Browns-Chiefs matchup analysis: What each team must do to win Sunday
by
Seth Keysor
Originally Posted by :
Nothing is certain in the NFL.
The talent level among professional football rosters is generally much closer than people realize. Every team is stacked from top to bottom with players who were historically great at their high schools and exceptional players in college. There are, of course, differences in talent, but we don’t see the kind of vast differences we see at the college level.
That relative equality of talent, along with how much luck plays a role in a game that features around 60 plays for both sides of the ball, is why the phrase “any given Sunday” carries so much weight at the NFL level. Each game is so matchup-intensive and has so many variables that will affect the outcome that the worst team in the league has at least a puncher’s chance at beating the best. Once the playoffs are reached, those chances narrow as the competition level rises.
Which brings us to the 2020 Kansas City Chiefs, who are set to begin their “Run It Back” campaign in earnest Sunday as they host the Cleveland Browns.
The first team to try and block the Chiefs’ path to a repeat is the Cleveland Browns, who are coming off a road upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. The Browns had to defeat the Steelers in back-to-back weeks, facing them in Week 17 in a “win and your in” matchup in which the Steelers rested some of their starters. Cleveland then obliterated their longtime rival, 48-37, on Sunday in a game that was never really close after the Browns roared out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Browns are a fascinating team to break down. They finished the season 11-5, but were never seriously talked about as a Super Bowl contender for most of the year. Part of that could be the way they started the season, getting blasted 38-6 by the Baltimore Ravens. But Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who faced Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes while he was at the University of Oklahoma in what would become one the greatest college shootouts of all time, has quietly put together a a solid season and answered some of the questions as to whether or not he could be the future of the Browns. Their running back duo of Nick Chubb and former Chief Kareem Hunt is the best in the NFL by a sizable margin, and on paper they’re a dangerous opponent.
Of course, the Chiefs are widely considered the Super Bowl favorite for a reason. Their offensive weaponry is unmatched outside of perhaps Green Bay, and Mahomes gives Kansas City an inherent advantage over any opponent.
With such an important matchup looming, it’s a good time to think about the keys to the game. And with the Chiefs as the heavy favorite, it makes the most sense to first think of what the Browns can do to win. After that, we’ll look at some of the ways the Chiefs could survive and advance to the AFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season.
How the Browns can win
Despite being big underdogs, the Browns are talented enough to have a number of paths to victory against the Chiefs.
The first and most obvious way is by being opportunistic and taking advantage of any mistakes the Chiefs made. This is how they jumped on the Steelers early in the wild-card round.
Pittsburgh turned the ball over on their first possession in catastrophic style, not only giving the ball back to Cleveland but allowing a touchdown. This was the first of five (that’s not a typo) turnovers on the day for the Steelers.
The issue wasn’t just the turnovers, though. It was the fact that the Browns capitalized on those turnovers. The Browns’ first 14 points and 21 of their first 28 points all came off turnovers during an absurd first quarter that essentially sealed the game for Cleveland. In total, the Browns scored 24 points off turnovers, and the game was ultimately iced by an interception of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs have not been a turnover-prone team this year, with only 16 total giveaways. This is, in part, because Mahomes has generally been exceptional taking care of the ball, with the exception of throwing multiple interceptions against the Miami Dolphins in what was one of the oddest games of the year. However, they’re not immune to mistakes and self-inflicted wounds. One of the largest criticisms of Kansas City throughout the course of the season was that they didn’t always play at their best, instead “turning it on” to go on runs that would ensure victory and then coasting for large stretches on both offense and defense.
If the Browns want to stay in the game, they need to hope the Chiefs have those periods of cruise control and take advantage. One reason the Falcons were unable to beat the Chiefs despite an uncharacteristically poor game from Mahomes and Co. was their failure to capitalize on drives that ended in punts or turnovers. Taking every gift and making the most of it will be crucial for Cleveland.
From a more practical point of view, the Browns are going to need big plays from their passing game if they are going to beat the Chiefs. While undoubtedly much of the conversation will center around the Browns “keeping the ball away” from Mahomes, it’s been thoroughly debunked that the way to beat the Chiefs is to try and grind out the clock.
