The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Browns defense sets sights on Mahomes
The Browns took down one legend last week when they intercepted four of Ben Roethlisberger’s passes, maybe even made him contemplate retirement rather than put battered body through an 18th season, while knocking Pittsburgh Steelers out of the playoffs.
The job gets tougher Jan. 17 when the Browns try to capture Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in their net in a divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. He is 13 years younger than Roethlisberger and already has one NFL MVP and one Super Bowl MVP on his resume.
Mahomes was 14-1 as a starter in 2020. He threw 38 touchdown passes and six interceptions, but his skills go far beyond numbers on a stat sheet. He baffles defenses with his unorthodox delivery of the ball from different arm angles unlike any quarterback the Browns have faced this season.
“He is unbelievable,” Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. “He’s definitely one of the top quarterbacks in the league, obviously by what he’s done. He has the arm strength to make all of the
throws. He sees it all. He’s mobile in the pocket.
“Whether he’s moving to his right or left, he can make accurate throws and crazy throws and have success. We have to be at our best with our rush plan, just in terms of trying to keep him in the pocket and effecting his ability to
throw the ball on time.”
The best way to defend Mahomes could be to keep him on the sideline with long, clock-grinding drives. The Browns have the horses to do that with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
The problem with that theory should those timeconsuming drives stall
without scoring is playing catch-up with the potent Kansas City offense can be very difficult. The Chiefs, with a 149-117 scoring advantage in the second quarter and a 91-28 edge in the third usually have the game salted away by the fourth quarter.
“You don’t want to play
the clock game early,” Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “We just have to do a better job of scoring in the red zone. That’s something that we’ve been good at all year, but we kind of had a lull there in the second half (against the Steelers) and had (two) field goals instead of touchdowns.
“We want to be more efficient down there when it comes to touchdowns and also just staying on the field and third down percentage. That’ll keep us on the field. It’s just us doing the things we’ve been trying to emphasize.”
The Browns were eighth in the NFL with a thirddown conversion rate of 44.76 percent. The Chiefs were third with a 48.97 success rate.
The Browns beat the Steelers because they intercepted those four passes from Roethlsberger. Mahomes attempted 588 passes in the regular season and was picked off only six times — roughly one interception per 100 attempts.
“Plaster the receiver you’re covering,” Woods said. “Whether you’re in man or if you’re in zone, plaster the receiver in your area. When you play mobile quarterbacks, especially Mahomes, you have to be on top of that.”
Nobody outside the Browns locker room could have predicted the Browns would do what they did to Roethlisbeger. The defense wants to write another chapter in this storybook season.