Be daring! How the Browns view their playoff game with the Kansas City Chiefs – Terry Pluto’s Pregame Scribbles

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribble in my notebook as the Browns prepare to tackle Kansas City in the playoffs:

1. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. They have Patrick Mahomes and a high attack. The Browns have a good running game, number 3 in the NFL, at 148 yards per game. So it seems like the Browns have to run the ball – a lot. Chew the watch, keep Mahomes & Co. from the field.

2. I thought it would be the same strategy when the Browns played Tennessee early in the year. Instead, they threw out. Not all the time, but they shot down the field. They jumped 17 points at the start of the second quarter on the Titans and took a 38-7 lead.

3. Brown fans probably remember what happened. The offense got stuck in the second half, but Cleveland won 41-35. In other words, they won a shootout.

4. Consider the last 48-37 playoff game in the first round over Pittsburgh. The Browns scored 28 points in the first quarter. The Steelers committed five turnovers. Still, the Browns needed nearly 40 points (to be exact 38) to beat Pittsburgh – despite the five turnovers.

5. What will it take to beat the Chiefs? I hear the Browns believe they need something like 40 points. Hey, they scored 42 against Baltimore and still lost, 47-42. The Browns plan to offend as in recent big games against Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Baltimore.

6. They do not intend to neglect the running game. But they could do things like throw a pass to Nick Chubb (four catches, 69 yards), like against Pittsburgh. Kareem Hunt is usually the receiver from the backfield. He was only targeted once, a catch of 13 meters. But Hunt ran the ball for two TDs.

7. In the win over Pittsburgh, the Browns had a pass rate of 34/31. Against Tennessee, it was a pass rate of 34/36. The Browns therefore do not lose their identity as a running team. But Baker Mayfield’s rise in the second half of the season boosted Kevin Stefanski’s confidence in the QB.

8. When the Andrew Berry front office put together the game plan for the year, it began by strengthening the offensive line by signing All-Pro tackle Jack Conklin and promising rookie tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. to set up. It was more than making sure Mayfield was protected. There was a greater philosophical approach.

9. The Browns knew they couldn’t fix everything after the 6-10 season. They decided to aim for a strong offense. Make it the identity. Stefanski’s specialty is leadership, offense and development of quarterbacks. Play on his strength.

10. The Browns knew the defense would lag behind. They can handle the defense after the 2020 season. In the modern NFL, you have to score a lot of points. Sometimes you need to score quickly. This is how Kansas City plays. In many ways it was the Browns model – only they knew they did not have an MVP caliber QB like Mahomes. But they do have an excellent running game.

11. The goal of the Browns this week is simple: do not be shy. Play to win. Put points on the board. If it fails, so should it. Do not dare stupid. But a full conservative approach will not upset the Chiefs. The Browns know their defense is vulnerable.

12. Meanwhile, the Browns’ passing game has become effective, efficient and sometimes explosive. They will have a full number of recipients. Jarvis Landry (72 catches) had a great season as he played a few games with a broken rib and missed a game on the COVID-19 list of contact traces.

13. Donovan Peoples-Jones is back from his concussion. Do you remember the discussion about the Browns quickly needing a receiver of deep threat, especially after Odell Beckham Jr. came down early in Game 7 for the season with a knee injury? Peoples-Jones is not Beckham, but he averages 21.7 yards per catch. He has 14 receptions.

14. With Beckham outside, Landry is the main receiver. But this is a violation of equal opportunity. Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and Peoples-Jones all had big games. Hunt and now Chubb came out of the backfield as threatening threats.

15. We’ve been saying this all year: it still looks like the Browns can push more out of tight ends Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku. But I just added it: they combined 90 catches and 9 TDs in the regular season. Hooper was targeted 11 times (seven catches) in the playoff victory over Pittsburgh.

16. In the playoff game in Pittsburgh, Callie Brownson filled in Drew Petzing, coach Drew Petzing (COVID-19). She did it earlier in the season in the Jacksonville game. Her main job is Chief of Staff of Stefanski. The Browns believe she could become a full-time job coach within the next few years. Her organizational and communication skills are two of the reasons.

17. When attacking coach Bill Callahan and his assistant Scott Peters both ended up on the COVID-19 list, it was Ryan Cordell who took over the duties in the Pittsburgh game. His official title is ‘coaching assistant’. In 2019, he was a football research analyst for the Browns. Prior to that, he worked in football for the 49ers. He is the new kind of assistant with a diverse background, not just as a former player. He is highly regarded.

18. I mentioned the two young assistants of the Steelers playoff game because the Browns worked so smoothly with Stefanski and four assistants on the COVID-19 list. Mike Priefer was acting head coach with Alex Van Pelt naming the plays. They were great. You did not see any confusion with the wrong players on the field or problems with transferring plays to Mayfield. The assistants played a big role in making it work.

19. I did not write much about the defense against Kansas City. You know why. It’s probably going to be a long game for them. They need to enforce some turnover. But the story of this game is that the Browns must score at least 40 points to win.

20. Prediction: After losing the Browns 33-24 to Pittsburgh last week, a reader insisted that I write an “Act of Contrition” for no confidence in the Browns, which I did.

Then I promised to pick the Browns this week. This led to an avalanche of emails begging me to pick the Chiefs. If I choose the browns, I will do it. What to do? My head says: Chiefs 45, Browns 38. My heart says: Browns 45, Chiefs 38. You choose which one you like best!

RECENT TERRY PLUTO COLUMN

How John Dorsey Influenced the Chiefs and Browns

Time for an act of controversy for my Browns / Steelers selection

Browns Postgame Scribbles: character, adversity and zoom meetings

Brown fans, be proud of your team

If the Browns win, it’s going to be one of the biggest upsets in franchise history.

What do we now know about Baker Mayfield that we did not know at the start of the season?

What I hear about the Francisco Lindor Agreement

Sashi Brown has his fingerprint on the current Browns

New Browns Face Masks for Sale: Here you can buy Cleveland Browns-themed face masks for coronavirus protection for adults and teens, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NFL proceeds were donated to CDC Foundation.