Mahomes, clutch Chiefs look for 13th win with road game against Browns team staggering to finish

Updated Dec. 13, 2024 1:55 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Kansas City (12-1) at Cleveland (3-10)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 4.

Against the spread: Chiefs 5-8; Browns 4-9.

Series record: Chiefs lead 14-11-2.

Last meeting: Chiefs beat Browns 33-29 on Sept. 12, 2021, in Arrowhead Stadium.

Last week: Chiefs beat Chargers 19-17; Browns lost to Steelers 27-14.

Chiefs offense: overall (16), rush (21), pass (13), scoring (7)

Chiefs defense: overall (6), rush (3), pass (20), scoring (7)

Browns offense: overall (22), rush (30), pass (15), scoring (29)

Browns defense: overall (21), rush (22), pass (13), scoring (26)

Turnover differential: Chiefs minus-4; Browns minus-10.

Chiefs player to watch

WR DeAndre Hopkins has been exactly what the Chiefs hoped he would be when they acquired him from Tennessee. He has excelled at getting open at the line of scrimmage, which has allowed Patrick Mahomes to pick apart defenses with quick strikes, and his ability to catch jump balls has been a key in the red zone. Hopkins has 30 catches for 357 yards and four TDs in his first seven games with the team.

Browns player to watch

DE Myles Garrett. The NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year is making a late push in an attempt to defend his title. Garrett has a pair of three-sack performances in his past five games despite facing double-teams, chips and game plans designed around him. He's at 99 1/2 sacks and can make hitting 100 even more memorable if he were to do it by tackling down Mahomes.

Key matchup

Browns LBs and DBs vs. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Cleveland's defense will be stressed everywhere, but especially over the middle as that's where Mahomes usually finds Kelce. He's a matchup nightmare for many reasons, including the connection he has with Mahomes and their ability to make off-schedule completions. Kelce grew up in Cleveland and would relish the chance to shine at home.

Key injuries

Chiefs: LT D.J. Humphries has been dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in his debut last week against the Chargers.

Browns: TE David Njoku (hamstring) is questionable after missing all three practices this week. Njoku led the club with seven catches while being targeted 15 times in last week's loss. He leads the team with five receiving TDs. ... WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) will miss his third straight game. ... LG Joel Bitonio (back) returned to practice Friday but is also questionable.

Series notes

The Chiefs have won the past four regular-season matchups and five in a row, including the divisional playoff game in the 2020 postseason against the Browns. ... Kansas City coach Andy Reid is 5-0 against Cleveland since taking over the Chiefs in 2013. He's 8-0 overall against the Browns. ... Mahomes is 3-0 vs. the Browns. ... Cleveland is 8-4-1 at home against Kansas City.

Stats and stuff

The Chiefs clinched their ninth consecutive AFC West title last week. ... Kansas City begins a stretch of three games in 11 days. The Chiefs host Houston on Dec. 21 and play in Pittsburgh on Christmas Day. ... Kansas City's past two wins were by identical 19-17 scores. ... Mahomes has thrown for 31,613 yards in his first eight seasons, encompassing 109 games. He needs 88 to pass Derek Carr (31,700 in 127 games) for third among QBs in their first eight seasons. ... Mahomes passed for 337 yards and three TDs the previous time the teams met. ... Kelce has 80 catches this season, reaching that mark for an NFL-record ninth straight time. ... Kelce needs one TD catch to pass Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (76) for the most receiving scores in team history. ... Hopkins has caught a pass in an NFL-leading 175 consecutive games. Kelce has the next-longest streak at 171. ... Chiefs C Creed Humphrey can pass Brandon Carr for the second-longest streak to begin a career in franchise history with his 65th game on Sunday. ... The Chiefs have a flair for the dramatic. They've tied the NFL record for the most wins by seven points or fewer in one season, sharing the mark with the 1978 Houston Oilers. ... Kansas City has won six times on the final play of the game with three different kickers — Harrison Butker, Spencer Shrader and Matthew Wright —- making the game-winning field goal. ... Including the playoffs, the Chiefs have won their past 15 games decided by one possession. ... The Chiefs lead the league in third down conversion (52%). ... The Browns are playing for pride after being eliminated from the playoffs last week. ... Cleveland has lost at least 10 games in 18 seasons since 1999. ... Winston has thrown six TD passes the past two weeks, but also five INTs. ... In six games since taking over the starting job, Winston has averaged 315.3 yards per game — second most in the league over that span. ... WR Jerry Jeudy has 26 catches for 526 yards and three TDs in his past four games. Jeudy has 29 catches and four TDs in eight games against K.C. ... K Dustin Hopkins has missed six of his past nine field goals, including two in last week's loss. Hopkins is just 16 of 25 (64%) this season, the worst of his 10-year career. The Browns signed K Riley Patterson to the practice squad this week, a sign Hopkins could sit a week.

Fantasy tip

Jeudy has been one of the league's hottest receivers, filling the vacant No. 1 receiver spot created when the Browns traded Amari Cooper to Bufalo. Jeudy has 678 yards since Week 8 and will have to have a big game for the Browns to have any chance at winning. He's 56 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season.

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