Browns confidence is sky-high as shootout looms with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City

Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Four downs on Browns (12-5) v. Kansas City Chifes (14-2)

First down: They want more.

It’s hard to imagine a Browns victory surpassing the wild-card triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They overcame unforeseen obstacles created by Covid, and they finally scaled the insurmountable mountain of winning in Heinz Field after 17 consecutive losses. A hard fall to Planet Earth, however, doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the Browns. For the following reasons: 1. They are so much more whole as a team for the Chiefs game. They got back all their coaches from beneath the Covid cloud, most notably head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive line guru Bill Callahan, in addition to key players Joel Bitonio, Denzel Ward, Kevin Johnson and KhaDarel Hodge. 2. Their coach has ingrained in them the sense of not being satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. They are driven to prove they have come of age as an elite team. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s ‘The Browns is the Browns’ has proved an effective rallying cry internally instead of an ignorant put-down. “No team and no person individually was treated or held in high regard until they proved that every time they showed up,” said Myles Garrett. “We just have to clock in and show what we are worth every time we are asked to.” They don’t feel they’re just playing with house money, either. “We believe in ourselves, and that is why we are here,” said Baker Mayfield. “We have a bunch of fighters who have scratched and clawed to get here so we are going to continue to do that week in and week out.”

Second down: Get your popcorn.

The Mayfield v. Patrick Mahomes showdown is a fairer fight than at any time since their college meeting. Mayfield won two matchups v. Texas Tech’s Mahomes in Big 12 Conference ball, including the famous, 66-59 shootout in 2016. When they matched up in the NFL in 2018, Mayfield was a rookie QB picking up the pieces of another Browns coach firing while Mahomes was on his way to winning the league MVP award. Since that time, the Browns have stabilized their operations and Mayfield’s game has grown under Stefanski’s guidance. Jarvis Landry gave an example of Mayfield being in total command of the offense at this stage of the season. “The way that he approaches things on the sideline and he comes off the field and goes straight to the tablet or comes off the sideline and goes straight to the offensive line, the receivers or the running backs, and says what needs to be said and then goes sit down with [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt], look through the tablet, figure it out and then come back with a plan of how we want to attack this next series,” Landry said. “That is something that has been to the forefront. We can all see it. He has been playing well this whole entire year. Again, we are going to go as far as he goes.”

Third down: Last team with the ball wins.

National analysts continue to incorrectly expect the Browns to try to ‘control’ the game with their sensational running game. In fact, he has always done the opposite – lead with the passing game to throw as many points on the board as fast as he can and then hope his defense and running game finishes the job. For that reason, the opening of games usually has been the key in Stefanski’s overall game plan. But this game should be different in this respect: Mahomes and the Chiefs have shown that early deficits – no matter how large – simply do not faze them. They fell behind, 24-0, to Houston in their first playoff game last year and proceeded to become the only NFL team in history to come back from deficits of 10 points or more in each post-season game, including the Super Bowl. Thus, the end of this game – if not the entire fourth quarter – looms most important. Sure, it would be nice for Stefanski and Mayfield to engineer a few time-consuming scoring drives in parts of the game. “You do not want to play the clock game early,” Mayfield astutely pointed out. “You want to play to win, that is for sure. We just have to do a better job of scoring in the red zone. That is something that we have been good at all year.” The Browns rank third in scoring touchdowns once inside the 20-yard line; the Chiefs are last in giving them up. So don’t expect Stefanski to settle for chip-shot field goals. What is extremely important is not allowing Mahomes any time to steal the win on a frantic, last-minute score. Even Garrett, the franchise pass rusher, knows it. “The best place to be on the field with Patrick is with the ball in our hands instead of him because he is great with it,” Garrett said. The Browns MUST remember those words if they have a possession with chance to win.

Fourth down: Revenge game.

Kareem Hunt has no one to blame but himself for how his career with the Chiefs came to a crashing end. He knows that. But that won’t stop him from being extra motivated in his first visit to Arrowhead Stadium since the team fired him for lying about the facts of that infamous shoving and stomping of a young woman in February of 2018. Hunt spoke this game into existence with Nick Chubb at the beginning of the season. It’s difficult to imagine Hunt playing with more passion and anger than he did against the Steelers. But if he has another level to his game, you can expect to see it against his former teammates. “It means a ton to him,” Mayfield said. “I think that is going to permeate our guys, as well, and they are going have those same feelings and want to play for him.”

Prediction: Browns 45, Chiefs 40.

My record: 10-7.