The reality is that teams have always had to produce at least something in the pass game in order to keep pace with Kansas City, and have done most of their damage through the air when walking away with the victory. The Browns don’t have a passing attack that’s known for its potency, but they’ve improved as the year has gone along and do have some players who could give the Chiefs problems. One area the Chiefs have struggled at times is their tackling at the second level, with their linebackers in particular not always showing the ability to close and finish in time to prevent yards after the catch. This has been compounded by second-year safety Juan Thornhill still recovering from his torn ACL last year and being a step slower than he was in 2019. Meanwhile, the Browns have one of the better yards-after-catch receivers around in Jarvis Landry.
The Browns can cause damage to a Chiefs defense that has been vulnerable in the middle of the field and help negate the presence of defensive tackle Chris Jones as a pass rusher with smart shallow and intermediate routes designed to get the ball out quickly. This could take advantage of the Chiefs’ lack of speed at that part of the field or force them to utilize do-everything safety Tyrann Mathieu in that area rather than allowing him to move all over the field. Kansas City’s defense is at its most effective when Mathieu splits his time deep, shallow and everywhere in between rather than being stuck in one spot.
The Browns have another underrated weapon who can take advantage of a facet of the game the Chiefs have struggled at times: tight end Austin Hooper.
While Hooper hasn’t quite been the elite force the Browns were hoping for when they acquired him, he’s a competent receiver with sure hands and the ability to power through tackles after the catch. Kansas City has had uneven success against tight ends in 2020, in part because when they go to man-to-man coverage, they too often are reliant on safety Dan Sorensen to try and cover tight ends one on one in space. Sorensen is a solid player who executes his role well in zone coverage but has consistently shown he lacks the burst and change-of-direction skills to stick with tight ends alone down the field.
Hooper isn’t a sensational athlete, but he has good movement skills and is more than capable of winning routes on his own against certain safeties. The Chiefs have given up several big plays and crucial first downs this season by allowing opponents to scheme them into leaving Sorensen on an island in coverage against a tight end. If the Browns have done their homework on how to drag Sorensen into those matchups, they’ll have a chance to earn some cheap yardage and perhaps even a few big plays.
Another area the Browns should exploit is throws to their running backs. For several years now, the Chiefs have had less than ideal speed at the linebacker position covering running backs out of the backfield in man or trying to get to the perimeter in zone coverage, and it has been exploited on multiple occasions. While defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done a good job of hiding these limitations this year, it’s still a concern. Both Chubb and Hunt are exceptional at picking up yards after the catch and possess a rare combination of strength and acceleration. Hunt in particular is a gifted receiver.
Similar to tight end matchups against Sorensen, if the Chiefs try and utilize linebackers Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson or Ben Niemann in space against Hunt or Chubb, it’s a massive disadvantage for Kansas City. Rookie Willie Gay Jr. has looked significantly faster and more capable in man coverage than the veterans ahead of him in the lineup, but so far this season, he has been relegated to the third linebacker spot and hasn’t been asked to play a significant role in coverage. Another advantage this potential matchup creates for the Browns is that they can get the ball out fast and, as discussed in quick throws to Landry, try and neutralize Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ pass rush.
Finally, on offense, if the Browns are able to take advantage of the Chiefs’ mistakes and keep the game from turning into a shootout, they can rely on their intimidating and physical ground game. While Hunt is an exceptional running back in his own right, Chubb might be the best runner in the NFL.
Chubb is unique in that he can power his way through arm tackles with ease and earn tough yards but also possesses breakaway speed to make himself a threat to score at any moment. That combination allows their run game to be more successful in picking up the big plays needed to compete with passing attacks. They also feature a very good run-blocking offensive line that will try to exploit a Chiefs run defense that was ranked in the bottom third of the league by Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
Of course, these are all things the Browns can do to try and move the ball consistently and win in a shootout. But what can they do to prevent one from occurring in the first place? How do they win on defense? The short answer is that it would be foolish for the Browns to game plan around holding the Chiefs below 24 points, because it’s not something any team has been able to do with any sort of consistency. While the Chiefs starters are coming off their worst performance as a unit against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16, the two weeks prior, they had played top-five defenses in the Dolphins and Saints and managed to score 30-plus points against both teams.
