Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs

4 Downs: What to digest the preseason finale vs. Chiefs

And we bring our preseason finale edition of 4 Downs!

The preseason has come to a close as the Cleveland Browns wrapped up their offseason with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. By a score of 33-32, the Browns got a long look at the bottom of their roster one last time before being forced to cut their roster down from 90 to 53. We saw quarterback Deshaun Watson for three series in this game, and we saw a lot of depth linebacker Tony Fields II throughout this one.

Watson finished the game 5-of-10 for 92 yards with a beautiful touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku. He was credited with two fumbles, but those were on the exchange with running back Jordan Wilkins. John Kelly Jr. led the Browns in rushing with 20 yards on six carries, while Amari Cooper led in receiving with one catch of 53 yards.

As the Browns now get ready for the Cincinnati Bengals at home in two weeks, what can we take away from this loss to the Chiefs?

15 Browns in total will not play vs. Chiefs; Anthony Walker Jr., Sione Takitaki make their return

The Browns will be without 15.

We already know the three All-Pros will not be among the starters who will play in today’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, 15 players in total will not suit up for the Cleveland Browns. Among them is wide receiver Anthony Schwartz as he has more than likely now played his last down in the brown and orange.

Among those who will play, however, are linebackers Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Jr. Both players finished last season on Injured Reserve and now make their return to the lineup.

Here are the 15 players in total that will not play in this preseason finale against the Chiefs.

Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, Joel Bitonio will not play vs. Chiefs

No need to see the All-Pros in the preseason.

While the Cleveland Browns are expected to give their starters between 20-25 snaps this afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs, do not expect their seasoned veterans to play. Quarterback Deshaun Watson and his wide receiver duo of Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore will play in this one, but defensive end Myles Garrett, running back Nick Chubb, and left guard Joel Bitonio will all sit this one out.

It is safe to say the Browns know what they have in their three All-Pros and do not need to risk safety for the sake of knocking rust off with those players. This will give younger guys and players who are not a lock to make the 53-man roster the chance to shine one last time.

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Browns vs. Chiefs: How to watch, listen, and stream preseason Week 3 game

Need to know how to find today’s game against the Chiefs? We’ve got you covered!

The Cleveland Browns are set to finish up their preseason today against the Kansas City Chiefs. They have already announced their injury report, highlighted by running back Jerome Ford and wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. However, players like wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr. and safety Ronnie Hickman will be looking to prove they belong on the final 53-man roster in this one.

Need to know how to tune into this matchup between the Browns and the defending Super Bowl champs? Here is all of the information you could ever need.

Browns elevate PK Chris Naggar, LB Elijah Lee from practice squad for Week 1

Kicker Chase McLaughlin is questionable so Naggar provides a backup plan

The Browns haven’t even played a single regular season game yet, but Cleveland is already on its third kicker due to injuries.

Due to the injury to placekicker Chase McLaughlin, the Browns have elevated PK Chris Naggar from the practice squad for the Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns also elevated LB Elijah Lee from the practice squad.

McLaughlin remains questionable with his hamstring injury, so elevating Naggar makes sense as an emergency backup option. Lee figures to get any of his action on special teams. The Browns, like all NFL teams, are permitted to call up two extra players from the practice squad without penalty.

Naggar is next in line after McLaughlin, who is already the injury replacement for Cody Parkey. The Browns placed Parkey on I.R. before the season.

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The 6 most important games on the Browns 2021 schedule

Here are six games that stood out upon the official Browns schedule release.

The Cleveland Browns are coming off a fantastic 11-5 season in 2020, one which culminated in the franchise’s first playoff victory in the 21st century. There is considerable promise surrounding coach Kevin Stefanski’s young Browns in 2021.

If the Browns are to surpass last year’s tremendous steps in the winning direction, there are a few telling games on the 2021 schedule. How the Browns fare these key matchups or difficult challenges will tell a lot about if the 2021 regular season will be considered a success or not.

Here are the six games that stood out upon the official schedule release.

Browns will open the 2021 schedule at Kansas City

Browns will open the 2021 schedule at Kansas City in a rematch of the controversial AFC divisional round game

The Cleveland Browns will open up the 2021 season with a road trip to where their valiant 2020 playoff run came to an end. The Browns season kicks off in Kansas City against the defending AFC Champion Chiefs.

While the full 2021 NFL schedule won’t be revealed until later on Wednesday, the league allowed the Week 1 slate of games to get released early on its media partners. The Browns visiting the Chiefs will be the feature game in the late-afternoon window in Week 1, with a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, September 12th.

Cleveland lost to Kansas City, 22-17, in the AFC divisional round. The game was marred by a controversial fumble by Browns WR Rashard Higgins, who lost the ball out of the end zone when struck by a blatantly illegal helmet-to-helmet hit by Chiefs safety “Dirty” Dan Sorensen that was not flagged on the play.

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The Browns Wire Podcast: Browns divisional round review

Josh and Donovan wrap up the Browns tough loss to the Chiefs

Welcome to The Browns Wire Podcast, hosted by Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16). This week, Donovan James (@DonJamesSports) and I discuss the Cleveland Browns loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a great way to wrap up the postseason run by the Browns.

Give the Browns Wire Podcast a like on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter.

It’s also available on all of your favorite podcast apps, including iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

Podcast is now streaming live on Tuesday and Wednesday night on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHmzBfsA3fw

David Njoku, Karl Joseph earn top PFF grades in Browns’ loss to Chiefs

The PFF grades for the Browns/Chiefs game are out

In what could be his final game in a Browns uniform, tight end David Njoku was Cleveland’s top-graded player. Njoku earned the highest game score from Pro Football Focus in the Browns’ 22-17 divisional round loss in Kansas City.

Njoku graded out with a score of 87.2 for the Browns in the loss. He caught four passes for 59 yards and also proved quite effective as a blocker. Njoku is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a fifth-year option that will pay him just over $6 million. He was the team’s No. 3 tight end in 2020 and had to rescind a trade demand from his agent, so his future in Cleveland is very much uncertain.

Center JC Tretter was the only other Browns offensive player to top a grade of 80 overall, with an 82.1. He was followed by left guard Joel Bitonio (79.7), quarterback Baker Mayfield (78.9) and tight end Austin Hooper (77.0) on offense.

Defensively, the top Browns player was safety Karl Joseph. He graded out with a 78.0 overall. Linebacker Mack Wilson did earn a fantastic 91.0 grade, but he played just 11 snaps. Joseph picked off chiefs QB Chad Henne for Cleveland’s only takeaway in the game.

At the bottom of the list: LT Blake Hance, LB Sione Takitaki, DT Larry Ogunjobi and CB Denzel Ward. All were in the 40s.

Quick takeaways from the Browns’ AFC divisional round loss to the Chiefs

On the controversial no-call, the lack of speed on D, OL injuries, Baker Mayfield’s day and more

The fantastic ride that was the Cleveland Browns 2020 season came to an unwanted end on Sunday. The Browns fell, 22-17, to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC’s divisional round contest.

Cleveland was mere inches away from pulling off the improbable upset, but the Chiefs were just a little better at making the key plays at the key times.

Here are a few quick observations from watching the game in real-time.