The NFL regular season kicks into high gear this week and all eyes will be on the Chiefs/Browns game this Sunday at 3:25 at Arrowhead Stadium. The game will serve as a rematch from the AFC Divisional Playoff game which the Chiefs won 22-17 on January 17th.
The Chiefs are currently a 6-point favorite in Vegas for this season opening contest which features two of the top offenses in the NFL. While the Chiefs will look to continue their dominance over the AFC, it’s clear that the Browns could be on the precipice of greatness themselves. The atmosphere itself should be unforgettable as the only capacity crowd we’ve seen at Arrowhead Stadium since the 2020 AFC Championship game was a Garth Brooks concert!
5 reasons that the Chiefs will defeat the Browns on Sunday
- Andy Reid is 8-0 against Cleveland in his career. This includes the Chiefs beating the Browns during the last four meetings (two of which with Baker Mayfield at quarterback). We all know the old adage “Browns are the Browns” and they have only made the playoffs twice in the last twenty years which is largely to blame for this disparity. This is a much different Browns organization, that much is clear but you have to give the coaching edge to Andy Reid against Kevin Stefanski.
- The Chiefs aura of dominance against the AFC is real. Kansas City has hosted an unprecedented three straight AFC Championship games and have appeared in back-to-back Super Bowl’s. You could sense an intangible force at work during the 2021 playoffs in both the Browns and Bills games. We just haven’t seen a team with our own eyes capable of overtaking the Chiefs…Yet. Don’t forget, the Chiefs led Cleveland 19-3 before Patrick Mahomes went down with a concussion in the third quarter.
- The Browns secondary is slightly better but still a liability. The signing of safety John Johnson III addressed an area of extreme need for the Browns as their defense gave up over 264 yards of offense (good for 27th in the league). They should be improved in 2021 but going up against the vaunted Chiefs offense week 1 is a daunting task for this group.
- Kansas City is going to be a better running team in 2021. The Chiefs averaged just 105 yards per game running the ball the last two years but this improved offensive line was built to protect and to improve the running game. If Clyde Edwards-Helaire can stay healthy and the combination of Darrel. Williams and Jerick McKinnon can fill in the gaps, then this could be the best the Chiefs have looked on the ground since 2018.
- Patrick Mahomes is undefeated in September. That’s right, the former NFL and Super Bowl MVP has is a perfect 10-0 in the month of September with an average margin of victory of 10 points per game. The Chiefs as a whole have not lost an opening-season game since 2014 which speaks to the stability of the organization under Andy Reid’s watchful eye.