Quite simply, game-planning to “stop” the Chiefs’ offense is likely going to end in at least some form of failure. The simple truth is the best thing to hope for is that the Chiefs shoot themselves in the foot and that you stay disciplined enough to hold the line on every other drive.
However, the Browns do have one massive matchup advantage that they can exploit to earn a victory, and that’s Myles Garrett against the Chiefs’ tackles.
With star right tackle Mitchell Schwartz still nursing a back injury, protecting the edges will fall on Eric Fisher and Mike Remmers. Both have had their own back issues of late, and neither is a match for Garrett’s combination of explosion, le0n1gth, and strength. The Browns exploited Garrett’s presence and the fear it causes against the Steelers in the wild-card round by lining him up on one side of the line then moving both interior pass rushers a gap down to earn easy one-on-one matchups that couldn’t be prevented without shifting away from Garrett. It’s something they should do again vs. Kansas City, as it would force the Chiefs’ interior offensive line (which has struggled to protect Mahomes) to hold up on their own long enough for Mahomes to survey the field.
If Garrett has a big day and the Browns utilize him as a way to get advantageous looks against their other rushers, they could stymie the Chiefs’ downfield passing and force them into a more conservative game plan. And that, combined with any of the ways their offense could get an edge, would allow them to topple the defending champs. If they’re not able to do that, the path to victory becomes much less clear for them.
How the Chiefs can win
From a completely objective standpoint, this list could be significantly longer for Kansas City. This is due to the fact that fewer things need to go their way for them to collect the victory. If the Chiefs avoid self-inflicted mistakes like the ones they committed against the Raiders and the Falcons, they’ve shown themselves to be almost impossible to beat in 2020. But there are a few things they should look to exploit against the Browns that could allow them a more comfortable margin of victory and keep the game from remaining close in the fourth quarter.
The first thing the Chiefs need to do is attack a Browns secondary that, despite their win over the Steelers, is still very vulnerable.
The Steelers were able to gain an astonishing 501 passing yards against the Browns despite killing multiple possessions with turnovers. Throughout the game, the Steelers’ receivers were able to gain separation from the Browns’ defensive backs, particularly against a safety group that is more built to stop the run than defend the deep ball.
The Browns have the 25th-ranked pass defense in DVOA (defensive efficiency), according to Football Outsiders. This makes them one of the worst pass defenses the Chiefs have faced all season, ahead of only the Jets, Raiders and Texans. While that’s not necessarily a guarantee of a big day for the Chiefs — remember, football is all about matchups — the Browns’ weak spots at safety could get exposed against a Chiefs defense that excels at stressing defenses deep and showing too much speed for unprepared (or inadequate) defenses to deal with.
Teams that aren’t accustomed to playing Chiefs have generally struggled to deal with their unique speed and aggressiveness. If Kansas City is able to protect Mahomes enough for routes to develop down the field, it’s unlikely the Browns will be able to keep the game close (unless they’re up for scoring 35-plus points).
The Browns’ issues at safety also leads to the problem of covering tight end Travis Kelce, who is a legitimate candidate for Offensive Player of the Year after setting the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end.
The basic problem Kelce creates is that most NFL defenses simply aren’t sculpted to have a cornerback covering a tight end consistently, especially when there are so many other weapons to be dealt with. Linebackers are universally incapable of sticking with Kelce’s route running ability, and he’s arguably the best in the league at finding open spots against zone. What teams often do is try to match up their safeties against Kelce in order to find the most ideal combination of size and speed. If the Browns do this, it’s going to be a mismatch that the Chiefs can exploit.
“Establish the Kelce” is an expression often used on our “Time’s Ours” podcast for a reason, and getting Kelce going is an obvious way for the Chiefs to win. However, that’s sort of the point talking about the Kansas City vs. Cleveland matchup: If the Chiefs do what they generally do, they’re going to win this game. That includes getting Kelce going against an overmatched secondary.
