Two rebuilding franchises will meet when the Browns host the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City opened up their new stadium with a huge win over the San Diego Chargers. Meanwhile, the Browns opened a new era with an ugly loss against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will be played in Cleveland, where the rabid Browns fans could give them an edge. The Browns lead the all time series 10-9-2. Cleveland won a 41-34 thriller in Kansas City last season.
The Chiefs beat the Chargers using a lot of defensive and offensive speed. Quarterback Matt Cassel struggled, completing just 10 of 22 passes for 68 yards. They maximized the efforts of Jamaal Charles however, who ran for 92 yards on just 11 carries. Kansas City also got a 94 yard punt return from rookie Dexter McCluster. The defense surrendered a lot of yards to the Chargers, but did force a key turnover in the game. San Diego was unable to score despite several chances. It was the first Monday night game in Kansas City in six years, and they made the most of it.
Meanwhile, the Browns blew a 14-3 lead in Tampa Bay. A fourth quarter touchdown gave the Bucs a 17-14 lead that held up. New quarterback Jake Delhomme was erratic. He completed 20 of 37 passes but also threw two interceptions, a problem that plagued him recently in Carolina. The Cleveland running game was serviceable but underused. Meanwhile the defense played decent against a weak Tampa Bay offense, but bent in key parts of the game.
The Chiefs have some concerns on the injury front. Tyson Jackson was injured in Monday's game and is questionable for Week 2. Tamba Hali was probably for Monday and did play. He is expected to play in this game as well. For Cleveland, Shaun Rogers saw limited action against Tampa Bay and remains probably for Week 2. Delhomme is also probable after suffering an ankle injury against Tampa Bay.
These are young teams. The Chiefs have new coordinators in former Patriots staff members Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennell. The defense was strong against San Diego, but Weiss will need to use some better play calling to get more from Charles and Cassel. Still, the Chiefs looked strong and energetic against San Diego. Meanwhile, Cleveland stumbled against Tampa Bay. After winning their last four games last season and welcome Mike Holmgren as team President this year, the Browns had hoped for a strong start. Now they face a potential 0-2 record after two games against bad teams last season. If Delhomme can't regain some of his old form, he could be in for a tough day against the much improved Kansas City defense. The Browns will rely on the home field edge and hope that they are able to harass Cassel in to turning the ball over. If Cleveland can get pressure from the defensive line, they will have a good chance to grab the victory.
