DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2021 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 29 Chiefs 33 Postgame Thoughts

Honestly, I feel our D played well yesterday. Look at who we were playing; probably the best O and QB in football and we had a bunch of new guys playing together in their 1st game. If we played that way against the Jets or Texans I might have some concern but not KC. JMO

That huge hole for the TD was also great use of motion. We really manipulated their defense

My thinking is similar - if not the same -...even with my disappointment.

I just hate to hear the word/excuse "gel" for a defense that played against a new OL with three rookies all side-by-side who stymied the DL all day long and when it mattered. And...No excuses for "gel" for the DC...he's the one who chose to not have them play a single snap together in pre-season. May have mattered...may not...but he doesn't get the "gel" excuse because he didn't take advantage of getting that process started.

The only IDL I noticed yesterday was MM...and he was gassed after the first half (as you also noted). After yesterday, I think we need an additional DT on the gameday roster. If we insist on keeping Billings (which I don't get) while waiting on MM to get in "game shape/stamina" (which I am more-than-willing to do), then we're gonna need another body to bang in there.

I agree. The Chiefs OL had more of an excuse than us yesterday and they got it done. Keeping it in perspective, there were a lot of good things for us. But at some point we just gotta win

Additional Thoughts:

* I don't recall hearing Newsome's name at all. That's a good thing for a DB. A ROOKIE DB. In fact, Mahomes went after Ward quite a bit. This should have a LOT of Dawgs very, very excited.

* The DLine is taking some heat here. It really, really shouldn't. They did really well yesterday. No, they didn't get eleventy-seven sacks in Game 1 against one of the most elusive QBs in the league, but they applied pressure all day long and shut down the run. Mahomes just Mahomed.

* Law of Unintended Consequences: Harrison. Him getting ejected when we already had Delpit inactive put us in a position where we were thin at Safety. When players started to dehydrate and had to start getting IV's to stay on the field, that meant that we were even thinner. Bad things happened; Mahomes made us pay.

Not one person I was watching with thought we were winning at 22-10. We were just waiting for the Browns-ing.

We noticed 2 things: Chubb is GOOD, and we hadn't punted all day.

Sure enough, Chubb fumbles, and punter fumbles (unforced).

Whatever is going well for the Browns will be the thing that makes us lose.

I wish I was just being bitter, but I'm not even mad.

35 years of watching the SAME game over and over again has removed my ability to get mad, or sad. I just accept that we are losers and move on and hope one day the trend can be broken.

.. " Can anyone tell me what the role of our LBers are in Wood's defense? I get they aren't the focal point, but it almost looks to me like they are under utilized or don't really have an purpose. I'm not calling for him to be fired. But sometimes its like we have 11 players on the field, but we aren't playing with 11 players. " {From Devil } ...

Kc starts 3 rookie Ol and we did what ? Anyone ask themselves how is Hill running half way down the field with only a safety on him ? How many snaps did Wilson play ?

Now if it seems like I have a problem with Woods , your right !

Higgin's not seeing the field in crunch time ( think fourth quarter ) is just a big Coaching mistake .. And yes , you can't have three turn overs against a Championship caliber team.

I think this Team can beat KC and I am sure THEY know it .. Just a tough one to loose .. Browns win a bunch of game's this season.

Its good that we didn't hear Newsome's name but I think going at Ward had more to do with Ward being assigned to Hill so much. Outside of Hill and Kelce, the Chiefs didn't really show too much. Having said that it could be argued we limited Mahomes' options.

Did anyone else catch the announcers say that the Chiefs use that Kelce underneath/Hill over the top 38% of the time??

As for the D-Liine... maybe some are being a bit too harsh, but I get the feeling. For most of the game it seemed like our DTs were making more an impact than our DEs.

You were completely mad before the game ever started Throw...

Good points. It seems like our LBs are in no mans land an awful lot .. like without any purpose. they rarely blitz but aren’t good in coverage. The middle of the field always seems wide open

People were making such a big thing out of the KC line having such huge turnover, and they did.

However, did you know that MaHommes was sacked only 22 times all of last year? Know why? Well, look at what he did to our DL/pass rush so often yesterday. He would feel the rush, and escape. It happened many times yesterday, and it happened on the long pass to Hill.

Mahomme is just really good. You have to contain him in the pocket, and still give him no time. That's a hard combination against a player with his ability as a passer, and as a runner to escape pressure.

The one thing I've noticed a day later is that there is much less wrist slitting than the usual first game loss... that statement alone is enough for hope about this season for all the neigh Sayers.

I've wondered the same, seemed like we didn't utilize them on blitz, stacks, or a stunt (Though admittingly I missed a handful of plays yesterday) Seems like we leave them in a read zone...Either they can't read the plays, because imo they all seemed slow to react minus a few plays. Though I will say Mack Wilson looked a little better versus last year. And Anthony Walker had his hands full changing calls with that potent KC offense.