The NFL is quite possibly the most unpredictable professional sports league there is, especially now that the Patriots’ dynasty is no longer. There are obviously no guarantees as to what will happen when the Chiefs face the Browns. The Browns do have a path to victory if they’re able to establish the parts of their offense that work best against the Chiefs’ weaknesses on defense, especially if Kansas City creates problems for themselves on offense. But in essence, all the Chiefs really need to do to win this week is be themselves.
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
The other thing I thought of was how mahomes injury last year helped the defense step up in a huge way. Our offense hitting some snags led to our defense being great that the last stretch of the season. Our defense alone can keep us in this game. If our offense even remotely improves over the past few weeks, which most of us are confident it will, look out.
True. But I have a bad feeling about this one... It's the "Kareem Hunt" factor and the whole deal of the former player coming back to wreck the Chiefs. I fearfully - jokingly said it when KC released him and Cleveland picked him up. I thought that one day this will come back to haunt us. Weird how it's all changed now and the same networks that villainized Hunt, are now singing his praises. Where is the OUTRAGE NOW??? (I'm talking about YOU ESPN and NFL Network and PRISCO, & Sam COWHERD ETC!). Strangely, I'd feel better about this game if it were a road game. The Chiefs seem to play better on the road.
Can someone try and talk some sense into me? [Reply]
The Chiefs have the better players on both offense and defense and the better coaches. People keep pointing to the Chiefs winning by one score as if that makes them vulnerable but that’s fools gold. The not blowing teams out is not an indicator of opponents and the league catching up to them or all those games being actually that close when you look at the context of each game. The Chiefs will be up by double digits throughout the entire second half. If they decide to play the full 60 minutes as I expect them to it will never get closer than that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TEX:
True. But I have a bad feeling about this one... It's the "Kareem Hunt" factor and the whole deal of the former player coming back to wreck the Chiefs. I fearfully - jokingly said it when KC released him and Cleveland picked him up. I thought that one day this will come back to haunt us. Weird how it's all changed now and the same networks that villainized Hunt, are now singing his praises. Where is the OUTRAGE NOW??? (I'm talking about YOU ESPN and NFL Network and PRISCO, & Sam COWHERD ETC!). Strangely, I'd feel better about this game if it were a road game. The Chiefs seem to play better on the road.
Can someone try and talk some sense into me?
They have played better in their big games, which have all been on the road... they also beat the shit out of the Texans when they thought that was a huge game on TNF.
They have come home in recent weeks to let down games against the Broncos and Falcons after marquee road games. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TEX:
True. But I have a bad feeling about this one... It's the "Kareem Hunt" factor and the whole deal of the former player coming back to wreck the Chiefs. I fearfully - jokingly said it when KC released him and Cleveland picked him up. I thought that one day this will come back to haunt us. Weird how it's all changed now and the same networks that villainized Hunt, are now singing his praises. Where is the OUTRAGE NOW??? (I'm talking about YOU ESPN and NFL Network and PRISCO, & Sam COWHERD ETC!). Strangely, I'd feel better about this game if it were a road game. The Chiefs seem to play better on the road.
Can someone try and talk some sense into me?
Christian Okoye
Barry Word
Marcus Allen
Priest Holmes
Larry Johnson
Jamaal Charles
Do you know what those 6 have in common?
Great Chiefs RB that never won a Super Bowl. 3 of them never even won a playoff game.
Why?
Because running backs don't win championships. QUARTERBACKS do. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Christian Okoye
Barry Word
Marcus Allen
Priest Holmes
Larry Johnson
Jamaal Charles
Do you know what those 6 have in common?
Great Chiefs RB that never won a Super Bowl. 3 of them never even won a playoff game.
Why?
Because running backs don't win championships. QUARTERBACKS do.
Very true. I'm concerned that Baker has shown that he can light it up at times, when the run game is clicking. To beat the Chiefs, you can't just pound the rock and play keep-away, you also gotta hit on your downfield passes. I think if the run game is working, they'll be able to pick their spots. If they hit on them, it's gonna be a real problem. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TEX:
True. But I have a bad feeling about this one... It's the "Kareem Hunt" factor and the whole deal of the former player coming back to wreck the Chiefs. I fearfully - jokingly said it when KC released him and Cleveland picked him up. I thought that one day this will come back to haunt us. Weird how it's all changed now and the same networks that villainized Hunt, are now singing his praises. Where is the OUTRAGE NOW??? (I'm talking about YOU ESPN and NFL Network and PRISCO, & Sam COWHERD ETC!). Strangely, I'd feel better about this game if it were a road game. The Chiefs seem to play better on the road.
