Technically speaking, the NFL season started last Thursday. However, this weekend was the real start of the NFL season. Week 1 was a mixed bag in a lot of ways. In a game where the Cleveland Browns led the Kansas City Chiefs at half, 22-10, they made three huge mistakes in the second half to allow the comeback by Patrick Mahomes. There are many things to take away from the game, but first, let’s take a look at how the Browns vs Chiefs game played out.
Cleveland Browns Second-Half Mistakes Prove Costly
First Half
The Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. On their first possession, the Browns were dominant. They put together a 13-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with a Nick Chubb touchdown. With kicker Chase McLaughlin battling a hamstring injury, the Browns elected to go for two and succeeded. It was the best start to a Browns season in some time.
Kansas City would take the ensuing kickoff and go on a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a Harrison Butker field goal. On the next two drives, the Browns found the end zone. The first scoring drive was capped off by a Jarvis Landry jet sweep for a touchdown. For their final score of the half, Chubb burst through a wide-open hole in the offensive line for an 18-yard touchdown run.
The Browns led at the half, 22-10.
Second Half
The Chiefs took the second-half kickoff and went on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to Cleveland native Travis Kelce. Unfortunately for the Browns, on the next drive, Chubb was running and picked up a first down, but the ball squirted loose and the Chiefs recovered. The defense stood up big time, holding the Chiefs to a field goal. However, the clock ended striking zero for the Browns, as they would go on to lose their opener for the 17th straight season, 33-29.
3 Cleveland Takeaways From Browns vs Chiefs
- The defense got deeper and faster, but not much better: I’ve been raving about the Browns offseason signings for a while now, and in the first half they looked the part. However, in the second half, they were put in a lot of bad situations. However, with guys like Jadeveon Clowney and John Johnson III coming in as leaders, I can say I’m a little disappointed in the defense.
- Special Teams is a major issue: The Browns need to find a way to get something out of the return game. Butker kicked the ball out of the end zone every kickoff, but even on punt returns, there is no real threat. If the Browns could find another guy like Josh Cribbs for the return game, it would be a major asset to the team.
- The Browns are for real: Yes, the Browns lost yesterday. However, if yesterday taught us anything, it’s that the Browns are not all talk and are indeed a good football team. With Week 1 out of the way, they can focus on the future. The ending of the game wasn’t what we wanted, but it’s still a step in the right direction.
Browns vs Chiefs Stats
Passing
Mayfield (CLE) — 21/28, 321 Yards Passing, One Interception, Zero Touchdowns
Mahomes (KC) — 27/36, 337 Yards Passing, One Rushing Touchdown, Three Passing Touchdowns, No Interceptions
Rushing
N. Chubb (CLE) — 15 Carries For 83 Yards, Two Touchdowns, One Fumble Lost
K. Hunt (CLE) — Six Carries For 33 Yards, One Touchdown
C. Edwards-Helaire (KC) — 14 Rushes For 33 Yards, Zero Touchdowns
Receiving
T. Hill (KC) — 11 Receptions For 197 Yards, One Touchdown
T. Kelce (KC) — Six Receptions For 76 Yards, Two Touchdowns
J. Landry (CLE) — Five Receptions For 71 Yards, No Touchdowns
A. Schwartz (CLE) — Three Receptions For 69 Yards, No Touchdowns
D. Njoku (CLE) — Three Receptions For 76 Yards, No Touchdowns
Defensive Leaders
C. Jones (KC) — Two Sacks, Two TFL, Two QB-Hits
M. Hughes (KC) — Two Tackles, One Interception, One Pass Defended
D. Ward (CLE) — Six Tackels, One Pass Defended
M. Garrett (CLE) — Four Tackles, One Sack, One TFL, Two QB Hits
J. Johnson III (CLE) — Five Tackles, One Pass Defended
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