Chiefs coach Andy Reid believes the Arrowhead Stadium crowd caused Jamie Gillan's dropped snap before a punt. (CBS)
What role did the Arrowhead Stadium crowd play in the Browns’ demise?
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Second thoughts on Browns 33-29 loss to Kansas City Chiefs …
1. Sam Rutigliano used to call them SIWs – Self-Inflicted Wounds. All caps, because they usually spelled doom. Four of them in the second half tossed bleach on a first-half masterpiece painted by Kevin Stefanski, who was at his play-calling best – and COVID-free -- in his rematch against Chiefs coach Andy Reid. From most damaging to least, I would rank the Browns’ SIWs this way: 1. Jamie Gillan’s mishandled punt snap and decision to run with the ball rather than kick it; 2. Safety John Johnson losing coverage of Tyreek Hill, then allowing him to turn a 40-yard broken play into a 75-yard touchdown; 3. Baker Mayfield’s loss-clinching interception on first down from the Browns’ 48-yard line with 1:09 to play; 4. Nick Chubb’s fumble with 5:56 to go in the third quarter.
2. Reid believes the jet engine-loud crowd noise in Arrowhead Stadium caused Gillan’s brain cramp. “Our fans were unbelievable,” Reid said after the game. “We let them out of the cave. They were wild. It made a difference. When you can get a punter to drop a ball, that’s pretty good by the fans.” Actually, I think the crowd noise contributed to the Browns’ overall unraveling. The announced attendance of 72,973 was almost three times more than any the Browns encountered on the road in the 2020 pandemic season. Stefanski tried to simulate crowd noise throughout training camp. But it’s more than the noise that unravels a visiting team in that environment. It’s the whole energy of a passionate fan base imploring its team to win. Road games will be more difficult this year with stadiums at full capacity.
3. Jarvis Landry was spot on in all his post-game comments, but one in particular resonated with me. In the context of the errors the Browns made in the second half, Landry noted, “We had a chance. Outside of them kneeling down on their last possession, we had an opportunity to go down ansd win the game. Regardless of what happened before that, we had an opportunity to win this game.” The Chiefs took their first lead, 33-29, after the Gillan blunder with 7:08 to play. The next Browns offensive possession ended in a punt after Mayfield’s third-down pass for Anthony Schwartz was broken up by Juan Thornhill. A Myles Garrett sack set up another offensive possession with 2:49 to play. Mayfield made two first downs and then tossed the interception while trying to throw the ball away. The job of the quarterback is to win the game when given the chance. As Mayfield said, “You have to execute critical moments. Nothing else matters before those moments.” I agree. Mayfield’s failure to win this type of game might be why GM Andrew Berry and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta are holding off on a mega-deal contract extension for the fourth-year quarterback.
4. Schwartz had a much busier day than expected in his NFL debut, given his limited participation in training camp and preseason due to recurrent hamstring problems. In 31 snaps (53 percent of the game total), Schwartz had three receptions on five targets for 69 yards, and also had a 17-yard run on a reverse. No doubt the late scratch of Odell Beckham Jr. opened the door of opportunity for Schwartz. But why didn’t that do the same for Donovan Peoples-Jones, the most impressive offensive player of training camp? Peoples-Jones played 47 snaps, but was targeted only one time for 4 yards. Once again, the forgotten receiver was Rashard Higgins (four snaps, no targets).
5. Speaking of Beckham, the drama surrounding him continues. Why didn’t he play? When will he play? “Ultimately, he is coming off of a major surgery, and we are going to work through it day by day,” Stefanski said.
6. David Njoku, who had a good training camp, is gaining ground to threaten Austin Hooper as the No. 1 tight end. Easily the most athletically dominant of the Browns’ tight ends and, thus, most capable of exploiting defensive mismatches, Njoku led the Browns with 76 receiving yards. Hooper had three catches for 27 yards.
7. Malik McDowell’s NFL debut was good and signals better things ahead. The man is a beast. The massive defensive tackle started the game and scored a tackle-for-loss of 2 yards on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the very first Browns’ defensive play. In 45 snaps (69 percent), McDowell was credited with three tackles and the TFL. This was not only McDowell’s first NFL game, it was his first football game of any kind since Nov. 5, 2016 with Michigan State.
8. Safety Ronnie Harrison hurt the Browns, obviously, by getting ejected for shoving Kansas City assistant coach Greg Lewis in a brouhaha on the Chiefs sideline five minutes into the game. But I agree with Browns center JC Tretter, the omnipresent NFLPA president, who said coaches should be held to a higher standard than players. “Obviously, Ronnie can’t retaliate,” Tretter said. “He’s going to get called for that. But we can’t have opposing coaches putting their hands on opposing players. So I expect that the coach gets held to the same standard — if not a higher standard — than Ronnie. Being the first one in there and being a coach, putting his hands on an opposing player, I don’t think there’s any room for that in this league.” Harrison was initially shoved by Lewis when Harrison stepped on Edwards-Helaire on the Kansas City sideline after a collision. Reid said that Lewis “was trying to get him off and he didn’t want to get off. On our sideline, you don’t do that to our guys.”
9. Two of the most important additions to the Browns’ defense – rookies Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, had quiet NFL debuts. Newsome matched Denzel Ward for the team-high of 63 defensive snaps and was credited with one tackle. Owusu-Koramoah had 25 snaps on defense and 16 on special teams and was credited with three total tackles.
