Browns at Chiefs - Week One - Record: 1-0

First the good news.

We have Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce out there playing football for our team.

We also sometimes get the very spiffy benefit of some very fortuitous turnovers by the other team, three critical ones that were really significant to us winning. We were down 22-10 at the half, and ended up winning 33-29.

After scoring a touchdown on our first drive of the second half, their excellent back that we simply refused to tackle the entire day fumbled the ball over to us. We got a FG, but when they got the ball back they scored another touchdown.

The play right after the kickoff, though: Mahomes to Hill for a nifty 75-yard TD pass completion.

Then the Browns messed up their next punt attempt, we got the ball on a super-short field and sure enough Mahomes-to-Kelce, and we have our first lead of the day.

Now the bad things.

Our O-line does indeed really needs to gel. We were getting pushed all over the place at the line, and that always means doom. Again those turnovers saved us. But back to the O-line, two new vets on the left side, three rookies on the right. It was obvious -- sometimes they very much looked out of sync. Edwards-Helaire could never get really untracked and Mahomes didn't look fully comfortable back there. Of course give the Browns credit, they had Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney on their D-line. Both sandwiched Mahomes for a 4th-down-forcing sack very late when we could've run out the clock with a couple first downs.

Our tackling was atrocious. Ay-TROHSH-eeus. I know the Browns have very good backs in Chubb and Hunt, and likely very good O-linemen (after all they are forcing the issue all day), but the times I watched our guys whiff at the point of attack was... UGGH. Our linebacking crew -- Hitchens got injured at one point, Willie Gay was already out. Ben Niemann was being shoved out of every play even though he did recover the Chubb fumble and did make a strong play just before the 2-minute warning to stall Cleveland's last drive -- I still wonder if there is anyone else we can get out there any better. Nick Bolton looked very good at times, and maybe he just needs to get out there on the field more.

The scary thing right now is that -- our run defense. Chris Jones was still monstrosious today, but we do just need people like Willie Gay, Frank Clark, and Tyrann Mathieu back in there soon.

Otherwise, wow.

Having a set of all-time great quarterbacks and receivers, coupled with some real helpful turnovers means you've always got a chance to win.

___

The photo is from Steve Sanders at the official Chiefs site.

___