The Cleveland Browns were dealt an unfavorable hand for last weekend’s playoff opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and star guard Joel Bitonio had to miss the game due to COVID-19 and the Browns were barely able to practice in the lead up to the game due to the closure of their facility.
And none of it mattered as the Browns earned a 48-37 victory over the Steelers for their first playoff victory in 26 years.
Maybe that’s why the Browns have some confidence rolling as they head into a matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.
“We believe in ourselves, and that is why we are here,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said, via Tom Withers of the Associated Press. “We have a bunch of fighters who have scratched and clawed to get here. We we are going to continue to do that week in and week out.”
While the Chiefs may not be exactly the same juggernaut they appeared to be entering the playoffs last year, they should still be a more challenging task for the Browns than the reeling Steelers were last weekend. Kansas City got the week off as the top seed in the conference. It will be the second time Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes have squared off in the NFL. Mahomes and the Chiefs won the first meeting in 2018, 37-21.