Mahomes and the Chiefs Come Back on Mayfield and the Browns for a Week 1 Victory
In the AFC Divisional round last season, the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Cleveland Browns, where they would go on to win 22-17. Fast forward to Week 1, Kansas City and Cleveland win again. Once again, the two-time defending AFC champion came out on top, taking down the Browns by a score of 33-29. Let us look at the details of this game and some key factors for both teams.
Game Details
For Kansas City, it was a bit of a slow start for them, but a strong second-half led them to victory. QB Patrick Mahomes continued his September success, going 27/36 with 337 yards and 3 TD. In September, he is now 11-0 with 35 TD and 0 INT, incredible. Star WR Tyreek Hill led the air raid with a line of 11/197/1. This included a long 75-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. TE Travis Kelce dominated the middle of the field once again, catching six balls for 76 yards and 2 TD. The running game was not as effective, on the other hand. HB Clyde Edwards-Helaire went 14/43, while Mahomes scored the lone rushing touchdown on a scramble. Defensively, Juan Thornhill forced a crucial fumble on Browns RB Nick Chubb and CB Mike Hughes had the game-winning interception to seal it. DT Chris Jones also recorded two sacks in the victory.
In the loss, the Browns offense played well. QB Baker Mayfield, went 21/28 with 321 and an interception. Mayfield targeted nine pass catchers in the game, with TE David Njoku leading the way with 76 yards on three catches. Chubb led the running game, which is a staple in the Browns offense, with 15 carries on 83 yards and 2 TD’s. RB Kareem Hunt also pitched in a 6/33/1 line. WR Jarvis Landry also scored a rushing TD on top of his five-catch, 76-yard day. On the other side of the ball, LB Anthony Walker led the way with nine tackles. DE’s Joe Jackson and Myles Garrett both recorded sacks in the game as well in the loss.
Don’t Call it a Comeback
It seems like every time Mahomes and the Chiefs fall behind in a game, they find a way to come back. With his 2020 playoff run being the most notable of his accomplishments via the comeback, Mahomes has made a career out of it in his short but illustrious career. In his career, Mahomes has 8 game-winning drives and 7 4th Quarter Comebacks. He is also now 10-6 in his career when trailing by 10 or more points in any game. He is truly special and is never out of a game no matter what the score is. In this game, the Chiefs were down 15-3, 22-10, and 29-20, yet still found a way to win the game 33-29. While yes, it is a team effort, Mahomes leads the way and is a major reason for the comeback.
Browns, Baker Fall Short
We talked about the stats before and for the Browns, they were very encouraging. In the second half though, the Browns beat themselves and failed to finish the game. With the ball up five, Nick Chubb coughed up the rock, giving the Chiefs three free points because of field position. Later in the game, P Jamie Gillan dropped a punt, giving the Chiefs a short field, something you never want to do. Lastly, when Mayfield went to throw it away, he tripped and ended up throwing an interception. The Browns beat themselves, which can happen when you are a young team, as the Browns have the third-youngest roster in football. Their talent kept them in this game but learning how to finish games will be the next step the Browns need to take to catch the Chiefs in the AFC.
Looking Ahead
Next week, the Kansas City Chiefs get a Sunday Night Football matchup on the road against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (0-1), who are coming off an overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. For the Browns, they will have their home opener against the Houston Texans (1-0), who are coming off a blowout win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stats from profootballreference.com
Schedule info from espn.com
Writer
-By: Richie Dordas