KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs face their first postseason hurdle on the "Run It Back" tour.
The Cleveland Browns come to town for their first ever playoff match-up against the Chiefs. Here are the keys for the Chiefs to come away with a victory.
1. Close the edge and cause hesitation
The Browns like to run off tackle and hit the counters. It is the key to their offense.
They may try some power runs against the Chiefs, especially in the red zone, but those are their staple runs.
Kansas City needs to close the edge or stretch them to the sidelines and create hesitation by the ball carriers.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are effective when they can hit the hole and get to top speed. They lose a lot of steam when they have to stretch to the boundary or find a new hole to cut back into.
2. Be prepared for screens
When the Browns start to see the opponent is going to blitz and become aggressive in attacking the quarterback, they will immediately go to the screen game with their running backs and tight ends.
If the Chiefs start to become overly aggressive in disrupting Mayfield, the screen game will be a struggle to defend.
3. Take away the right side
Mayfield is at his best when he is allowed to throw or bootleg to his right. He is much more accurate and has a natural throwing motion.
Mayfield takes longer to setup when he rolls out or is flushed to his left. He has to reset himself mechanically and square up for an accurate throw, which allows the defenders to drive on the football.
Cleveland will want to get the ball out quick but, from a rush perspective, the left tackle and right guard can be beat with inside moves.
Kansas City can also find success if the ends contain or delay their twist to the inside on rushes as the Browns' interior OL struggles when they have delayed pressure inside.
4. Attack the secondary
The Browns' MJ Stewart struggles one-on-one in coverage. The ability to isolate him could lead to some explosive gains over the middle.
Cleveland has given up 14 touchdowns out of the slot position this season.
Denzel Ward bites on double moves with a pump fake. If the line gives the Chiefs time, some explosive plays are there for the taking.
5. Have an answer for rush style
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods has faced Mahomes four times now.
Mahomes' first start ever in Denver, both 2018 games with the Broncos and Super Bowl LIV against San Francisco.
The Chiefs quarterback is 4-0 going against Woods, but the Browns' defensive coordinator will likely copy the 49ers' rushing style of dropping eight and containing Mahomes in the pocket.
He will likely also bring contain from one side and have a wide nine rush from the other side.
Cleveland likes to bring blitzes on third-and-medium or longer, but we may not see that trend today.
6. Misdirect them
The Browns' biggest struggle defensively is misdirection. They have done a poor job throughout the season of staying at home.
Motions, delays, jet sweeps and reverses routinely cause them problems. Luckily, the Chiefs have a Ph.D. in misdirection.
These are many of the key points that will turn the tide in a Chiefs victory or the run it back tour ending sooner than expected.