Good post, and I agree with everything you said. Though Myles is easily our best defender, I think a lot of people think he's some of Reggie White or Strahan...While I've said it for years he's more along the likes of Simeon Rice (whom was a fine edge rusher)

I could be totally wrong, but Malik Jackson probably had more pressures in the first half than anyone, but I didn't notice him in the 2nd half...McDowell looked well in spurts...Takk looks awfully small, he obviously has more twitch than Clowney...But gets manhandled as well. John Johnson looked pretty good out there, though I have no idea what happened on that 75 yard bomb to Tyreek...Must have been blown coverage somewhere.

Good point. Although if we lose to Houston … haha

Player....... REC YDS . TD . TGTS
Tyreek Hill ..11.. 197 ..1... 15
Travis Kelce ..6.. 76... 2... 7

Maybe we should have game planned against these guys?

If we lose to Houston, the sky will fall:

If we lose to Houston I'll put TL's last bolded post as my sig.

This is it in a nutshell. With a totally garbage OL last year, he did what he did. This year, these guys are big and powerful. Yes, they're all new to KC and their offense, but look at how much our own OL was able to gel last year without any in-person offseason - and we run a ZBS. They have an easier adjustment and they made it because they don't have to be great, or barely even good. With Mahomes, they just have to be good enough. Like you said, that 75 yarder to Hill highlights it. Mahomes is going to make his own space.

Sometimes, you just have to give props to the other guys for making their own good plays. It doesn't mean we made a bad play, it's just that they bailed themselves out and prevented us from making a better play than they did. It happens; especially at this level and against a team and offense that is this good.


We were in the hole defensively from the start. We committed three turnovers at HORRIBLE times and gave them an insanely short field on one or two of them, and a lot of this all happened within a span of a few game minutes... and we were STILL within striking distance of winning it until that last turnover happened to seal it.

We were the better team; they just made more impactful plays while we really didn't make any.

I agree with your train of thought , but ( you knew it was coming ) We shouldn't have made all three rookies look like Pro bowl candidates ..lol

WATER,

We didn't. Mahomes did. There was plenty of pressure/speeding up of Mahomes. He's just that good.

I agree. Mahomes elusiveness and his creativity, combined with the skills of Kelce and Hill to get open, combined with their continuity together to be on the same page after a play breaks down... it's damn near impossible to stop.

I said, right before the sack of Baker at the end of the first half... neither team has a sack yet, but at least we have knocked Mahomes down a few times..

General reply here...

Our offense played great, until it didn't. I hate that I'm sitting here typing this, because dude was super accurate and a good decision-maker all day, but Baker's 2 worst throws came when the game mattered the most in the 4th quarter. That is going to extend the narrative on him. The throw that he put 10 yds short of Njoku killed a drive. And then the INT...can't control being hit from behind, but that was 1st down. He knew he was running out of time, and he was trying to make too much happen instead of throwing away sooner or just trying to scramble for a bit. He said it himself in the interview. Sorry that the standard is basically perfection, because that isn't fair. But on the heels of 2 other turnovers, with Mahomes on the other side, he had to be.

Also, don't get the hate on the defense. Who cares about the stats for Hill and Kelce? Chiefs scored 33 points, including an almost desperation TD throw. Gave our offense the ball with 3 minutes to score and win. I guess if you were expecting a replay of the SB, you're disappointed, but that was never realistic, IMO.

Finally, still very excited...there were not just flashes, but extended periods of elite play from offense and defense. This should be a fun year.

Oh, double finally, get well Jed!

I think back on how many times we were sooooo close, or how many times we got hits right after the ball was out, and how many runs were shut down within 2 yards, and Malik McDowell's insane TFL to start the game... and I think of how much fun this DL is going to be against teams that don't have a Patrick Mahomes.

It's going to be a fun year, folks!!

I agree. Also looking forward to seeing JOK improve. We really need him to be good.

Yeah, he was noticeably non-existent yesterday.
I know he saw the field, but he appears to have made no impact whatsoever. That needs to change.

PRPL,

100%. The next 3 QBs we face this quarter are: Tyrod, Dalton, Cousins. I like our DL's chances in forcing some TOs.

Yep.

Just watched the rest of the game this morning. Man, losing really bummed me out but we held our own & did really well for quite a while against a really good team with a superbly talented QB.

We are a really good team now and still have the whole season to look forward to. Keep your heads held high and go Browns!

Kevin Stefanski: Jamie Gillan should’ve punted, Ronnie Harrison Jr. didn’t intentionally step on the RB, Jedrick Wills Jr. day-to-day with ankle injury

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2021/09...m_medium=social

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Ronnie Harrison Jr. won’t be suspended by the NFL for shoving Chiefs assistant coach Greg Lewis, but Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t say if he’ll discipline Harrison more than the fine he’ll receive this week from the league for his ejection.

