Cleveland Browns vs. Chiefs: Can the new staff upset Kansas City?
By Randy Gurzi
Writer: Martin McConnell
Following a house-cleaning of legendary proportions in Berea, which saw both head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley get fired, the Browns will have to turn around and face one of the best teams in the NFL at home. The 7-1 Kansas City Chiefs are coming to town this Sunday. As gunslinging Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rapidly careens toward the greater Cleveland area, I think it’s time to reflect on what an improvement this Browns season has been. Whether the Browns survive the finger-snapping of Andy Reid’s Infinity Gauntlet offense remains to be seen. Patrick Mahomes and company are coming to the shores of Lake Erie, and they will spare no one. Let’s break this one down.
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On the offensive side of things, Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns need to capitalize on the Achilles Heel of the Chiefs, their wet-cardboard defense. The Chiefs have been kept afloat by a historic offensive effort, but their defense is nothing without star safety Eric Berry. Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins is back at practice this week, but who knows if he’ll be ready for Sunday? Hopefully, the third-year wideout can return for Sunday, and give his rookie quarterback a familiar target on offense. Let’s throw it over to the defensive side of the ball.
Defensively, the Browns will be on their heels all game. The mere presence of Mahomes has become intimidating this season, let alone his rail gun of an arm. Mahomes can make throws that perhaps no other quarterback in NFL history can make. Kareem Hunt is one of the NFL’s rising stars as a rusher, and even if he doesn’t run past you, he’ll always find a way. Tyreek Hill is an animal, specifically a cheetah, and will be giving the Browns’ special teams units fits all day. The defense will have to be on their A+ game to have a chance at slowing down Kansas City’s juggernaut.
The moral of this story? Cleveland is getting better, but the Chiefs are one of the NFL’s elite teams on offense. Defense might win you championships, but Kansas City is showing that the best defense is offense.
Final score: Chiefs 41, Browns 24