CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – All season the Browns found a way to overcome adversity.
Faced with a mountain of it once again in Kansas City, they just didn’t have enough in the end to dig themselves out of another hole.
The Chiefs sent the Browns home, 22-17, ending what was a magical season of football in Cleveland.
“I am extremely disappointed that we were not able to get the job done today,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We had our opportunity there late in that ball game, and we did not do it.
“We are going to share in this defeat like we share in those victories, and it hurts. There is a finality to this one when you do not get it done in the playoffs, and that really hurts. I appreciate how our guys battled. They fought like they do every single week, and it just was not enough today.”
Chad Henne, in for a concussed Patrick Mahomes, completed a 5-yard pass on fourth and-1 at their own 48 to Tyreek Hill with less than 2 minutes to play to seal the victory for the Chiefs as Cleveland’s defense faltered once again.
It was the second fourth down converted by the Chiefs, and fifth allowed by the Browns in 2 weeks. Opponents were an astonishing 27 of 32 against the Browns on fourth down this season.
“It came down to us on defense, and we let it slip,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We had two opportunities – they came to third down twice and fourth down on the second one, and we didn’t make it happen. It was right in front of us, and this time, we didn’t get it done.”
Garrett, who sacked Henne to force a third-and-12 on that final possession, suffered an oblique injury in the second quarter and was limited in the second half.
“It definitely got worse,” Garrett said. “It hurt to pick up my feet and hurt to breath, but it is the playoffs. It is win or go home. If I was capable of going out there and giving it all I had, I was going to do that.”
Fears that Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would be rusty following a layoff were exaggerated. Mahomes started hot and completed passes to six different receivers for 123 yards and a TD and they lead 13-3 after two offensive series.
Kansas City racked up 13 first downs in their first 27 offensive snaps.
Stefanski, our shoe-in for NFL ‘Coach of the Year,’ did not have a banner afternoon.
Stefanski deferred after winning the coin toss and put the explosive Chiefs offense on the field first. The Browns paid for it by playing from behind all afternoon. It took the Chiefs 10 plays and 5:49 to take the lead for good on Mahomes’ 1-yard touchdown run.
Stefanski also burned an important timeout by wasting a challenge on a completion early in the fourth quarter. When in doubt and your view was blocked, don’t challenge.
The Browns lost rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills on the first offensive snap to an ankle injury and he did not return. Kendall Lamm replaced him but left early in the third quarter with an elbow injury forcing Blake Hance to come off the bench for the second week in a row.
“It was a tough situation,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “Jed got rolled up on pretty good and then Kendall’s elbow got hit pretty good. Blake came in again and I do not think he has played left tackle in a few years, and he was going out there and competing. That is all that we could ask him to do.”
Mistakes in the first half were costly.
Right guard Wyatt Teller got flagged for holding which wiped out a 17-yard completion to receiver Jarvis Landry. Nick Chubb then dropped back-to-back passes with room to run on 20-to-go downs resulting in a punt on their second series.
Rashard Higgins fumbled after a 25-yard completion to the 2 thanks to a helmet-to-helmet shot from Chiefs safety Daniel Sorenson, which was not called by the officials and caused Higgins to drop the football which squirted out of the end zone.
“I will never ever doubt Rashard Higgins’ effort or our guys’ effort,” Stefanski said. “Our rule there is not to reach the ball out when it is first and goal, and he knows that. Again, appreciate his effort. He battled like he always does, but we have to fight that urge because it is such a big loss if it does end up being a touchback.”
Instead of the Browns climbing within 16-10, Kansas City needed 92 seconds to get into field goal range to go to the locker room up 19-3.
That play ended up being the difference on the scoreboard, but not the reason for the loss.
“It is the easy finger-pointing answer, but there are so many other plays we could have done,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, I did the cardinal sin and threw across my body in the middle of the field on the first drive coming out in the second half. We hurt ourselves in the first half, and they capitalized. That is what the good teams do so they were better than us.”
Kansas City’s defense registered four tackles for loss and a sack in the first half alone while their offense racked up 293 yards.
The second half didn’t start any better for the Browns.
Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu jumped in front of Landry to pick Mayfield on third-and-10 to begin the second half. It was just the second interception thrown since Week 7 by Mayfield. Thankfully, Harrison Butker banked a 33-yard field goal off the left upright to keep it a 19-3 deficit.
“The cardinal sin of throwing late on the move over the middle of the [field],” Mayfield said. “Obviously, Tyrann is a great player. Jarvis did not see him or I am sure he would have fought for it. That is the type of player he is. I said it earlier in the week, you have to know where he is. I will look back on that. Maybe a pump fake and run, and it is a different story, but the defense did a great job of not allowing any points and keeping us in that game in that second half.”
Mahomes went to the locker room with a concussion and did not return in the third quarter after he was wrestled down by linebacker Mack Wilson.
Henne was forced to finish the game for KC and finish it he did.
Kareem Hunt plowed in from 3 out to make it 22-17 with 11:07 remaining. The drive: 18 plays, 75 yards and they chewed 8:17 off the clock thanks in part to a diving catch by Austin Hooper to convert on third down. They also converted on fourth and 2 from their own 34 with a 3-yard run by Chubb.
After a crackback block forced the Chiefs into a first-and-25, Henne heaved toward the endzone where safety Karl Joseph waited for the football. The turnover set the Browns up at their own 20 down 22-17 with 8:00 on the clock, but they were unable to capitalize and ultimately punted.
It was their last chance.