The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs are going to face a considerable test right out of the gate in 2021.
The Chiefs will be hosting the Browns in Week 1 of the 2021 regular season schedule in a game that could carry significant ramifications for both sides down the road as the race for the AFC wears on. That’s because both teams have Super Bowl aspirations and even the less proven roster of the matchup—the Browns—has become a chic pick for NFL analysts to fawn over this offseason.
Given that each conference has only a single first-round bye (and given how important that bye has been proven to be), both the Chiefs and Browns are going to want any edge over the other as the pursuit of Super Bowl glory gets underway on that first Sunday afternoon of the regular season.
Kareem Hunt is looking forward to the Browns-Chiefs rematch.
One player who knows both sides quite well is former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, a player who is now part of a dynamic backfield tandem with Nick Chubb in Cleveland. Hunt recently spoke to reporters at a youth football camp and stated that he was not only looking forward to the challenge but that he believes the Browns should have won the last time they played each other.
"“That’s a very good test,” Hunt said. “That’s a great team, a great program, and I can’t wait to play some of my old teammates and brothers. We’re excited. It’s a game we believe we should have won last year, and now we’ve got another chance to get back out there Week 1.”"
The Browns played the Chiefs close last January in a 22-17 loss that sent Cleveland home for the season after making the postseason and even beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening round. However, the final score doesn’t tell the true story of a Chiefs team leading 19-3 at home before Patrick Mahomes went down with a concussion. Suddenly the Browns were facing Chad Henne and hoping for a comeback.
To the Browns credit, they played a tough game and the Chiefs offense stalled thereafter. Andy Reid had to famously go for it on a gusty fourth-down call to Tyreek Hill to convert a first down late and put the game away. At the same time, the Chiefs were playing without their best player.
That said, Hunt isn’t the only one who is a big believer in what Cleveland is doing. Plenty of NFL analysts love the Browns moves this offseason, and even Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce talked them up recently as a contender in the AFC.
Week 1 will be a telling sign of things to come and give one of these teams a nice edge in a race that’s going to be tough with the new 17-game season.