Biggest questions Cleveland Browns need to answer against the 49ers

Can Odell Beckham Jr. make plays with extra attention?

Odell Beckham Jr. has been in the headlines this season for mostly reasons that do not relate to what he has done on the field. For the most part, the stories have been what he has been unable to do in a Browns uniform.

Beckham is Cleveland’s second-leading receiver with 308 receiving yards and one touchdown. However, Beckham has caught only 21 of his 37 targets. But even with all of the targets, Beckham has not had many opportunities to actually make plays.

Beckham is consistently facing double coverage and is being bracketed in the red zone. Defenses are making it almost impossible to target Beckham and practically eliminating him from plays. And even when Beckham gets single coverage, defenders have been using their hands more, keeping Beckham from getting space.

This type of game plan is not likely to change against the 49ers, especially if Beckham is not lined up against Richard Sherman. Other than Sherman, the rest of San Francisco’s cornerbacks are suspect at best. So they will likely bring safety help over Beckham to limit his chances to take advantage of the mismatches.

There will be openings in the 49ers Cover 3 scheme that the Browns can take advantage of, but the key will be getting Beckham into those openings. The 49ers defense to keep everything in front of them, but Beckham has the athleticism to take those short plays and turn them into a bigger, explosive play. But he is going to have to prove he can make plays for the Browns, even though he is getting the most attention from the 49ers defense.