After trailing early, Chiefs make big statement in beating Cleveland Browns in opener

By Herbie Teope

Updated September 13, 2021 8:27 AM

The Chiefs and Cleveland Browns squared off Sunday for a marquee heavyweight fight at Arrowhead Stadium.

And the game didn’t disappoint.

The two teams exchanged massive body blows throughout three quarters, neither yielding ground. But the Chiefs eventually scored the knockout punch midway through, with two touchdown passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the final period to secure a 33-29 win.

“What a game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “My hat goes off to the Browns.”

The Chiefs are 1-0 in this very young season. The victory improved the Chiefs’ record in September to 11-0 since Mahomes was named the team’s starter in 2018.

BIG THREE SHINE

The Chiefs found themselves down 29-20 to start the fourth quarter, but Mahomes made the Browns look silly with quick-strike scores to two of his trusted weapons.

The first came after Mahomes rolled to his right to escape pressure before throwing deep to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who turned around a Browns defensive back. With the Browns defender’s momentum carrying him forward, Hill came back for the pass before turning up the field to score untouched on a 75-yard pass.

Cleveland gifted the Chiefs with excellent field position on their next possession when Browns punter Jamie Gillan dropped the snap. The Chiefs took over at the Browns’ 11-yard line, and punched it in three plays later when Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for an 8-yard score.

Mahomes was 27 of 36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns, one to Hill and two to Kelce, while getting sacked twice and hit six times. He also ran for a touchdown.

Hill totaled 11 catches for 197 yards on 15 targets, while Kelce caught six passes for 76 yards on seven targets.

Even with the game’s outcome undetermined entering the fourth quarter, Hill’s confidence that his team would pull out a win never wavered.

“I feel like there was never a doubt in no one’s head,” he said.

DEFENSE STRUGGLES

Without vocal leader Tyrann Mathieu on the field (the star safety came off the COVID list Saturday but was inactive Sunday), the Chiefs experienced issues, especially on the back end of coverage.

The Browns jumped out to a 15-3 lead behind 150 total yards on their first two possessions, which also saw two conversions on fourth downs. The Browns receivers consistently made big plays in the first half, as Anthony Schwartz, David Njoku and Jarvis Landry each averaged more than 20 yards per catch.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield had an early easy going, too, completing 13 of 17 passes for 231 yards. The Chiefs’ pass rush was non-existent until late in the second quarter, when Chiefs Jones downed Mayfield for a sack, his first of two. Mayfield finished with 321 yards and an interception — sacked twice and hit five times.

Simply put, Mathieu’s absence was felt.

“We always have this mindset that one man down, next man up,” Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes said. “Obviously, we missed him a lot out there but a lot of guys stepped up, came in and did their jobs. The most important thing is we got the win. That’s all that matters.”

The Chiefs’ run defense wasn’t any better, as the Browns gained 98 yards and two touchdowns on the ground through the first two quarters. Browns running back Nick Chubb dashed untouched for an 18-yard touchdown. Chiefs rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh appeared to go in the opposite direction of the play, which opened a large hole on the left side of the offensive line.

Reid said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo adjusted at halftime, and the Chiefs’ defense responded. Reid also singled out stellar play from Jones, safety Juan Thornhill and Hughes, who sealed the game with an interception with less than two minutes remaining.

“I’m not sure I’ve seen a defensive lineman take over like Chris Jones did that second half,” Reid said. “He was possessed there. It was unreal, the job that he did. ... I thought Juan had a big play there, that pass breakup right at the end there, and then Hughes with the interception.”

Kansas City got the win, but Cleveland finished the game with 457 total yards in a losing effort. That figure is a concern.

OFFENSIVE LINE OK

One of the biggest storylines heading into this season fell on the Chiefs front five protecting Mahomes. The offensive line includes new starters at every position, including rookies Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Lucas Niang.

There were a few hiccups for the new-look line Sunday, such as left guard Joe Thuney getting flagged for holding and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. being beat by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett off the edge. But for the most part, the Chiefs’ retooled line held its own against a formidable Browns defensive front.

Smith helped Mahomes score a touchdown on a keeper by delivering a bone-crushing block on Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell at the goal line. The blocked kept open a running lane.

Garrett and Clowney, two of the NFL’s top edge players, combined for one sack and two quarterback hits. So Reid was impressed with his new front five’s overall effort.

“I thought they held their own and really did a nice job,” Reid said. “To get the run game going like that against that crew, I thought it was good. We had that one sack at the end there, but that shouldn’t ruin the rest of what they did. I was very impressed.”

GIMMICK PLAY?

Reid is one of the NFL’s brightest minds and has designed some of the league’s most unique plays in recent memory.

But for a team that spent a lot of capital and time on its offensive line this past offseason, the Chiefs’ play-call on first-and-3 at the goal line was perplexing.

Tackle Mike Remmers checked in as an eligible receiver. Instead of picking a play-call to ram the ball down the Browns’ throats with a heavy formation, Mahomes threw an underhand pass to Remmers, who was dropped for a 2-yard loss.

Mahomes ran it in for a touchdown on the next play, but this team shouldn’t need trick plays behind a new offensive line built for physical play.

BOLTON RISING

Rookie linebacker Nick Bolton, the Chiefs’ second-round pick out of Missouri, didn’t disappoint as a starter alongside Anthony Hitchens and Ben Niemann. The former Mizzou Tiger was all over the field, totaling seven tackles, including a tackle for a loss, in the 4-3 base and nickel packages.

Bolton proved he can be relied upon while Willie Gay Jr. remains on injured reserve with a toe injury.

“I think he did pretty good,” defensive lineman Chris Jones said of Bolton. “He was able to come in, especially in goal line (defense), and he was flying around.”

INJURIES

Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens briefly left the game late in the first half with an apparent right arm injury. He spent a few minutes on the bench as athletic trainers evaluated him before he returned to the game.

“He tweaked his elbow and came out,” Reid said.

INACTIVE

Mathieu, defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring), center Austin Blythe (sports hernia), guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand) and wide receiver Daurice Fountain did not play Sunday.

As for Mathieu not playing after being activated Saturday from the reserve/COVID-19 list, Reid said holding out the All-Pro safety was his decision as head coach.

“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” Reid said. “I don’t want to take any steps back.”