NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND PREVIEW: CLEVELAND BROWNS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

BY ADAM GREENE

Sunday’s NFL Divisional Round action begins with last week’s usurpers, the Cleveland Browns, as the travel to the home of the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Unlike last week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski will be on the sideline and off the COVID-19 list, which, if you’re sports superstitious, is a an important thing to know.

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (-10, O/U: 57.5)

Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

Kickoff: Jan 17, 3:05 p.m. EST

Broadcast: CBS

THE HISTORY

The Browns joined the AFC in 1970 after the AFL/NFL merger, so you’d think these two teams would have played more than the piddling 26 times they’ve squared up.

In all, the Chiefs hold a 13-11-2 advantage in the all time series and have won four of the last five and three straight. They last hooked up on Nov. 4, 2018 with KC taking a 37-21 victory. Patrick Mahomes threw for 375 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Kareem Hunt, who now plays for Cleveland, rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for 50 yards and a score. Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 99 yards and two TDs.

Baker Mayfield threw for 297 yards, two touchdowns and interception. Nick Chubb had 85 yards and a TD on the ground.

Perhaps the most interesting postseason historic subplot between these squads is the coach they once shared, Marty Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer got the Browns all the way to the AFC title game twice, losing to the John Elway and the Denver Broncos thanks to “The Drive” to end the 1986-87 season. The next year, Earnest Byner fumbled the ball right before crossing the goal line in their final possession against those same Broncos, costing Cleveland a chance to lose to the Washington (name redacted) in the Super Bowl.

Schottenheimer was fired after the 1988 season and spent the next decade coaching the Chiefs to the playoffs and inglorious defeats in each of them. He did make back to the AFC title game with Kansas City in the 1993-94 season, losing 30-13 when Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana got knocked from the game.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (12-5)

The Browns got here thanks to a downright shellacking of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, 48-37, in a game that was not that close. In fact, Cleveland took a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and if it was any team other than the Browns, the outcome at that point would have never been in doubt. Baker Mayfield threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Chubb rushed for 76 yards and had 69 yards in receptions and a touchdown. Kareem Hunt rushed for two scores and Jarvis Landry caught five passes for 92 yards and a TD.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (14-2)

Thanks to securing the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs got to be bystanders to last weekend’s Super Wild Card action. In their meaningless final game of the regular season two weeks before, they fell 38-21 to the Los Angeles Chargers. Chad Henne threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Darwin Thompson rushed for 45 yards and a score and added seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. The defense sacked Justin Herbert three times.

THE PICK

Let me spoil you here, I’m picking the Chiefs to win like everyone who lives outside of the 216 area code. But that ain’t the issue. The real concern here is the spread and the fact that Kansas City has covered all of one time in its last eight games. They went 7-9 against the spread this season and the only team in the playoffs with a worst record for the books happens to be Cleveland, who was 6-10. I’ve rode the Chiefs, and their inability to cover, all through the second half of the season and I’m not switching it up now. Chiefs 31, Browns 24

LAST WEEK

Straight up: 3-3

Against the spread: 1-5

SEASON

Straight up: 173-88-1

Against the spread: 132-130

Follow our BetOnline Twitter account for the latest sports news and betting odds, and stay tuned on the Instagram feed for more good information too.