Browns vs. 49ers: Five matchups to watch in Week 13

The Cleveland Browns are 3-8 in a very muddy AFC North, but they've got a tall task ahead of them on Sunday if they want to re-insert themselves into the mix in the division.

The 49ers are not a perfect team. They're without defensive superstars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the remainder of the season, their rookie first-round pick suffered a torn ACL in October and is also lost for the year, and they've spent most of the 2025 season so far without starting quarterback Brock Purdy. Not to mention the fact that star tight end George Kittle also had a stint on injured reserve earlier this year and they've gotten zero snaps out of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the team just 15 months ago. Despite all of that, they're 8-4 and hanging on to the seventh seed in a highly-competitive NFC playoff picture.

San Francisco is a vulnerable team, but a very good and well-coached one. Here's a few matchups the Browns will need to win in order to pull off an upset in Week 13.

Myles Garrett vs. Trent Williams

One of the league's all-time greatest pass protectors will be tasked with fending off a player who has solidified himself as one of the league's all-time great pass rushers in recent years. Garrett has played absurd football over the last month, racking up 18 sacks in 11 games so far -- including 13 in the Browns' last four games.

Williams will need to derail the path Garrett has been on in order to keep Brock Purdy clean this weekend. In addition to nursing a turf toe injury that's cost him several games this season, Purdy has also been abysmal under pressure in 2025, completing just over 50% of his passes with four turnover-worthy plays and no big-time throws, per Pro Football Focus.

Harold Fannin Jr. vs. 49ers LBs in coverage

Fannin has emerged as the Browns' top weapon in the passing game over the course of the season, and he's proven that the passing game -- at this point in time -- should run through him. Fannin ranks second on the team in targets (69), and leads the team in receptions (48), receiving yards (462), and yards after catch (237). He's tied for second on the team in touchdown receptions (2).

Fannin will have favorable matchups over the middle of the field against San Francisco's linebackers on Sunday. Warner's absence has thrust Dee Winters and Curtis Robinson into much bigger roles than anticipated, and they've struggled in coverage; Robinson has allowed nine catches on 11 targets for 58 yards and a touchdown this year, while Winters has allowed 64 catches on 75 targets for 472 yards and five touchdowns, per PFF.

Browns' rushing attack vs. 49ers defensive tackles

Quinshon Judkins has provided reasons to believe he's a budding star at his position as a rookie, and he'll face a 49ers run defense unit that has quietly been very good this season. They're allowing the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game (97.1) in the league this season, despite featuring players like Kalia Davis, Jordan Elliott, and rookies C.J. West and Alfred Collins up front.

Judkins' 66.7 rushing yards per game, meanwhile, place him above players like Josh Jacobs, Christian McCaffrey, and Saquon Barkley this season.

Carson Schwesinger vs. Christian McCaffrey

Schwesinger, who is having an outstanding rookie year, has been all over the field for the Browns' defense. Fitting that he'll face a player who has been all over the field for San Francisco's offense this year. McCaffrey has recovered from an injury-riddled 2024 season and has touched the ball a staggering 298 times through 12 games in 2025. Through Friday of Week 13, he leads the league in carries and trails only Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase in receptions.

McCaffrey has 607 yards after the catch in the passing game this year. Schwesinger will be key to limiting McCaffrey's ability to churn out yards.

Mason Graham vs. Jake Brendel

San Francisco's starting center is having an impressive season, allowing no sacks and just 17 pressures so far this season, per PFF. Brendel is a major reason the 49ers have been able to sustain offensive success even while missing key players for much of the year.

Graham, meanwhile, has really started to come alive in recent weeks for Cleveland. Over the Browns' last two games, Graham has recorded nine pressures, per PFF. He had recorded 16 total in the Browns' first nine games of the season.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns vs. 49ers: Five matchups to watch in Week 13