Ice cold off of two losses to Detroit at home and Green Bay on the road, the Cleveland Browns head to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. The Chiefs are undefeated and perhaps, the most complete and talented football team the Browns will face this season. This team is stacked across the board and here is a breakdown of what Cleveland will be facing.
The Chiefs made two huge moves in the off-season that has instantly turned the team around. Kansas City signed savvy veteran quarterback, Alex Smith and brought in head coach Andy Reid. The two have found instant success and are undefeated in 2013 with a 7-0 record.
Finally healthy, Jamaal Charles is the ultimate speedster type running back. Ranked third in the league in rushing with 561 yards, Charles has eight touchdowns on the season. Despite the Chiefs having Dwayne Bowe, Charles also leads the team in receptions with 36 receptions for 337 yards.
While you would think Bowe would be Smith’s biggest threat, he isn’t. Veteran receiver, Donnie Avery is leading the receiving corps in yardage for the Chiefs. While Avery has only 21 catches for 343 yards and a touchdown,it is his average yards per catch of 16.3 that is impressive. Among players with at least 20 receptions, Avery is in the top ten in that category.
With Bowe’s large frame and size, he can be a difficult match up for defenders. Through seven games, Bowe has only 25 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Bowe is off to a slow start to say the least. Because Smith loves to spread the ball out to a number of different players might be the reason.
The Chiefs defense fires on all eight cylinders. Not only do they lead the NFL with 35 sacks, the Chiefs have 10 more sacks than the Baltimore Ravens, who rank second. One huge reason is outside linebacker, Justin Houston. Second in the NFL in sacks, Houston is a freak of nature this season. The other reason is Tamba Hali and Dontari Poe. Already with nine sacks on the year, Hali is wrecking ball that has also forced four fumbles this season. As a true nose tackle, Poe has 4.5 sacks this season. Derrick Johnson is the other stud linebacker that is consistent year in-and-year out.
The defense as a whole gives up just 304 yards per game of total offense. They rank in the top five of the main defensive categories, including interceptions with 11. Cornerback, Quintin Demps has three of them. All-Pro safety, Eric Berry is one of the best in the business at his position. Berry is a physical and smart player that is never out of position to make a play. While his stats don’t show much this season, Berry is still the heart of the defense.
On special teams, the Chiefs are above-average. Kicker, Ryan Succop has scored 54 points and made 12 of his 14 field goal attempts. One of the average punters in the league, Dustin Colquitt averages 43.2 yards per punt. Demps and Dexter McCluster handle kick and punt return duties. Demps has a respectable 33 yard average every time he brings the ball out on kick returns, while McCluster has a 11.3 yard return average on punts.
Ryan Ruiz is the Cleveland Browns Beat Writer for The Inscriber: Digital Magazine. You can follow him on Facebook: Ryan (BrownsWriter) Ruiz and Twitter @ryanpruiz24. Ryan is also a Browns correspondent for The Sportsfix. Tune in every Friday at noon on www.thesportsfix.net. Email Ryan at [email protected]
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