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Browns (12-5) at Chiefs (14-2)
LINE: KANSAS CITY by 10
Suddenly, the Browns are a hot ticket for bettors. According to sources that track betting information, it is Cleveland receiving the majority of wagers placed on this contest. It seems that a lot of weight is being put on last week’s 48-37 win over Pittsburgh. While it is a huge monkey off of Cleveland’s back, having won a playoff game for the first time in a quarter-century, it was against a team that was reeling in the final quarter of the season and one that offered up five turnovers to their division rival. The same won’t happen here. Kansas City is well-rested after sitting a bunch of front liners in a meaningless Week 17 of the regular season and then having last week off as the AFC’s top seed. Now, the defending Super Bowl champs return to the field with added time to study the 22nd ranked pass defence in the NFL. Somewhat surprisingly, Cleveland ranked even lower with its passing game when placing 24th overall. Should the Browns fall behind, as most expect they will, their strong running tandem of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb is suddenly negated. We also can’t ignore that the Browns were -11 in point differential this season while the Chiefs were +111. Reigning MVP, Patrick Mahomes threw for 4,740 yards, 38 touchdowns and just six interceptions this season when guiding the league’s top offence in both yardage and passing yards. The Chiefs also expected elusive rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire back in action after missing a couple of weeks with an ankle injury. A big number, yes. But a big discrepancy in capability as well.
TAKING: CHIEFS –10
