like the end of that commercial?  Why does the city tolerate those lazy (and kind of pushy) sea lions all around Pier 39 area?  Why be so proud of having some of the steepest streets in the world? (Seems like something to be embarrassed about actually) But right now what has me flummoxed is why in the world the San Francisco 49ers are playing home games almost 50 miles away from the City of San Francisco?  That's like if the Browns played home games in Wooster; nice place but probably not what you were expecting.  

Regardless, in about six hours the Browns will be somewhere in the Bay area to take on the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers.  There's obviously a lot at stake in this game.  The 49ers desperately want to get to 4-0, and doing so in front of a national audience will go miles towards that franchise getting some much needed credibility.  They're 25-55 in the last five seasons, and on their third coach in that time.  And of course the Browns want to string together a couple of big time wins and prove that this team is more than just hype.  A win on the west coast puts Cleveland in a position to come back home, maybe get a win against Seattle, and be 4-2 with an off week to get ready for a tough game in week 8 at New England.  

So what do the 49ers bring to the party?  I guess you could point towards their 3-0 record, although that's a bit dubious considering they beat Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, and the Big Ben-less Pittsburgh Steelers.  What does jump out about this team is their monstrous defensive line.  They have two players that are 6'7" and we've seen Baker have passes batted down, so that could be problematic.  San Francisco is third in the league against the rush, so Cleveland's offensive line is going to have to build on the improvement from last week so Chubb can get going, and Baker can remain upright.  They'll likely run the ball like crazy, and try to get this Cleveland offense off the field.  Incidentally, the Browns offense just got faster with the return of Antonio Callaway.  He is a legitimate deep threat, and also should open up some opportunities for OBJ and Landry tonight.  Noticeably absent on the defensive side of the ball(for the third week in a row) are Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, both out tonight with bad hamstrings.  However, the Browns have pieced it together pretty well in those weeks, and actually I might be nervous about losing my job if I were either of those guys. 

So, in the back of my mind, I am starting to second guess my season prediction of 8-8, because I feel like most weeks we ought to be able to find advantages this Browns team has over the opposition.  This week it's the passing game, if they double OBJ all night, Landry can make them pay, and it wouldn't be shocking if Callaway has a couple of big yardage plays.  I also think the Browns defensive line will harass Garoppolo all night, and make it difficult for them to get that run game going.  So for the second week in a row, I am going to pick the Browns to win a game that Las Vegas indicates they will lose.  Despite being a 5 point underdog, and despite the fact it's a long road trip to play an undefeated team, I think the Browns win this one 31-20, and come back to Cleveland to city that will be abuzz with excitement like maybe we've never witnessed before.

Go Browns.