Freddie Kitchens: Browns can’t beat 49ers with talent alone

Sometimes the best lessons are learned the hard way.

Perhaps that’s the case with the Cleveland Browns (2-2), who enter Monday’s prime-time showdown with the undefeated 49ers (3-0) on the upswing following their 40-25 victory Sunday on the road against the formidable Baltimore Ravens.

The lesson for Cleveland? It takes more than star power to win consistently in the NFL.

“We’ve got a lot of talent, but we haven’t done anything yet,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said in a conference call with 49ers beat reporters Wednesday. “Talent’s just not the key to success. And hopefully our guys are realizing that. I think our guys do realize that. It has nothing to do with talent.”

Cleveland, which hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2002, came into the season as a trendy pick for a playoff spot after adding super star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to pair with former No. 1 overall draft picks Myles Garrett and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield’s sophomore slump

Many observers expect Mayfield to join the pantheon of elite quarterbacks while stalwarts such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers approach the end of their successful careers.

But Mayfield hasn’t gotten off to the start many were expecting in his second season. His six interceptions are tied for the league lead and he ranks 31st with a 59-percent completion rate, despite having Beckham and four-time Pro-Bowl wideout Jarvis Landry flanking the offense.

Landry is considered questionable to play Monday while he goes through concussion protocol following the victory in Baltimore. His replacement could be Antonio Callaway, who’s first eligible to return from a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Missing Landry could add to the list of issues facing Cleveland after their first four games didn’t necessarily go to plan. However, even at .500, the Browns sit at first place in the AFC North with four games remaining against the Steelers and Bengals, who are 1-7 combined. And they own the head-to-head tie breaker with the Ravens, whom they host again Dec. 22.

Still, Kitchens spoke Wednesday like a coach who still believes his team has a long way to go before thinking about true contention, despite having one of the most star powered rosters in the conference.

“Just about every year, the team that wins the Super Bowl is not the most talented team,” Kitchens said. “It’s the team that believes in each other, holds each other accountable, they rely on each other, and then they go out and play, play well. That’s who usually wins. It has nothing to do with talent at all. Hell, these are national football league players, everybody’s talented. There’s some people more talented than others and that doesn’t guarantee you success.”

Unbeaten 49ers missing key players

The 49ers are entering the game hoping to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1990 when they won their first 10 contests. But they’ll do so without key players at important positions.

Left tackle Joe Staley is going to miss his second straight game leaving rookie sixth-round pick Justin Skule to likely match up with Garrett, who has 26.5 sacks in 31 career games, including six sacks in four starts this season.

Additionally, the 49ers will be without cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who will likely be replaced by former undrafted free agent Emmanuel Moseley, who has played 45 defensive snaps in two seasons.

It wouldn’t at all be surprising to see the Browns line up Beckham on the left side of the offense to match him up with Moseley, who would be making his first career start.

“I think any competitor will enjoy being the underdog,” Moseley said. “You can go out there and prove it.”

The 49ers could try making up for Witherspoon’s absence by getting a strong performance from its talented defensive front. San Francisco’s defense ranks second in Football Outsider’s DVOA metric (defense-adjusted value over average) that measures efficiency league wide on a per-play basis thanks to strong starts for rookie Nick Bosa, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead.

“They play hard,” Kitchens said of the defensive line. they’re very talented, they’re very long, big guys that play with quickness. ... There’s a lot of (first-round draft picks) up there and they’re up there for a reason. I think they’re very deep, they can rotate guys in and out. I think they’re the best front that we’ve faced this year.”