Browns vs Chiefs Predictions Week 1 - NFL Pick of the Day
We are oh-so close to NFL football gracing our television screens on Sundays every week until February.
In the first week of the regular season, there are a handful of intriguing games, including the matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs. This game will be a rematch of the AFC Divisional Round from a season ago, where the Chiefs edged out the Browns at Arrowhead Stadium, 22-17.
While we wait anxiously for meaningful games to begin in the NFL, it’s never too early to begin placing wagers on Week 1 contests.
Let’s take a closer look at the Week 1 matchup between the Browns and Chiefs on September 12 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs Prediction
Entering the 2021 season, the Chiefs will be looking to put their loss in the Super Bowl behind them. Kansas City has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, defeating the San Francisco 49ers and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the two appearances.
As long as Patrick Mahomes is operating the offense for the Chiefs, there’s no reason to believe they won’t be vying for a spot in the Super Bowl for years to come.
Andy Reid remains the head coach in Kansas City, and he’ll continue to be the mastermind behind the play-calling for the high-octane offense. Steve Spagnuolo enters his third year as the defensive coordinator of the Chiefs after helping them surrender the 10th-fewest points in the NFL.
For Mahomes, he’ll have the dynamic duo of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to target, along with a revamped offensive line that now features Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Orlando Brown Jr.
On the other side of the field, the Browns are entering year two of Kevin Stefanski’s time as head coach of the organization.
His first season with the franchise was a massive success, leading Cleveland to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season. It was the Chiefs who sent the Browns home a season ago in the second round of the postseason.
The offense of the Browns is headed by their two-man rushing attack of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who get to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Baker Mayfield began to look comfortable in Stefanski’s offense as the 2020 season rolled along, and he should continue to show growth with another offseason in the system. Odell Beckham Jr. makes his return from a torn ACL and Jarvis Landry is slated to operate as a consistent source of production in the slot.
Prediction: Cleveland Browns 27, Kansas City Chiefs 31
Can Baker Mayfield lead his Cleveland Browns to an upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the NFL season?
Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs Best Bets
Best Bet: Browns +6 (-110 at BetMGM)
Make no mistake about it, the Chiefs still boast one of the best offenses in the NFL. Stopping Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill is far from an easy task for any defense.
But the Browns do have an up-and-coming defense that added John Johnson III and Troy Hill to their secondary during the offseason, and rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a player that could be given the responsibility of covering Kelce in certain situations given his skillset.
The Browns also have an offense that can run the ball effectively and keep the ball away from Mahomes. At the same time, Cleveland showed the potential of being an offense that can keep up in games that turn into shootouts last season, which is reflected in the NFL gameday odds.
Not to mention, Kansas City’s new-look offensive front will be tested early with the pass-rushing duo of Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.
All that being said, while I believe Kansas City will walk away with the victory at home in Week 1, the Browns will keep it closer than most expect, proving they can hang with the elite teams in the NFL.
Best Bet: Over 54.5 points (-110 at BetMGM)
Seeing that I predicted the score of 31-27 in favor of the Chiefs, I’m taking the over 54.5 in this matchup.
Barring any unforeseen developments, Kansas City should be one of the best scoring offenses in the league again in 2021. Amid their run to their second straight Super Bowl in 2020, the Chiefs scored 29.6 points per game, which was the sixth-most in the NFL.
I’m fairly confident that we can get 30+ points from Kansas City, so we just need Cleveland to get us over. Even though they don’t have the flashy plays that the Chiefs have, the Browns still notched a modest 25.5 points per game in 2020, good enough for No. 14 in the NFL.
In what is an anticipated showdown in Week 1, we could very well get a shootout between the Chiefs and the Browns, especially with the weather being nice in Kansas City in early September.
Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs Same Game Parlay Picks
At the time of publishing, sportsbooks have yet to release any player props for Week 1 — and understandably so. So when putting together a same game parlay, you are currently extremely limited on what you can conjure up.
However, with me taking the Browns +6 and the over of 54.5 points, you can combine both of them for (+190) odds on BetMGM.
- Cleveland Browns +6 (-110) at BetMGM
- Point Total: Over 54.5 Points (-110) at BetMGM
Whenever sportsbooks do happen to release player props for Week 1, I may add more to the Same Game Parlay for the contest between the Browns and Chiefs, so stay tuned!
