Cleveland’s record hides the fact that its defense has been carrying the team, and the group steps into Sunday looking as sharp as it has all season.
The unit overwhelmed Las Vegas with 10 sacks in its last outing and has turned into one of the league’s most punishing fronts, especially at home.
Dan Labbe, appearing on Orange and Brown Talk podcast, pointed out that this defense has kept the Browns afloat despite limited production on the other side of the ball, noting,
“(The Browns’ offense) can have empty drives, (they) can end every drive with a kick because give it back to your defense, they’re going to get you the football back most of the time.”
This matchup lands at an uneasy moment for Brock Purdy. He threw three interceptions against Carolina, and Ashley Bastock believes Cleveland’s pressure could intensify those issues.
“I think with the way Brock Purdy is playing right now and coming off this toe injury, I think there’s the chance to really rattle him up front,” she said.
Mary Kay Cabot shared a similar view, saying,
“I think that the Browns defense is going to give Brock Purdy and that offense the business.”
With rain and wind expected and an interior line anchored by Maliek Collins and Mason Graham freeing Myles Garrett to attack at full force, the Browns defense enters this meeting looking far more dangerous than their record suggests.
Browns front poses a threat shaped by pressure, mistakes, and circumstance
Cleveland’s identity has shifted because its interior linemen have eliminated clean escape routes for quarterbacks, allowing Myles Garrett to keep attacking at a historic pace. Garrett’s 18 sacks lead the NFL, including 13 in his last five games, and the Browns hold the league’s second best pass defense along with the second most sacks.
Their last home win over San Francisco in 2023 offered a reminder of how disruptive this group can be in poor weather, and Labbe recalled just how overwhelming the defense looked against the Raiders when he said,
“That offensive performance by the Raiders was one of the worst I’ve seen covering a football game.”
Purdy arrives in Cleveland after a night where accuracy problems forced Kyle Shanahan to lean heavily on Christian McCaffrey. Purdy still completed 22 of 32 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, but his 6.0 yards per attempt marked one of his least efficient performances in a win.
Shanahan defended Purdy’s reads, saying the interceptions came from missed throws rather than bad decisions. The concern for San Francisco is that the only game in 2023 where Purdy dipped below 7.0 yards per attempt came against this same defense.
The 49ers travel on a short week, face temperatures in the high 30s or low 40s, and meet a team coming off its strongest showing of the season.
With Shedeur Sanders starting for Cleveland and McCaffrey carrying a heavy workload yet again, San Francisco needs Purdy to steady the offense. At 8-4 and sitting seventh in the NFC playoff picture, the 49ers cannot afford more giveaways.
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