By way of Nate Taylor, Zac Jackson, Dianna Russini and Lauren Smith
A occasion then clinching their 9th consecutive AFC West name, the Kansas Town Chiefs added any other win Sunday at the street with a 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. However the win was once overshadowed as Patrick Mahomes left the sport with an ankle shock with lower than 8 mins excess within the fourth quarter, which was once upcoming motivated to be a sprained ankle, in line with a group supply.
Supplementary Carson Wentz completed the sport for the Chiefs.
“It’s sore,” Chiefs schoolmaster Andy Reid mentioned of Mahomes’ ankle postgame. “It’ll literally be day to day. He probably could’ve gone back in. He wanted to go back in. There was no need for that.”
Mahomes could have extra exams on his ankle Monday, in keeping with the supply. He threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns within the win prior to exiting.
The Chiefs (13-1) by no means trailed in a fourth consecutive win, posted their best possible margin of victory this season and picked up a season-best six takeaways, together with 4 interceptions and two fumble fixes.
Cleveland working again Nick Chubb exited the sport within the 3rd quarter with a damaged bottom, Browns schoolmaster Kevin Stefanski showed then the sport. The Browns (3-11) had been additionally in brief with out Myles Garrett then the superstar defensive finish left the grassland with an seeing shock past due in the second one quarter. Garrett returned to the sport all through the later defensive sequence.
McDuffie choices off Jameis finally zone!
: #KCvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+
: pic.twitter.com/0uElNrSaik— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
Chiefs store season-best six takeaways
Upcoming this victory in chilly, wet Cleveland, each and every member of the Chiefs will have to thank Browns quarterback Jameis Winston. The Chiefs’ protection pressured Winston all recreation and had been rewarded time and again with takeaway then takeaway.
With a season-high six giveover, the Chiefs had been after all — then two months filled with one-score victories — in a position to respire very easily within the fourth quarter for a blowout victory, particularly by means of their requirements.
Within the first quarter, Winston noticed Mahomes throw deep into double protection and couldn’t wait to do the similar factor. The remaining was once that Winston’s cross was once intercepted as protection Bryan Cook dinner made an notable jumping catch finally zone. Linebacker Leo Chenal punched the ball out of Chubb’s fingers (which was once recovered by means of linebacker Drue Tranquill).
Linebacker Nick Bolton took the ball clear of Chubb for an interception to start out the 3rd quarter. Cornerback Trent McDuffie amassed his first profession interception. Jaden Hicks upcoming intercepted a Dorian Thompson-Robinson cross to finish Cleveland’s ultimate pressure.
Coming into Sunday’s recreation, some of the Chiefs’ problems was once their incapability to form takeaways. Even with a 12-1 report, the Chiefs had produced simply 10 giveover, join for the 3rd fewest within the league. — Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat essayist
Mahomes to JuJu provides the @Chiefs an early govern!
: #KCvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+
: pic.twitter.com/cXIN0P1SDL— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
Offensive series alternate
For the fourth month this season, the Chiefs began a unique participant at left take on, the placement maximum accountable for protective Mahomes’ aimless aspect. Reid elected to have Joe Thuney, the All-Professional left barricade, transfer to the left take on in lieu of enjoying second-year left take on Wanya Morris in park of D.J. Humphries, who sustained a strained left hamstring shock extreme occasion.
With Thuney at left take on, Mike Caliendo, who had but to start out a recreation this season, was once inserted into the five-man lineup at left barricade. The consequences for the Chiefs had been overwhelmingly certain via 3 quarters. Mahomes was once by no means sacked, a shortage this season, and Thuney was once efficient in one-on-one matchups towards Garrett, who entered Sunday with 11 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, 3 pressured fumbles and a fumble cure.
Mahomes didn’t devote a surrender and his moment landing, a 6-yard cross to Noah Grey, featured him having enough of month within the area to survey the grassland. However abnormal play games calling from Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy all over the 3rd quarter, with a 21-0 govern, resulted in Mahomes taking extra hits than he will have to have.
In lieu of working the ball, the Chiefs ran six passes past due within the 3rd quarter, all chief to incompletions that mixed to rush lower than a negligible off the clock. Every other atypical determination from Reid, protecting the offense at the grassland for a fourth-and-3 snap from the Browns’ 39-yard series, was once the rationale Mahomes didn’t end the sport.
Mahomes was once strike low by means of defensive take on Dalvin Tomlinson prior to colliding with any other defender life looking to entire a cross in the course of the area. Mahomes hobbled off the grassland then the incompletion and had to have either one of his ankles re-taped by means of the athletic coaching workforce.
Presen the left-overs of his teammates dapped up the Browns as soon as the sport was once over, Mahomes was once the primary Chiefs participant to go into the tunnel, a choice he most probably made in an try to get his ankles additional evaluated. — Taylor
4 interceptions for Browns offense
You reside by means of Winston, and also you die by means of Winston. In particular by means of the crippling interception, of which Winston threw two on Sunday. He threw 3 general interceptions as a part of a large generation for the Chiefs’ protection that incorporated six takeaways. Any blueprint for the Browns scary the Chiefs had to come with restricting giveover and most probably successful the surrender fight, however as soon as in every part Winston killed promising drives with badly telegraphed interceptions finally zone.
Winston was once in point of fact just right for the Browns’ two disillusioned wins of Baltimore and Pittsburgh previous within the season, however he’s sunk more than one comeback makes an attempt along with his interceptions. The Browns benched Winston within the ultimate 8 mins Sunday for Thompson-Robinson, and at 3-11 it’s most definitely honest to be expecting the Browns will play games Thompson-Robinson for the left-overs in their misplaced season. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat essayist
Jeudy over 1,000 receiving yards for season
Browns broad receiver Jerry Jeudy had any other large generation with 11 catches for 108 yards. Jeudy is now has greater than 1,000 receiving yards for the season for the primary month, and he’s proceeding the skillful stretch of his profession. Jeudy has no less than 70 receiving yards in six of Winston’s seven begins, and then Jeudy claimed that he’s been “open my entire career,” he’s now constantly getting visible and developing large performs.
All the way through that wild Monday night time recreation in Past 13, Jeudy went from twenty ninth within the NFL in receiving yards to the lead 5 with a 235-yard night time, one in every of simply two 200-yard receiving performances within the NFL this season. He’s been some of the few dazzling spots on this horrendous Browns season, and he’s now gotten to no less than 100 receiving yards 3 times within the extreme 5 video games. He had 5 100-yard video games over his first 4 seasons in Denver. — Jackson
Required studying
(Picture: Nick Cammett / Getty Photographs)
