The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs Recap

In a game that proved the Browns can hang around with the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, let's look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Sunday's loss in Arrowhead.

The Good: Baker Mayfield

If you're looking for negativity about Mayfield's attempt to throw out of a sack turned into an interception, you won't find it here.

All game, Mayfield looked like a franchise quarterback and calmly lead the offense in a noisy Arrowhead Stadium without his mosy dynamic playmaker. Mayfield completed 75 percent of his passes for 321 yards, smashing the 232.5 yard number set by oddsmakers.

Without Beckham, Mayfield targeted nine different receivers, connecting with eight of them. Rookie Anthony Schwartz was a welcomed surprise after an injury-riddled camp, but Mayfield trusted his speed and versatility.

Really, the offense as a whole operated seamlessly from start to finish.

The Bad: The Soft Zone

Cleveland's defense got off the field when they needed to the most on Sunday, which was the important thing. After a sandwich sack by Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney on Patrick Mahomes, the offense had the ball with an opportunity to win the football game.

However, leading up to that point, Mahomes completed 75 percent of his passes for 337 yards with three touchdowns. Defensively, getting off the field on third down was a challenge as the Browns allowed Kansas City to convert on nearly 70 percent of opportunities.

Tyreek Hill was just three yards shy of 200 through the air with a touchdown. Linebacker Malcolm Smith had absolutely no luck containing tight end Travis Kelce who scored twice.

Schematically, it's nearly impossible to stop the Chiefs, but it felt like the middle of the field was continually wide open for Mahomes all afternoon.

The Ugly: Mistakes

The Browns made three mistakes in this game and the Chiefs made zero, which is why Kansas City was able to come back and win the football game.

Starting safety Ronnie Harrison was ejected in the first quarter for shoving a coach. Superstar running back Nick Chubb fumbled and caused a 14-point swing. Jamie Gillan dropped a punt in the worst possible spot. Mayfield threw an interception that sealed the game.

To beat the Chiefs, the Browns needed to be perfect, and they weren't on Sunday. The good news is, none of these mistakes are recurring. In fact, they're all uncharacteristic and fixable.

Overall

In general, it's very difficult to beat any team twice in one season. It's especially hard when that team is the Kansas City Chiefs.

In a game where the Browns were without their two starting safeties, Harrison and Grant Delpit, their most dynamic playmaker, and their starting left tackle, the Browns looked beyond competent.

You'd rather the mistakes and learning lessons come Week 1 instead of in an AFC Championship matchup. The Browns are a damn good football team, and they proved that yesterday in Arrowhead.