Browns Playoffs: 3 keys to dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Browns will play in the biggest game in modern franchise history on Sunday when they go out to Kansas City to face the Chiefs.
The Cleveland Browns are staring down the barrel with this one, folks. The Chiefs aren’t just the top dog in the AFC this season. They aren’t just the defending Super Bowl champions. They don’t just have one of the two best quarterbacks in the league. They are the bully on the block. They are talented. They are well-coached. They are efficient and they are beatable.
The Browns are not limping into the playoffs 8-8 with bad quarterback play and a head coach that is lucky to still be employed. No, the Browns were one win away from being the third seed in the playoffs. This is about as much of a mismatch as Nick Diaz and Conor McGregor.
When the Browns come out firing on all cylinders, just remember, “I’m not surprised….”
To beat the Chiefs though isn’t going to be easy. So here’s how the Browns can dog walk their way into the AFC title game.
Play mistake-free football
The Cleveland Browns offense is among the best in the league. Save for two games that were negated by the weather, and a third that saw every receiver forced out due to COVID-19 protocols, this is a team that has proven time and time again that they can put points on the board. Not just against the Bengals of the world, either but against the hardest teams to score against in the league. Against the Giants (9th), The Ravens (2nd), Steelers (3rd), Colts (11th), and Washington (4th), the Browns averaged 27 points (26.5) per game. Not only that, but the Browns have only turned the ball over 16 times this year, good enough for 5th in the league. Tied with the Chiefs.
This offense is among the best in the league and has had to prove it against the league’s best defenses, without key players almost every week, and in some of the worst weather in recorded history. Yet, they persist.
For the Browns to really take down the Chiefs, they’ll have to put their expert, near-perfect offense to work and attack the Chiefs. The Chiefs aren’t good enough defensively to beat stop the Browns, if the Browns don’t turn the ball over that is. So that needs to be imperative, play mistake-free. No boneheaded penalties, no jumping offsides, none of that.