Five key matchups for Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns

Patrick Mahomes vs. the Browns’ secondary

In case you’ve been living under a rock recently, Patrick Mahomes tends to play his best football in the biggest games against the best teams. In fact, Mahomes has dominated playoff teams this season with a passer rating more than 10 points higher, a 12-0 TD-to-Int ratio, and a perfect record against teams which qualified for this year’s playoffs.

And, just when you think the news cannot get worse for the Browns’ defense, you realize that they have one of the worst secondaries in the entire NFL. They rank 22nd in yards allowed and have given up the 26th most passing touchdowns. One would have to think that the reigning Super Bowl MVP would find success against such opposition.

How does he do it? For starters, Mahomes is going to have a largely healthy group of playmakers after a bye week. (Sammy Watkins is still missing practice.) Couple that with also having the best tight end in football, and likely having his full complement of running backs, who are excellent pass catchers in their own right, and you start to see how the numbers massively indicate a lot of points on the board by Kansas City.

Secondarily, Mahomes should be able to use his vast array of talents to exploit the inferior players lined up on the other side: multiple arm angles, using his feet to move the pocket, using his eyes to look off defenders and even potentially no-look passes should all be working in the Chiefs favor on Sunday.

If we’re correct, and Mahomes is simply able to outplay a less talented group of players, Kansas City should score at will in the game and put it out of reach for a Cleveland offense that must be able to use time and run the ball.