When the reigning Super Bowl champions visit Huntington Bank Field in Week 15, many eyes will be on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
The two-time MVP quarterback has led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl appearance in four of the last five seasons and has once again positioned the Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC. However, the Chiefs defense has also been a vital part of their ongoing dominance.
"Awesome challenge this week with the two-time defending champs coming to our place," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "They're very well-coached, so we have to be about our business. They present a ton of challenges for your offense, for your defense and for special teams. So, there's a lot of things that we need to go to school on for the Kansas City Chiefs."
Led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs defense has continued to frustrate opposing quarterbacks and hold some of the league's best scoring offenses to below their season averages.
The Chiefs have allowed just 19.4 points per game, the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and have allowed 30 points just once this season – coming in Week 11 against the Bills in their only loss this year. Only six teams have scored above 20 points as the Chiefs defense – coupled with Mahomes' late-game magic – has powered the Chiefs to a 12-1 start to the season.
"They're really good, so it's going to be a challenge, obviously. But we rise to the occasion, and we're excited about going against a great defense," RB Nick Chubb said.
Chubb will face a tough Chiefs defensive front that has been among the best in the league at stopping the run. The Chiefs allow the third-fewest rushing yards per game at 88.3 and allow -0.13 expected points added per running play, the second fewest in the NFL.
The Browns have struggled at times to establish the run this season, only topping 100 rushing yards in a game four times this season. However, QB Jameis Winston said that forcing the Chiefs to respect the Browns' rushing attack will be pivotal in their offensive game plan.
"The way that I grew up knowing football, you establish the game with the running game. You work things off of that," Winston said. "When you're able to possess the ball for a long period of time where you have a mixture of runs and passes, it just makes the congruence of the offense more effective and efficient."
Check out photos of the team working to prepare for their game this week against the Kansas City Chiefs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Safety Rodney McLeod Jr. (12) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Offensive guard Germain Ifedi (65) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safeties Coach Ephraim Banda during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety Rodney McLeod Jr. (12) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Linebacker Devin Bush (30) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety Grant Delpit (9) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Cornerback Myles Harden (26) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety D'Anthony Bell (37) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Director of High Performance Shaun Huls during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Cornerback Myles Harden (26) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety D'Anthony Bell (37) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety Grant Delpit (9) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Cornerback Myles Harden (26) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Cornerback Kahlef Hailassie (25) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Cornerback Kahlef Hailassie (25) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Jaelen Gill (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety Rodney McLeod Jr. (12) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Kaden Davis (89) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive end Elerson G. Smith (52) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Jaelen Gill (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Safety Grant Delpit (9) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Tight end Tre' McKitty (87) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Kicker Riley Patterson (10) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Kaden Davis (89) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Kaden Davis (89) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Kicker Riley Patterson (10) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Kicker Riley Patterson (10) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Kaden Davis (89) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Chad O'Shea during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Michael Woods II (81) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Jaelen Gill (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Michael Woods II (81) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on December 11, 2024.
While using the run game to set up passing opportunities will be important, Winston and the Browns are well aware of the threats the Chiefs impose in their passing defense. Among the top of the list of concerns for the Browns is Chiefs DT Chris Jones, one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the league.
Jones has five sacks this season and his 47 quarterback pressures this season are the most among defensive tackles in 2024. Jones' rare combination of strength and size with his elite speed makes him one of the hardest players to stop in the NFL.
"Physically, just his size, strength, ability to move laterally at that size, the power when he wants to go through the offensive line. He's versatile, they can line him up all over," Stefanski said of Jones. "Just a force, physically. A very, very disruptive player."
Jones entered the league as a defensive end before transitioning to defensive tackle in the 2019 season. Throughout this season, Jones has shown his positional flexibility, lining up at times as a defensive end and displaying a versatility that is rare among defensive linemen. According to TruMedia, four of Jones' five sacks have come from the defensive end position.
Winston is confident in his offensive line's ability to protect him from Jones and the rest of the Chiefs pass rushers. In each of Winston's two wins as the Browns' starting quarterback, in Week 8 against the Ravens and in Week 12 against the Steelers, he was sacked fewer than three times. In his four losses, he was sacked three or more times.
"I believe our offensive line has done a tremendous job of protecting me and blocking and sustaining blocks," Winston said. "We know that he's a high-effort guy and he's a very powerful guy. So, we're going to have to bring our hard hats and have some lead with us and I trust my guys especially on the interior and the exterior to protect me."
When Winston does have enough time to throw, he will face a challenging Chiefs secondary. Spagnuolo's 4-3 base defense is known for its intricate coverage rotations, making life difficult as opposing quarterbacks have to quickly assess whether the secondary is in man or zone coverage.
Whether he's running zone or man, Spagnuolo frequently employs match coverage, according to Winston. In match coverage, defenders drop to their zones but adjust their drops depending on the routes an offense is running while keeping their eyes on the quarterback.
Against Spagnuolo's defense, Winston said he will have to be efficient in his decision making.
"When they're in shell, they're pressing and they're matching," Winston said. "And they play a lot of read – so their corners, at times, they're playing man [coverage] and then they get their eyes in the backfield. So, with our ability to make plays on time and off schedule, it just shows up over and over again of them having eyes where we can kind of expose them – whether it's the scramble drill, whether it's them reading my eyes and me having quick progressions."
