3 Chiefs to watch for against Browns in Week 15

The 2024 regular season is winding down and once again the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL - at least that's what their record says. The Chiefs' path to 12-1 has been much different than expected as 10 of their 12 wins have come in one-score games with multiple being decided on the final play.

Stalwarts like Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Travis Kelce are still impactful players, but something is different about this iteration of the Chiefs. The defense in particular has not been as dominant as in other years and the offense isn't nearly as explosive, yet this team has figured out new ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat just about every week.

It's another Cleveland homecoming for Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt who combined for five touchdowns when the Chiefs last visited the Browns in 2018. Kansas City has had Cleveland's number the last few times these teams have gotten together, but issues on both sides of the ball will give the Browns a chance.

Here are three players to keep an eye on for Kansas City, and how they could impact the game.

1. Isiah Pacheco

Pacheco has only played in four games this season after fracturing his fibula in Week 2. He returned from injured reserve two weeks ago and has been slowly worked back into the rotation while Kansas City has relied on Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine. Pacheco's number of carries doubled last week so that's a good indication the Chiefs are ready to let him shoulder more of the workload.

He's a tough, downhill runner who gets stronger as the game goes on and looks to hammer defenders in the 4th quarter once they've been worn down. He's also very effective in Kansas City's screen game, so the Chiefs will try to repeat Kareem Hunt's 50-yard touchdown off a screen in 2018.

Read more: Grading Browns defense from Week 14 against Steelers

The Browns will feel how aggressive he is as a runner early and if they are trailing late Pacheco will be Kansas City's closer.

2. Noah Gray

Gray has become an important piece of Kansas City's passing attack, especially in the last four weeks. Starting when the Chiefs played at Buffalo, Gray has been targeted 20 times (he had 21 in the first nine games) and has scored four touchdowns.

He's easy to forget about when defenses are busy with Travis Kelce, DeAndre Hopkins, and Xavier Worthy, and he's made the most of his recent opportunities.

Kansas City likes to utilize Gray underneath and in areas where he'll have room to operate once he catches the ball. It will be imperative on the Cleveland linebackers and underneath coverage players to know where Gray is each play.

3. Nazeeh Johnson

Johnson was not supposed to be a starting cornerback for the Chiefs coming into the season. He's a depth player who has been forced into duty with Jaylen Watson on IR, and he's been a weak link for the Kansas City defense. Jameis Winston and the Cleveland passing attack need to take advantage of Johnson for the Browns to have a chance against the Chiefs.

There should be easy, open throws available to Johnson's side that can extend drives and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field.

Johnson is not good in man coverage so guys like Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore should be able to get open consistently. Jeudy in particular has come to life since Winston became the starting QB, and the Browns need to get him matched up with Johnson as much as possible this week.

More Browns news and analysis