Browns Give Game Away Late, But Establish Themselves As Elite

The Cleveland Browns went into Arrowhead stadium in Kansas City and gave the Chiefs everything they could handle on NFL opening weekend. The Browns were in control for the majority of the game, but late game mistakes cost them the chance at leaving with a win.

Baker Mayfield

The Browns starting quarterback had a solid day, completing 21 out of 28 pass attempts for a total of 321 yards. He looked sharp from the start and was hitting on a variety of well thrown balls. He had a very impressive first half stat line, going 13-17 for 231 yards.

Baker found himself on the sideline for the first 7+ minutes of the third quarter though, as the Kansas City offense started the half with a 14 play drive that covered 75 yards and ended in a touchdown.

The Browns gave the ball back to the Chiefs when running back Nick Chubb fumbled on the teams first drive of the second half. It was at that point that momentum swing in the home teams favor and never quite fully came back to the Browns.

Turnovers Decided The Outcome

Two second half turnovers were to blame for the Browns losing today’s game. The first came when Nick Chubb fumbled following a short gain. The Kansas City defender lands a direct strike on the ball to cause the fumble that the Chiefs recovered.

The second turnover came when the Browns were attempting their first punt of the game, as Punter Jamie Gillan dropped the snap and did not get a punt off. This set up Patrick Mahommes and the Chiefs’ offense for an easy touchdown.

Wild Play To End First Half

Credit to the coaching staff for having the confidence in the team and allowing them to attempt a play like this, as they got a bit creative in an attempt to score to end the half.

Conclusion

In the end, the Browns came out on the losing end but ultimately established themselves as one of the elite teams in the NFL, as well as a serious Super Bowl contender. Despite the costly fumble, Nick Chubb and the browns rushing attack looked good throughout the game. Mayfield was accurate and aggressive throwing the ball, and making good decisions.

On the other side, no major developments. The Kansas City Chiefs are still one of the best teams in the league, and Patrick Mahommes is still the real deal. Expect these two teams to cross paths again this postseason, and hopefully we’ll be blessed with another gem of a game.