Cleveland Browns Squander Prime Opportunity Versus Patrick Mahomes-Less Kansas City Chiefs

The Cleveland Browns had it right there — the opportunity to beat the best team in the NFL in the Kansas City Chiefs.

Trailing 22-17 with eight minutes remaining in the game and with Patrick Mahomes having been ruled out due to a concussion, the Browns could have taken control of the game.

Following a Chad Henne interception in the end zone, Cleveland controlled the momentum midway through the fourth quarter. The Browns had scored two touchdowns on their previous two drives and just forced an interception.

All they had to do was continue to be aggressive and score a touchdown and that likely would have meant victory — and the team’s first appearance in the conference championship game appearance since 1989.

Except the Browns — namely head coach Kevin Stefanski — squandered it.

Stefanski has done an amazing job this year and he likely will win the NFL Coach of the Year. The Browns are on the way up and with the Pittsburgh Steelers in salary cap purgatory, Cleveland could very well win their first division title in over 30 years next season.

However, the Browns didn’t have to wait until next season — they had their opportunity right here and now.

On a drive that ultimately cost them the game, here’s what the Browns did on their seven offensive plays: four-yard dump pass to Nick Chubb, basic run play for zero yards, five-yard pass to Rashard Higgins, two-yard run play by Baker Mayfield, basic run sweep for negative yardage by Chubb, incomplete screen pass, two-yard pass play to the flats on a 3rd-and-11 conversion.

The Browns ran off four minutes on a succession of “safe” plays, burned a timeout and ultimately lost the game on this drive before actually officially losing the game.

That’s not even mentioning the terrible challenge on the Chiefs’ previous offensive possession on a Tyreek Hill catch that cost the team a timeout.

In other words, by the time the offensive unit came off the field for the final time, the Browns had one timeout remaining after wasting two timeouts on the previous two drives of the game.

Cleveland had been nothing but aggressive when their backs were against the wall. Down 19-3 and 22-10 during the third and fourth quarters, Stefanski and Mayfield were aggressive.

Mayfield had two separate plays of 17-plus-yard pass completions on these drives.

On a drive with a chance to win the game — with Kansas City’s backup quarterback in — the Browns refused to be aggressive.

The Browns could have knocked off the juggernauts of the NFL without the game’s best player and they decided to run screen plays and basic halfback sweeps to negate any chance of turning the ball over.

But while doing so, they negated any chance of actually winning the game.

On the ensuing drive, behind a gutsy run play behind Henne and an even gutsier 4th-and-1 play call by Andy Reid at midfield, the Chiefs won the game.

Why?

They played to win the game.

Reid didn’t have to run a pass play on a 4th-and-1 from midfield with 1:14 remaining in the game with a quarterback who has made just one start in the past six years.

He could have punted and played it safe — as the Browns had done on their previous drive.

But he made play calls to “win” the game and the Chiefs ultimately benefited from it.

Stefanski, Mayfield and the Browns will learn from this. This was their first postseason appearance since 2002 and this is Stefanksi’s first go-around as a head coach. The Browns will be better off moving forward as a result of this 22-17 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions.

But make no mistake about it, the Browns had the opportunity to win this game — and Stefanski and Cleveland squandered the opportunity.

Never take your foot off the gas pedal. Not if you want to win in the NFL.

Stefanski and the Browns learned that the hard way on Sunday.

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