CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs come to town Sunday.
Here’s a few Brownie Bites from Wednesday as Week 15 preparations begin.
Vote of confidence – Browns owner Jimmy Haslam backed EVP/GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski when asked by ESPN at the NFL owner’s meetings if he believes the Browns have the right leadership in place. Haslam admitted he is “perplexed” by the team’s 3-10 record and pledged they will “look at everything” this offseason. “We're all disappointed,” Haslam said. “We've got a lot of work to do. We'll go back and go to work.”
Finish strong – Even with the Browns 3-10, Nick Chubb didn’t fight as hard as he did to return to the field only to call it a year before the season ends. “I have a long way to go before I shut anything down,” Chubb, who is averaging 3.3 yards per carry since returning from that devastating knee injury that required two surgeries to repair, said. “So I mean, every time I go out there it's practice reps, game reps. It's me just getting better physically, mentally, all around. So I'm nowhere near shutting it down. Not even my thought.” Chubb has shown signs of his old self. In Pittsburgh he hit for a season-high 19-yard run. “It felt good again, open field,” the Browns' two-time Ed Block Courage Award recipient, said. “Obviously it's been a while since I've done that offer, run play, but it felt good. Hopefully you can just build on top of that, but have a great challenge this week with Kansas City Chiefs, but looking forward to it.” Chubb was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2018 Draft and he hopes he finishes his career in Cleveland. “I would say it's important. I started here. I’d like to finish here,” Chubb said. “Cleveland just means a lot to me. Everything we've been through ups and downs, but I'm proud to be drafted here.”
Perfect 10 – The Chiefs are 10-0 in one-score games with six of them decided on the final play this season. “I think you make your own luck,” Stefanski said. “They're a good football team. They've won close games. You win close games by putting yourself in position to go make a play here, make a play there. That puts you over the top, along those lines. They do everything well.” They won their ninth straight AFC West title thanks to a banked field goal off the upright Sunday night.
Hopkins hot seat – The addition of kicker Riley Patterson Tuesday to the practice squad puts some heat on Dustin Hopkins. “Just bringing in Riley, a guy that we know was in here last year.,” Stefanski said We'll work through all those type of decisions this week. Don't have a final decision. Dustin's our kicker, but we will work through all of that.” Hopkins, who is 16-25 on field goals this season, missed from 43 and 38 yards that would have tied the game at 13 Sunday in Pittsburgh. “Dustin's a guy that I trust, he's a veteran that has been through a lot in his career and he will work through this,” Stefanski said. “We'll work through this one together.” Patterson is unclear if he will be needed Sunday but will be ready if called upon. “I have no idea, but my job is to be ready for anything and if they pull me up, they do. If they don't, then they don't,” Patterson said. “So I'm just thankful to be here. I'll be ready to go if they need me to do for anything.”
In the Hunt – While the Browns struggle to run the ball this season, it’s hard to miss the impact Kareem Hunt has had on the Chiefs this year. “Kareem is obviously a person and a player that I have a ton of respect for,” Stefanski said. “He's elite in short yardage, which we've seen firsthand. He's elite in the screen game, which we've seen firsthand. He runs hard. He looks good.” Hunt has 606 yards and five touchdowns rushing, one fewer rushing score than the Browns have combined. The Browns’ top three rushers – Jerome Ford, Nick Chubb and D’Onta Foreman – have combined for 813 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Next man up – With Greg Newsome II set to miss the remainder of the season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, opportunity knocks for cornerback Cameron Mitchell. “Cam's played a good bit for us in the last couple seasons,” Stefanski said. “Very smart player, heady good in coverage, does a nice job from a physical presence as well, but a guy that really understands all the nuances to our defense.” Newsome may have played his final game as a Brown. “I hate that for Greg, but we got guys that are going to step up,” cornerback Denzel Ward said.
Injury report – DNP: G Joel Bitonio (back) TE David Njoku (hamstring), DE Myles Garrett (personal); LIMITED: CB Martin Emmerson Jr. (shin), CB Mike Ford Jr. (concussion), DT Mike Hall (knee), DT Sam Kamara (concussion), WR Cedric Tillman (concussion), RG Wyatt Teller (glute), WR Jamari Thrash (shoulder); FULL: LB Mohamoud Diabate (glute), CB Myles Harden (tibia), LB Jordan Hick (calf), WR Jerry Jeudy (knee)
