Cleveland Browns: Where Kevin Stefanski went wrong vs Chiefs

A fascinating Cleveland Browns run comes to an end as they lose 22-17 to the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs

Despite the loss on Sunday and being eliminated from the playoffs, what a hell of a season it was for the Cleveland Browns. With yet another new head coach and new system entering town, no OTAs or minicamps, the Browns got to their first playoff birth since 2002 and a trip to the divisional round that turned out to be a very good game.

For new head coach Kevin Stefanski, what a season. Believe it or not, Stefanski actually entered a pretty tough situation. While most may disagree, here’s why.

When Stefanski was hired, there was immediately a lot of weight on his shoulders. The Browns were a disgrace in 2019 when they finished 6-10 surrounded by floods and flurries of hype. He entered having to find more pieces to the puzzle and basically get himself a whole new staff. He entered a situation where the star wide receiver always had trade rumors around him no matter how good he was on or off the field.

But, none of that seemed to make a difference, as the front runner for NFL Coach of the Year weathered the storm. With all of that said, Stefanski did make a few mistakes Sunday, but it’s impossible to blame him entirely for the loss. He stuck with the analytics side of things, something that has worked all season long; just not yesterday.

Timeouts are key. Wasting timeouts on challenges or not being set before the play clock expires can be the difference in the game. For the Browns on Sunday, both played a part in the outcome.

Stefanski and the Browns missed on their challenges, as it appeared they challenged the wrong play. Earlier in the game, Patrick Mahomes had a throw to the Chiefs sideline that was ruled a catch but there was a clear movement of the ball. Cleveland didn’t challenge, the game went on. Later in the game, Tyreek Hill made an acrobatic catch towards the Brownssideline that was caught. The Browns challenged this one and lost.

While it is difficult to make split-second decisions like that based on a quick look at the big screen, challenging the one you can see best in real-time with your own eyes on your own sideline rather than the one on the opposing team’s sideline is tough.

Fast forward to the end of the game. The Browns get the ball back with around 4 minutes left with a chance to drive down the field and take the lead. While the Cleveland offense had been able to move the ball against the Chiefs at a pretty decent rate the entire game, the Browns stalled. Before everyone could even blink, it was 4th and 11. With 4 minutes left and only one timeout, analytics tell you to punt.

That said, if I’m the Browns and I get the chance for a do-over, there is no way I put the game in the hands of a defense that has been a weak spot of this team all season long. Andy Reid is a gutsy coach and put it on full display going for it on 4th and 1 on his side of the field just to put the game away.

Again, Cleveland’s offense has been too good all season long for them to have to sit and watch their defense not get one stop rather than try to get 11 yards on one play. Even if they didn’t convert, the Chiefs would have been more likely to run all three plays and kick a field goal which still would have made it a one-possession game, giving the Browns that chance they were missing as well as more time to score.

Cleveland put up a fight that I still think most didn’t expect them to, and fans across the world are proud of their team. It’s going to be a long off-season, as players, coaches, and fans all know this team’s window for competing is wide open, they just have to get back on the field to show it.