2021 Cleveland Browns are the AFC equivalent of the 2019 San Francisco 49ers

Based on what I saw on Sunday, October 3, against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the 2021 Cleveland Browns are the AFC equivalent of the 2019 San Francisco 49ers.

When you take a look back at that 2019 San Francisco squad, how did they get to Super Bowl 54? Was it because of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s ability to throw the ball down the field to the skill position players for big plays?

No, it really wasn’t. The only exception to this statement would be when Garoppolo would throw the ball to arguably the best tight end in the league, George Kittle. Remember the play Kittle made against the New Orleans Saints in that season?

San Fran had other playmakers like wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders or running backs like Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert. But Coleman and Mostert are no Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Also, Samuel and Sanders are no Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham Jr.

This is where the first comparison between San Francisco and Cleveland comes into play. When you’re talking about what made that Niners team so good, Garoppolo’s name was not generally the first name to come out of your mouth. Instead, it was the 49ers’ defense that was usually mentioned first. That would be followed by San Fran’s run game, and then George Kittle. So Jimmy G would be fourth or fifth on the list.

It feels like Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is in a similar situation to Garoppolo. When people are asked to list the reasons why the Browns are one of the top teams in the AFC, Mayfield usually comes in fifth or sixth. For me, the list would be as follows: 1. Nick Chubb, 2. Kareem Hunt (Chubb and Hunt have different running styles, hence why I listed them separately), 3. Kevin Stefanski, 4. Jarvis Landry, 5. Myles Garett, 6. Baker Mayfield.

The second comparison between the 2019 49ers and the 2021 Browns is that both teams rely on the run game to set up their passing game. Although this is more applicable to the Browns and not as much to the 49ers. The San Francisco 49ers ran the ball very effectively in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers, but Garoppolo only passed it eight times in that game.

Conversely, once the Browns are able to establish their run game with the dynamic duo of Chubb and Hunt, that’s when you’ll see them start to utilize the play-action passing game. When Baker Mayfield is on his game, which he definitely wasn’t on Sunday against Minnesota, this passing game can be effective at times. Here’s the big caveat though, Baker Mayfield is so inconsistent that it’s holding the team back.

In 2019, the 49ers won in spite of Jimmy G. In 2021, the Cleveland Browns are winning in spite of Baker Mayfield. Sure, San Fran didn’t have the same skill-position players as Cleveland does now, but the general concept is still the same.

That’s why the 2021 Cleveland Browns are the AFC equivalent of the 2019 San Francisco 49ers.