FirstStopFantasy: CLEVELAND BROWNS MISS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO HAND FIRST LOSS TO UNDEFEATED KANSAS CITY

by Hal Bent - FirstStopFantasy.com NFL Writer - October 29, 2013

The Cleveland Browns knew that beating a 7-0 team on the road in one of the toughest environments for an opposing team would be difficult, especially coming off a tough loss to the NFC North powerhouse Green Bay Packers.  However, the Browns gave a tough sixty minutes to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Browns fell in a hole early as the Chiefs led 13-0 and 20-7 at times in the first half, a tough position to be in with the Chiefs strong defense and ball control offense.  However, with quarterback Jason Campbell providing a steady hand at quarterback after the rollercoaster of Brandon Weeden behind center, the Browns were able to stay in the game and let their defense keep them in the game in second half.

While Browns quarterback Jason Campbell was not being confused with Peyton Manning, he did cut down on the stupid mistakes that seemed to be a staple of Weeden. Sure, there was a terrible almost interception at the end of the first half in the end zone on third down with less than thirty seconds to go in the first half (Kansas City cornerback Sean Smith should have picked it off). Campbell finished 22 for 36 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns against the best defense in the AFC.

While the rushing game again was near invisible with veteran running back Willis McGahee grinding out only 28 yards on nine carries against the stout Kansas City front seven. Again the offense went through young stars wide receiver Josh Gordon and tight end Jordan Cameron. The two dynamic receivers accounted for two-thirds of the receiving yards for the team.

One not very shining star was Cleveland slot receiver Davone Bess who had a number of drops in the passing game. The third drop of the game was also the costliest drop. It occurred late in the game on fourth down with less than four minutes to play that effectively ended the game.  With a fumbled punt thrown in for good measure while filling in for an injured Travis Benjamin, Bess had probably his worst game at the worst time in Cleveland this year.

Most encouraging in the second half was the turnaround by the Browns defense....CLICK HERE FOR MUCH MORE: http://firststopfantasy.com/nfl-teams/cleveland-browns/cleveland-browns-miss-golden-opportunity-to-hand-first-loss-to-undefeated-kansas-city/