Browns upset KC coach pushed Cleveland safety

The Browns have themselves to blame for letting Kansas City off the hook, and they know it.

After a dream first half, they stumbled to a 33-29 loss behind a nightmare sequence including:

• A Nick Chubb fumble.

• A whiffed block that got Baker Mayfield hammer-sacked.

• A 75-yard Chiefs touchdown moments after a Browns TD provided a 2920 fourth-quarter lead.

• A third-down underthrow to David Njoku followed by punter Jamie Gillan’s drop of a snap.

• An interception that erased a plausible chance to win at the wire.

On the flip side, the Browns think the Chiefs got away with a big one.

Starting safety Ronnie Harrison got kicked out of the game in the opening moments after an 11-yard catch by running back Clyde Edwards-helaire. The play ended near fifth-year Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis.

Lewis, a 41-year-old former NFL receiver, pushed Harrison but didn’t knock him back very far. Harrison pushed back, sending Lewis into a dramatic backpedal.

Browns center JC Tretter, president of the NFL Players Association, used livid language Monday in assessing the sequence.

“Obviously, Ronnie’s going to get called for that,” Tretter said, “but we can’t have opposing coaches putting their hands on opposing players. We can’t have that.

“We’ve seen rules be changed. I think a few years ago, we had an incident with the Bengals and Steelers, which led to coaches not being allowed on the field during injuries because something like this happened.

“It ramped everybody up, and we had a few nasty plays because of it. The NFL’S whole stance behind this change in the taunting rule was to avoid retaliation and avoid events that caused retaliation, so I expect that the coach gets held to the same standard, if not a higher standard, than Ronnie, being the first one in.

“Being a coach, putting his hands on an opposing player, I don’t think there’s any room for that in this league.”

The Chiefs’ coach seemed to go after the Browns’ player, perhaps thinking Harrison stomped Edwards-helaire. Stefanski said no stomping took place.

REED HOFFMANN/AP Browns center JC Tretter (right) suggested the NFL may need to consider changes after Kansas City running backs coach Greg Lewis played a role in a sideline skirmish Sunday.