The Cleveland Browns scored the biggest stunner in the NFL wildcard round, taking a 28-0 lead while taking Cleveland’s first playoff win since the 1994 season against AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Your reward?
A much tougher task on a trip to Arrowhead Stadium against reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns and Chiefs kick off Sunday’s playoff football divisional round in a game that can be streamed live on the Yahoo Sports app.
Patrick Mahomes in his prime is a much more difficult task than a struggling Ben Roethlisberger. (John Sleezer / Getty Images)
Do browns stand a chance?
The expectations of the Browns are low. You’re the weekend’s biggest NFL underdog, and the Chiefs open as 10-point favorites. As impressive as Cleveland was against Pittsburgh, Kansas City presents a whole different challenge.
The Browns won last weekend, in large part due to their 5-0 lead in sales. Cleveland rushed to Pittsburgh’s mistake while playing near-flawless offensive football. If there is a chance on Sunday, it has to reverse the same formula.
Chiefs are rested, mostly healthy
The Kansas City offensive is the same juggernaut that anchored last season’s Super Bowl run and leads the league with 29.6 points per game. Mahomes can’t win MVP this year thanks to a resurgence from Aaron Rodgers, but he was the same MVP-level quarterback while throwing 316 yards per game with 38 touchdowns and six interceptions.
With Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in their prime and the rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire expected to return from an ankle sprain, the rested Chiefs are ready to enjoy the Browns’ 17th defense.
Kansas City averaged only one regular-season revenue per game, making it the fourth best in the league. This is all for hammering home the Browns taking some breaks and making them count.
Cleveland is almost all the way back from COVID shutdown
The good news for the Browns is that they come into play a lot better on Sunday than they did last week. After playing on the sidelines without Kevin Stefanski, the Browns have their head coach back in training after his battle with COVID-19. Just being back in training is a leg up from last week.
The story goes on
Cleveland was unable to practice preparing for the wildcard round due to a coronavirus outbreak. This week they’re mostly back to normal. And they will have Denzel Ward, the No. 1 cornerback, who is expected to play on Sunday after a self-described “tough” battle with COVID-19. They also activated backup cornerback Kevin Johnson from the Reserve / COVID-19 list.
As of Thursday, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio was the only active member of Cleveland’s squad still on the reserve / COVID-19 list. He is expected to return in time to play on Sunday, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. Either way, the Browns Mahomes and Co. are not going to face a depleted secondary school.
The Chiefs dug double-digit holes in each of their three playoff wins last season to win the Lombardi Trophy. The Browns have a fiery offensive led by a confident Baker Mayfield who is certainly capable of scoring early and often on Sunday.
Can they score enough to keep things close enough and threaten a surprise? It’s a big question against the best offense in football when head coach Andy Reid has an extra week to prepare.
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