Can someone try and talk some sense into me?
Kareem kind of took back his comments. Hard to be mad at Clark hunt when he was so sincere about getting kareem the help he needed and was so supportive about getting him right. Especially since his ex teammates and chiefs fans continue to be supportive of him. If he runs with a chip on his shoulder it's because he's forcing it. [Reply]
Denzel Ward’s return helps, but can the Browns really keep up with the Chiefs?
by
Zac Jackson
Originally Posted by : The Browns are on to game No. 18 Sunday in Kansas City as they face the defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In honor of the Browns making it this far, here are 18 thoughts, notes and observations on the Browns’ work week ahead of this momentous matchup …
1. The Browns haven’t played this deep into January in 26 years, so they decided to get really wild Wednesday and actually hold a practice. Last week, the team’s facility was closed until Friday afternoon due to COVID-19 protocols that ultimately kept head coach Kevin Stefanski, three assistant coaches and two of the team’s best players out of the wild-card win over the Steelers. The Browns have had no COVID-19/reserve list additions since late last week, and Wednesday they were able to get on the outdoor practice fields for about 90 minutes.
2. Stefanski was not at practice, but he expects to be cleared to return to work Thursday. Stefanski said offensive-line coach Bill Callahan returned Wednesday after missing the last two games. Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio is eligible to be activated as soon as Thursday, as well, and that would be a big addition. Wednesday’s biggest news, though, is that the team activated cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson from the COVID-19/reserve list and both participated in practice.
3. Any team that’s going to keep up with the Chiefs is going to have to defend the pass and limit All-World quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a reasonable number of passing yards and big plays. There won’t be any delusions from the Cleveland sideline about winning a 17-14 type of game. The Chiefs averaged just under 30 points per game on the season and 6.3 yards per play, tied for second-best in the NFL. Kansas City didn’t blow anyone out in the second half of the season and hasn’t won by more than a touchdown since Nov. 1. But they keep scoring and they keep winning. The Chiefs finished 14-2 after sitting many of their regulars in what was largely a meaningless Week 17 loss to the Chargers.
4. Mahomes has thrown the ball at least 40 times in every game but one since Week 8. On the season, he completed a career-best 66.3 percent of his throws. The Chiefs will occasionally run, but they often don’t have to. It will be incumbent upon Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods to mix his coverages when possible and be really picky with his blitzes. The Browns need a big game from Myles Garrett, which is an evergreen idea, and they’ll need their defensive backs to make plays on the ball. Sometimes that will mean tackling well on underneath throws. Often, that will mean getting deflections or interceptions on deeper balls. The long pass-interference penalty can be a weapon for Kansas City given Tyreek Hill’s speed and Mahomes’ arm strength. Mahomes will run when necessary, too, though he didn’t carry the ball as much in the second half of the season.
5. Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill has world-class speed and has long been one of the NFL’s top deep threats. The problem with the Browns playing their safeties deep and trying to take away Hill’s big plays is that Mahomes has other options, most notably freakishly talented tight end Travis Kelce roaming the middle of the field. Kelce this season had the most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history with 1,416 — and he did it in just 15 games. He caught 105 passes, 11 for touchdowns, at an average of 13.5 per catch. Considering Hill averaged 14.7 per catch and the big play is his forte, it’s not like Kelce is catching only short balls. He can both get vertical and turn quick ones into longer gains. He’s a matchup nightmare.
6. Of course, the Browns can score, too. Baker Mayfield and the passing game have been at their best over the last six weeks. The Browns have the best 1-2 running back duo in the league with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (more on his story later this week), and one of the league’s best offensive lines expects to have Bitonio back. The Browns bullied the Steelers in the trenches last week, and Mayfield was not hurried on any of his 34 dropbacks. The Browns will use both backs, and they’ll use the run to create opportunities in the passing game.
