Don't blink, but we are already at Week 6 and the Cleveland Browns will have to figure out a way to hand the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the season.
Cleveland is coming off a bye week, which came at an opportune time as they are dealing with a plethora of key injuries, including quarterback Deshaun Watson.
There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered during the bye, similar to how there are a lot of stupid decisions made in horror movies.
A loss this week will not be the end of the world, no matter how loudly Browns' Twitter will yell into the endless abyss. The beauty of the NFL is that on any given Sunday, anything can happen.
Here are the three big storylines when the Browns host the red-hot 49ers in Week 6.
3. Are the 49ers beatable?
Through the first nearly third of the season, the 49ers look like the best team in the NFL. They're loaded on both sides of the ball and are one of two undefeated teams.
San Francisco is coming off a 42-10 thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. The team simply dominated the entire game and imposed their will.
Could the beatdown victory actually be a good thing for the Browns?
That might sound crazy, but the NFL is constantly filled with trap games for the top teams in the league. Cleveland is somewhere in the middle of the pack and will be the underdog heading into this inter-conference showdown.
The defense of the Browns has been a massive bright spot in the first four games, and it will have all it can handle on Sunday. The 49ers can score at will led by running back Christian McCaffrey, who tied Emmitt Smith for fourth-most games with a touchdown at 14, including the playoffs.
McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing at 510 yards and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with seven. He can take over a game at any given time, and the Cleveland run defense will need to be on their A-game this week.
San Fran quarterback Brock Purdy just wins football games. Currently, Purdy is a top-five quarterback in the NFL, and his stats back it up as he ranks near the top in all major categories. He has thrown for 1,271 yards, nine touchdowns, and no interceptions while completing 72 percent of his passes and a QBR of 123.1.
He has weapons in McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. This is a potent offense that averages 33.4 points per game.
The defense of the 49ers is one of the best in the game and will look to create havoc for the Browns' offense.
Through their first five games, the 49ers sure do look unbeatable. They have shown minimal chinks in their armor, which could motivate the Browns to play better in Week 6.
2. Can the Browns bounce back with a win after a loss again?
For the second time this season, the Browns will look to avoid back-to-back losses. In Week 3, Cleveland bounced back with a win over the Tennesee Titans a week after an ugly loss to the Steelers.
Again, a loss isn't a season-killer, it's no Jason Vorhees, but a win would be massive coming off the early bye week.
The team has had two weeks to lick their wounds and prepare for a vaunted 49ers team. In Week 4, Watson did not play (more on him momentarily) and the offense was lost. Regardless of who is under center this week, that player should be fully prepared, even against a tough San Fran defense.
If the offense can sustain drives and move the ball down the field, it will give the defense some much-needed rest. If the offense can put points on the board, it will allow the defense to keep the game within arm's reach.
The Browns need to find a way to force turnovers, as they currently sit at -7, where the 9ers are a +7. Cleveland has yet to win the turnover battle in a game this season, and somehow sit at 2-2.
Everything the team wants is still in front of them, and now they must find a way to beat this juggernaut of a team.
1. Will Deshaun Watson play?
The biggest storyline in Week 6 when the Browns play host to the 49ers is whether or not Deshaun Watson will suit up and play after missing the Week 4 game against Baltimore with a shoulder bruise.
As of this writing, the status of Watson is already in doubt. That's not ideal for a team that clearly performs better with 4 on the field as opposed to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
On Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski declined a chance to say he was optimistic about Watson playing.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski declined a chance to say he's optimistic that Deshaun Watson will face the #49ers on Sunday: "He's day to day, working hard, getting better"
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 9, 2023
In Week 4, it seemed as if Watson would play all week, but then Stefanski said that Watson made the call that he couldn't play. Did the head coach use David Njoku to throw Watson under the bus, after Njoku played after suffering burns in a backyard fire accident?
You can speculate on that, but the commentary regarding the two this week will be quite interesting. Hopefully, this doesn't lead to some sort of rift between Watson and Stefanski, or Watson and his teammates, who were all under the impression that Watson would play against the Ravens.
Should Watson not be able to go against the 49ers, Stefanski cannot afford to not have DTR ready to play. Last week, I believe Stefanski thought Watson would play and didn't have time to readjust the game plan hours before the game.
It will be a long week of anticipation for Browns fans and if Watson doesn't play in Week 6 against San Francisco, you can expect a full-on meltdown on (Jason) X/Twitter.