“I’ll keep that internal, but obviously it’s disappointing when you lose a starter after five plays,’’ Stefanski said. “It’s the oldest thing in football and in sport. The official always sees the second guy.’’




He did say, however, that Harrison didn’t intentionally step on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire when he was down on the sidelines after the catch. Harrison tripped over him and got tangled up trying to get out of the scrum in the first quarter and was thrown out of the game.

“I do think that any contact that came from Ronnie was incidental,’’ Stefanski said. “If you watch the tape, it’s pretty obvious that he’s getting collisioned as he’s trying to get off of their boundary, but that doesn’t excuse him from retaliating. You can’t do that. That’s something we all know, that the game officials will see the second guy not the first guy.’’

Stefanski wouldn’t say if he felt Lewis should’ve been disciplined for shoving Harrison first, when he felt he was stepping on his running back. He said regardless of what they coach did, Harrison needed to show more poise there.

With Grant Delpit inactive, cornerback M.J. Stewart was pressed into service at safety and rookie Richard LeCounte III filled in.

Jamie Gillan knows he should’ve punted

Stefanski said Gillan had time pick up the fumbled punt and kick it.


“He could’ve and he knows that,’’ Stefanski said. “We talked to him about that in the moment, talked to him about that today. Obviously he knows he has a job to do and we expect him to do his job at a high level. If something like that happens, we expect him to pick the ball up and punt it, and he knows that.’’

The Browns were worried about their kicker, Chase McLaughlin, heading into the game because of a hamstring injury suffered on Friday, and the punter turned out to be the problem.

The Chiefs got the ball at the 15, and Patrick Mahomes threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to produce the final margin, 33-29, with 7:04 left in the game. It proved to be an insurmountable lead.

Jedrick Wills Jr. is day-to-day with his ankle injury

Wills, the Browns starting left tackle, left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and was replaced by Chris Hubbard. Stefanski said Wills is day-to-day and they’ll see how it goes for the home opener Sunday against the Texans.

JC Tretter acknowledged it was tough to lose Wills, “but Chris is a grizzled veteran and he played well.’'

Baker Mayfield needs to find an incompletion at the end of the game




Stefanski said even though Baker Mayfield was trying to throw the ball away at the end of the game, he can’t throw a pick in that situation, with 1:09 left and the game on the line.

“He needs to find an incompletion there,’’ Stefanski said.

He said Mayfield played well and had his ups and downs, but must protect the ball in that crucial situation.

Odell Beckham Jr. will play when he’s ready

Stefanski made no promises that Beckham, inactive for the Chiefs, will be ready to play Sunday against the Texans.

“We’re just trying to be appropriate with it,’’ he said. “When he’s ready to play, he’ll play.’’

Sure he is good , really good .. But we made him look super human. Just my opinion .. sticking to it ! lol ..

I freely admit I am not now , nor have I ever been a fan of the Woods bend but don't break D .. Looks like he is playing " Prevent " 80% of the snaps .. One of the most un-creative DC's I have watched in a long time .. He had a year to prepare for this game .. Stats do count ; Hill like 11 catch's and Klece 6 or 7 .. And he was usually wide open..

Would love to have all the 22 shots on the bomb to Hill.. How he is running that far down field with single coverage ?? Little confused by it.. Then again I am an old , old , old guy.

I expect us to whip up on a bunch of teams this season .. Playing Championship Teams with Stellar Offensive Coach's will be a different story . I will gladly be wrong ..

guys, i know KC isnt known for rushing the ball like that, but can we acknowledge how great our defense did against the run? we had guys in the backfield damn near the instant the ball was snapped.

When the Browns lost to the Ravens on Haloween last year, they didn't play well.Not enough to win.
But! they played a way that looks similar to the game they played yesterday.
The system is broken. The defensive system, philosophy, is broken.
( I wasn't mad until Bakers interception and it became unwinnable, Baker threw that on 1st or 2nd down, he wasn't that many yards behind the los, A benefit of going slow all the way down to get a td on the final play of the game (to go up 3); did not require that there was 'heartrate raising' lack of time remaining.)

The Ravens game on Halloween looked very similar, to this crappy loss yesterday, so in 11 months the Browns haven't progressed much despite any and all the hype about new players being signed and old ones being waived.

Maybe it's the defensive philosophy.
-

Gordon Ramsey says you should master cooking the basics before you attempt crazy weird combinations.
The Browns- are doing S curves behind the Qb pre-snap and handing off to Jarvis on the goal line?

But they cant stop 2 Players on defense >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<< vvvvvvvvv ^^^^^^^^^ Where'd WHO go?

23rush/73 yards

We will take that all day regardless of the opponent.

The Browns had 26/153. So while KC doesn't rush a ton, they only had 3 attempts less than us, who are team built around the run.

Yes we played well against st the run, especially our dline. We were playing two high safeties most of the game and they still couldn't run. We held Edwards Elaire to 3.1 yrs per carry. Their best runner was Mahomes who averaged 3.6 yes per carry..