7. Cash in those opportunities! The Browns will have to score a bunch to have a chance — let’s not pretend otherwise. They need touchdowns, not field goals. If the Chiefs do turn the ball over, a touchdown on the ensuing possession is vital. The Browns have the offensive line and the run game to chew up clock in some spots, but points are much more significant than time of possession, and controlling the game at the end of the half — both halves, actually — could be crucial. Cleveland has been good in the red zone for much of the year and has the offensive line and the running game to win in the fourth quarter. They just need their secondary to hold up.
8. The Chiefs’ one loss with their regulars came back in Week 5 when they gave up 490 yards and 40 points to the Raiders. Mahomes was sacked three times and picked off once. There’s no real kryptonite the Chiefs have, nor is there one plan known to fluster Mahomes. Upset-hungry teams have to win in the trenches and have to mix a bit of keep-away with a lot of execution. Turnovers help, and the Browns have thrived this season when they’ve been able to create them. But the Chiefs only had 16 giveaways all season.
9. From personnel and statistical standpoints, offense is clearly the strong area for both teams. By FootballOutsiders.com’s DVOA rankings, the Browns are 25th in total defense, and the Chiefs are 22nd, but 31st against the run. Kansas City still only allowed two opponents to rush for more than 100 yards on them all season. Last year, they allowed six 100-yard rushers but tightened in the postseason against the strong ground games of the Titans and 49ers. The Browns have shown that both Chubb and Hunt can be effective with both getting work and without either having a huge statistical day, but if there was ever a time for Chubb to post a line like 25 carries for 150 yards, it might be this week.
10. Asked about the Browns potentially needing to control the clock, Mayfield said it’s more about finding what works. “It comes back to us being extremely efficient,” he said. “You don’t want to play the clock game early. You want to play to win.” Part of the Browns’ success in the passing game in the back half of the season has been throwing early. Part of last week’s success was incorporating Chubb into the passing game, even though that has typically been Hunt’s role. Whatever it takes, right?
11. Stefanski’s offense has relied upon the tight ends all season, and the numbers say the Chiefs have had trouble defending that position. Darren Waller of the Raiders is a rare talent who can get vertical on just about anyone, but there’s no doubt the Browns will make note of how the Raiders attacked. Can Browns tight end Austin Hooper get open more than 6 yards down the field? There’s not a lot of evidence that says yes. But Hooper has been targeted 31 times in the last three games, so it’s fair to say he’s going to be involved. Mayfield has found open guys, and Jarvis Landry’s run-after-the-catch prowess last week might need to be replicated for Cleveland to keep up.
12. Stefanski was hired a year ago this week, just one day after the Vikings were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by the 49ers. A year ago this week, the Chiefs were busy in the postseason, something they’ve been accustomed to under coach Andy Reid. Dating back to the 2018 divisional playoffs, the Chiefs have scored at least 30 points in five straight postseason games.
13. In last year’s divisional round, the Chiefs trailed the Texans 24-0 in the first quarter. The Chiefs came back and won 51-31, rolling up 434 yards. They ran off 41 unanswered points in a span of just over 20 game minutes in the second and third quarters. Mahomes and Kelce connected on three touchdown passes in an eight-minute span in the second quarter. The Chiefs started slow off an extended break — a situation similar to the one they’re in this year — but then scored so much that the stadium ran out of fireworks. Really. The team made an in-stadium announcement apologizing to fans for running out of fireworks.
14. Life comes at you fast, and so does this Kansas City offense in high-stakes games. In last year’s AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs trailed the Titans 10-0 and 17-7 before rallying to win 35-24. They ran off 28 unanswered points in a span of 12:30 in the second half to put it away. Again, a few touchdowns and a couple of big third-down stops will not be enough. It’s probably going to take more than 35 points to win this game, maybe 45. Or more. This year’s Chiefs offense ranks second in DVOA, second in passing and 13th in running. The Chiefs posted 400-plus yards of offense 11 times this season.
