Chiefs vs. Browns Recap: Earning Their Arrowheads
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are 8-0. It hasn’t always been pretty and not every game has come easy, but at the end of the day, the Chiefs have found a way to win eight of the 16 games on their regular season schedule.
That’s an accomplishment, no matter how you look at it.
8-0 didn’t come easy though. Give all the credit in the world to the Browns. Cleveland came out this past weekend and gave the Chiefs a fight. Kansas City got up early and looked ready to roll, but the Browns’ defense stepped up and Jason Campbell got the ball to his playmakers on offense. Cleveland made it a game.
Still, led by the defense (no surprise) Kansas City found a way to pull out a 23-17 win, and the rest, as they say, will go down in history.
Up next are Bills, in Buffalo, but before we wrap up week eight, let’s hand out the Arrowheads:
Arrowhead #3: Ryan Succop, K
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Sure, Ryan Succop did miss one field goal that could have made this win a lot easier for the Chiefs, but the fact remains that he put up 11 points for Kansas City, and eventually put the game out of the Brown’s reach.
We all know that Kansas City’s offense can struggle scoring touchdowns at times, but Succop has done his part, being pretty consistent for the most part. He was 3-of-4 against the Browns and is 15-of-18 on the season.
Arrowhead #2: Dexter McCluster, WR
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Outside of one bad fumble on a punt return that Kansas City recovered, Dexter McCluster was great for the Chiefs on Sunday. He even finally got into the end zone on offense, making a great diving catch on an Alex Smith throw that was a tad bit high.
McCluster led the team in receptions against Cleveland, tallying seven catches for 67 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. He also ran the ball once for five yards, and returned five punts for 38 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per return. McCluster was the spark plug Kansas City needed on Sunday.
Arrowhead #1: Derrick Johnson, MLB
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Veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson was once again solid and spectacular for the Chiefs. He led the team in tackles with 12, and also notched two tackles for a loss and a quarterback hit.
Johnson was simply everywhere for Kansas City’s defense, and this was on a day when they needed him to step up. Both Justin Houston and Tamba Hali had mediocre showings, and the defense was gashed at times by a quick Cleveland offense.
Without Johnson’s veteran presence and his hard-hitting mentality in the middle, the Chiefs may not be 8-0 today.