Kansas City Chiefs Rewatch: 2010 week 2 vs Browns

After starting the season at 1-0 for the first time since 2005, the Kansas City Chiefs headed to Cleveland to face the Browns in week two.

Opening the season with a victory has become something that Kansas City Chiefs have grown accustomed to, but it didn’t used to be that way. That’s why fans were so excited about starting the 2010 season off at 1-0.

Their next opponent was the Browns, a team who ran the ball all over Kansas City late in the 2009 season. Jerome Harrison alone rushed for 200+ yards and while that game was high scoring, it was still a loss for the Chiefs. That win was in the thick of the 2009 Browns’ hot finish, as they rattled off four straight wins to close out the year and end the season at 5-11, one game better than the Chiefs.

This time around, the game was in Cleveland and both sides felt like they were improved from a year ago. How did week two against the Browns pan out for the 2010 KC Chiefs?

WEEK 2 VS CLEVELAND BROWNS: SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2010

The Browns’ home opener began with them going three and out and punting the ball to the Chiefs, who had a decent first drive, but it ultimately ended with a punt. The Browns fumbled two plays into their next drive and the Chiefs came up with it, giving them the first break of the game.

The Chiefs weren’t able to cash in with a touchdown, but they did knock through a field goal courtesy of Ryan Succop and as such, led by three points in the first quarter.

The Browns offense started to come alive at the end of the first quarter and stretching into the second quarter, as they marched down the field with a big catch and run from Benjamin Watson to get them into a goal to go situation. They went three and out, but a costly penalty allowed the Browns to get three more cracks at the end zone and they found the end zone two plays later to take the lead early in the second quarter.

After a lackluster offensive drive by the Chiefs, the Browns helped KC out by throwing an easy interception to Brandon Flowers, who took it 33 yards to the house to put the Chiefs back on top. That wouldn’t last long, however, as Cleveland scored a touchdown minutes later to go back ahead and lead 14-10.

This game had the look of what was going to be another offensive outing between the two teams, but that touchdown by Cleveland was the end of the fireworks from either side. The Browns missed a field goal right before half time and that proved pivotal, as the Chiefs were able to tack on two field goals and hold off the Browns to win it 16-10 and move to 2-0.

REMEMBER THAT GUY?

• Jake Delhomme was on the bench for the Browns due to injury, so it was Seneca Wallace up to bat at quarterback. Wallace went 16 of 31 for 229 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
• Former Chiefs linebacker Scott Fujita was on the Browns roster in this game and the broadcasters mentioned that Fujita evidently said the 2010 Browns reminded him of the 2006 Saints. That made me chuckle.
• Thomas Jones led both teams in rushing with 83 yards off of 22 carries.
• Tony Moeaki led the Chiefs in receiving yards with 58 off of five grabs.
• Wallace Gilberry had the lone sack on Wallace for some Wallace on Wallace crime.
• Peyton Hillis and Joshua Cribbs had the two touchdowns for the Browns.

The Chiefs squeaked out a win in Cleveland and it wasn’t necessarily a pretty win. The KC offense didn’t score a touchdown and while Matt Cassel performed better than he did the week prior (he went 16 of 28 for 176 yards and two interceptions against Cleveland), the passing game was an issue.

The rushing attack was much better, as noted above how well Jones performed. Jamaal Charles also did well, totaling 49 yards off of 11 carries. Speaking of run game, that’s how the Browns dominated Kansas City in 2009, but this time around – despite scoring two rushing touchdowns- the damage wasn’t anywhere close to as bad as it was last year. Jerome Harrison only had 33 yards on the ground while Hillis had 35.

Cribbs might have scored a long touchdown, but his two special teams touchdowns last year were far worse to witness. This time around, he was limited in the return game.

The Chiefs defense gave up several chunk plays in the first half and it cost them dearly. In the second half, however, they were able to limit the chunk plays and as a result, held the Browns scoreless. That, in turn, helped the good guys get off to their best start in five years.

This game wasn’t anything special, but it was a hell of a lot more fun to watch than the 2009 loss because the Kansas City Chiefs won the ball game this time. They were 2-0 while the Browns moved to 0-2.

Next up: 2010 Week 3 vs 49ers (0-2)