15. The Browns have played four playoff teams in December and January: at the Titans, the Ravens and home and away against the Steelers, once in the regular-season finale and then again last week. In those four games, the Browns have averaged 39 points and 425 yards per game. In those four games, the Browns have given up an average of 35 points and 441 yards per game. This thing is going to be a track meet.
These teams are scheduled to play again — again in Kansas City — during the 2021 regular season. If this week’s game is the shootout it shapes up to be, go ahead and book the rematch for a Sunday or Monday night next fall.
16. Here’s something wild: Of the four quarterbacks playing in the AFC divisional round this weekend, Mayfield is the oldest at 25. “That’s pretty crazy to see,” the Cleveland quarterback said. Mahomes is also 25; Josh Allen of the Bills and Lamar Jackson of the Ravens are both 24. Mayfield and Allen were Senior Bowl teammates, while Mayfield and Mahomes have faced off before both in the NFL and in college. This is the first time that one conference’s divisional-round quarterbacks have all been under 26. It’s the second time that three first-round quarterbacks from the same draft class will start in the divisional playoffs the same year.
17. With Ward and Johnson back, the Browns go from having just one of their top three cornerbacks to having all three. Ward and Terrance Mitchell will start on the outside, and Johnson likely will return to his usual spot in the slot. That makes M.J. Stewart, who has an interception each of the last two weeks while playing in the slot, available for utility duty.
Right tackle Jack Conklin did not practice Wednesday after leaving last week’s game with a hamstring injury. Kendall Lamm is next in line, and though the Browns obviously hope Conklin is available, they’re used to having to shuffle the line. Eight different offensive linemen started for the Browns during the regular season, and Bitonio’s replacement last week, Michael Dunn, landed on injured reserve after suffering a calf injury.
18. With COVID-19 hitting the Browns especially hard in the back seven of their defense, they rotated safeties frequently last week — kind of like they’ve been doing with their linebackers for most of the year. The Browns started Sheldrick Redwine and Karl Joseph at safety last week; their listed starters, Ronnie Harrison and Andrew Sendejo, played as backups. Harrison played just 11 snaps, and Sendejo played about half the snaps. The Browns will almost always have five or six defensive backs on the field this week, so look for more rotating. Ward told reporters Wednesday that the virus hit him hard for a few days, so the Browns may look to sneak him some rest early in the game. Playing Mahomes, Hill and Kelce is always scary; it’s scarier if the Browns don’t have Ward, Harrison and others at full speed.
Originally Posted by TEX:
True. But I have a bad feeling about this one... It's the "Kareem Hunt" factor and the whole deal of the former player coming back to wreck the Chiefs. I fearfully - jokingly said it when KC released him and Cleveland picked him up. I thought that one day this will come back to haunt us. Weird how it's all changed now and the same networks that villainized Hunt, are now singing his praises. Where is the OUTRAGE NOW??? (I'm talking about YOU ESPN and NFL Network and PRISCO, & Sam COWHERD ETC!). Strangely, I'd feel better about this game if it were a road game. The Chiefs seem to play better on the road.
Can someone try and talk some sense into me?
They have a non starting role player Hunt, we have Mahomes.. Which player makes the most difference on their team?? [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
The only uneasy feeling I have is that we'll start out slow. But the browns are just the team to do that too since they can't hold a lead.
I am very optimistic. It'd be one thing if Atlanta caught us off guard. But Reid has several games of tape since Denver to figure out our blind spots. Just remember that after a few games of Alex Smith shitting all over himself against zone Reid in a short week walked into the chargers game and massacred them on national TV. Now imagine Reid with a few weeks.
Nobody runs a short and screen game more masterfully than Andy Reid. And my guess is we show a new and improved version of it early and CLE will have no answer for it.
the one thing the chiefs dont want to do is start slow or give the browns some short fields to get going.
the longer it goes and if the browns can get a lead the more confident the underdog becomes.
if it becomes a shootout game that is close at the end. it more than likely is the last team with the ball wins.
the browns have been clutch this year much like the chiefs when they need a drive they have delivered for the most part. [Reply]
I think if we can score more points than the other team we should have a good chance at winning the game
This is wrong. We only won some games by one score and those don’t count as wins anymore. Beating the Saints and Bucs on the road is supposed to be easy. [Reply]
