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Cleveland Browns: 3 key matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs

By J.T. Soderlund

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets in the second half. The Jets defeat the Browns, 23-16, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford.Nyj Vs Cle
Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets in the second half. The Jets defeat the Browns, 23-16, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford.Nyj Vs Cle /
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Cleveland Browns. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Denzel Ward vs Tyreek Hill

The Chiefs’ lethal passing attack is comprised of more than just Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill is an integral piece in their aerial assault. He is one of the fastest players in the NFL and has the ability to take the top off of just about every defense he encounters.

In their week 12 matchup against Tampa Bay, Hill exploded scoring deep touchdowns over and over again. He finished that game with 13 catches, 269 yards, and three touchdowns. This just goes to show the damage that Hill can cause opposing defenses.

Denzel Ward is going to have the privilege of attempting to guard Tyreek Hill for most of the game on Sunday. This is going to be a difficult task for the Browns’ top cornerback.

The Browns secondary has been playing shorthanded all season. All of their projected starters have missed significant amounts of time during the season due to injuries and testing positive for coronavirus. Cleveland has even had to play some games with their entire starting unit in the secondary out.

With all of these notable absences, it makes sense that the Browns would struggle to cover opposing wide receivers. However, they should be healthier than they have been in a long time for the matchup with Kansas City, and getting Denzel Ward back should help a lot.

The Browns drafted Ward with the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and he instantly became the top cornerback on the team. When healthy, he’s responsible for covering the best wide receiver on the other team.

The Chiefs finished the regular season with a record of 14-2 but in those two losses, Hill had a season-low three catches in one game and did not play at all in the other. It is clear that a good portion of the Kansas City offense is channeled through Hill and he is pivotal to their success.

If Denzel Ward can lock up Tyreek Hill on Sunday it would go a long way in helping the Browns advance in the playoffs, but if Hill is able to get loose a couple of times the Browns will have a hard time matching their firepower.

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