Tony Grossi ESPN Cleveland 3 Minute Read

Editor’s note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.

Four downs on Browns (2-5-1) v. Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)

First down: Element of surprise.

With brushfires springing up throughout their roster, the Browns compounded their Herculean task of preparing for the powerhouse Chiefs by making a shocking double coaching change – without the benefit of an extended bye week break to settle things down. The only advantage the Browns have is the element of surprise. There is no recent book on Gregg Williams as a head coach on game day and none at all on Freddie Kitchens as an offensive coordinator. Both predictably professed no massive changes in the way things were done previously. But think about it: how is doing the same things going to change the outcome? So expect the unexpected. What do Williams and Kitchens have to lose? They are longshots to return. Their miniscule chances improve slightly only if they win. Williams’ game-management decisions and Kitchens’ play-calls will range from brilliant to disastrous – depending on the players’ ability to execute. There will be no in between.

Second down: Remember Lubbock.

The storyline bumped from the marquee because of the Browns’ coaching firings is the first professional matchup of Big 12 quarterback rivals Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes. Their last college meeting in 2016 has been described as epic and legendary – and those hyperbolic adjectives don’t do the game justice. On that Saturday night in Lubbock, TX, Mayfield’s Oklahoma Sooners outlasted Mahomes’ Texas Tech Red Raiders, 66-59 – “a basketball score,” Mayfield cracked. Each team accounted for an identical 854 total yards on offense. Mayfield outdueled Mahomes, whom he hosted on a recruiting visit to Texas Tech and then left behind as the starting quarterback after transferring to Oklahoma as a walk-on. Mayfield threw for 545 yards and seven touchdowns; Mahomes threw for 734 yards – on 88 attempts – and five touchdowns. “Set defenses back a thousand years,” sighed Williams. There are those who believe the reunion with Mahomes will fire up Mayfield’s competitive juices even hotter than normal, which may result in some much-needed productivity in the Browns’ slumping offense. “Weird things happen in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday nights,” Mayfield said. “It is pretty funny, Oklahoma goes back to Lubbock this weekend and then I am playing Pat on Sunday.”

Third down: Next men up.

Heading into the third quarter of their season, the Browns are coping with the annual war of attrition on their roster. Safety Damarious Randall did not practice all week and was listed questionable with a groin injury. At the same time, cornerback E.J. Gaines did practice all week after clearing concussion protocol and should play after missing two games. At receiver, Antonio Callaway finished the week as a non-participant after a mid-week ankle injury and was listed questionable. But Rashard Higgins made it through the week after missing three games with an MCL sprain and is expected to play. Asked what kind of impact Higgins might have on Mayfield, who has sorely missed him, Higgins said, “A big one. If the ball comes to me, it is mine. End of story.”

Fourth down: Another mismatch.

Not much has been said about the Browns’ special teams in the week of changes on the coaching staff. But it faces another mismatch against the Chiefs. In six years under special teams coordinator Dave Toub, the Chiefs rank second in the league in kick return average and first in punt return average. Also, the Chiefs have a combined 11 return touchdowns, which ranks first in the league. Toub had similar success for eight seasons with the Bears after serving a three-year apprenticeship under John Harbaugh with the Eagles. This year the Chiefs have a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 97-yard kickoff return. Their punt return differential (return average minus average allowed) is a magnificent plus-13.0, and their kickoff differential is 6.4. All of which speaks to the reason that Toub, 56, may become the next special teams coach to graduate to the head coaching ranks. He could be a serious contender for the Browns’ job.

Prediction: Chiefs, 35-19.

My record: 3-4-1.