Cleveland Browns: Embarrassing defense takes center stage against Chiefs
A deplorable defensive effort made it impossible for the Cleveland Browns to hang with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in week 9.
Few teams stop second-year pro Patrick Mahomes these days. The Cleveland Browns didn’t even try.
In their 37-21 victory, Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense moved the ball at will against Gregg Williams’ defense.
Mahomes was as advertised, throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns, while competing 22 of 32 pass attempts.
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On numerous completions, it didn’t even appear the Browns were even threatening to cover receivers. For what it’s worth, and it’s not much, because Cleveland fell to 2-7-1 in defeat, the Browns lost Denzel Ward and E.J. Gaines to injury during the contest. Starting free safety Damarious Randall was inactive due to injury.
Kansas City averaged an astonishing 8.6 yards per play, helping to explain why the Chiefs only faced 10 3rd down conversions. Really, it should’ve been nine, as the Chiefs were just content to run clock on the last third down they faced.
Kansas City completed six of those do-or-die plays. Mahomes averaged 10.6 yard per throw, putting an exclamation mark on an offensively dominant day.
It’s not like Mahomes bumped up the offensive yards per play. Kansas City averaged 5.8 yards per rush.
By land or by air, Cleveland’s defense did nothing other than watch the Chiefs rack up yards (499) and points (37)
• The Browns couldn’t count on turnovers in this one. Cleveland forced just one takeaway, which was on a Denzel Rice interception just before halftime. The Chiefs were nearly trying to hang some more points up before halftime, and that interception might has well of been a Hail Mary.
• Cleveland had seven quarterback hits, while totaling two sacks. This was a whole heck-of-a-lot better than last week’s one quarterback hit. Myles Garrett had three quarterback hits.
• The Chiefs scored all these points running just 58 plays!
• This game felt eerily like last year, in which everyone knew the Browns faced impending doom leading up to kickoff.
Three hours later, a worst fears became reality.
On the bright side, the offense did some positive things, all things considered. With Freddie Kitchens calling plays, the Browns compiled 388 total yards of offense. There seemed to finally be a good balance of rushing and passing, and Duke Johnson finally was a permanent fixture of the game, catching nine balls for a team high 78 yards and two touchdowns.
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Unfortunately, the Browns have to stop the other guy in order to have as hot to win, and there was zero confidence on the defensive unit throughout that effort Browns’ fans were made to watch.