Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers: 5 Bold predictions for Week 5
1. Garrett betters Buckner, goes for three sacks
As mentioned, the problems with the Cleveland Browns early in the 2019 season have not revolved around their defense — aside from the overall penalty woes with this team. Steve Wilks’ defense has been one of the best units in the NFL this season, shutting down opponents in a big way as they held the Rams to just 20 points and the Ravens struggled to move the ball consistently as well.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2017, defensive end Myles Garrett, has been the driving force of the strong defensive start to the season in Cleveland. Through four games, Garrett has 13 total tackles, one forced fumble and an impressive six sacks already on the year. He’s going to add to that sack total in a big way on Monday Night Football.
San Francisco comes into this game short-handed on the offensive line as veteran left tackle Joe Staley is out due to injury. In truth, you might still give the advantage to Garrett up against Staley given how impressive the Browns youngster has been this season. Against backups, though, Garrett is going to dominate.
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While Kyle Shanahan will surely try his best to shift protection to stop Garrett on Monday night, there’s only so much he can do considering how dangerous the rest of the Browns front seven is. Thus, Garrett will get home to Garoppolo at least three times in Week 5, presenting a dominant defensive effort in a game in which they’ll need it.