Kansas City Chiefs Earn Playoff Berth In Week 16

Had Mike Pettine not needlessly wasted a timeout on the final offensive possession for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cleveland Browns certainly would’ve had a better chance at finishing a final drive with a touchdown to pull a Week 16 upset.

Even if the result was all too familiar.

Pettine said he is aware of a new video of Manziel that surfaced on social media over the weekend. There’s no substitute for this. It’s one of those, you look at the scoreboard, you lost.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, but their offense became listless over the final two quarters, just as Manziel was pumping some life into the Browns (3-12).

The former Heisman Trophy victor led Cleveland (3-12) to 10 straight points, then took over at his 30 with 1:52 left and no timeouts.

“I just think if you look at our youth and also just the offensive system that Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) has put in and I think the guys have really bought in to; the production we’ve gotten from the quarterback room; I think the change in emphasis as the year evolved”, he said. “Regardless of what our record is, where we are in the season, it sucks not to win, especially when our coach and the other 10 guys put us in a position to try to get us in the end zone there at the end”. “But credit to him, I think it shows how smart he is besides the talent he has”.

Manziel, an embattled second-year pro, was wildly inaccurate, completing only 13 of 32 passes for 136 yards, but he rushed 11 times for 108 yards. An AFC West title isn’t out of the question, although a lot is riding on what happens tonight on Monday Night Football with the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Despite a 1-5 start and despite losing star RB Jamaal Charles, Reid has led his Chiefs to nine straight wins and for the second time in three seasons, they’re headed to the postseason. And it’s something that, with all of our players, we’re going to sit down with them before they get out of here and talk about where they are personally, where they are professionally.

The Chiefs set this game up for cruise control after the half. But after a punt _ and a Browns three-and-out _ and the Chiefs finally got on the board again, thanks in large part to Alex Smith, who bounced back nicely from his earlier interception.

Kansas City added a field goal moments later for a 10-0 lead.

Smith was by far the highlight offensively, as not only did he masterfully thread the needle on two touchdown passes, but also was the Chiefs leading rusher going for 54 yards on six carries. His next pass was intercepted by cornerback Marcus Peters – his team-high eighth of the season, which tied Bobby Hunt (1962) for the rookie record – and returned all the way to the Browns’ 29-yard line.

Manziel only got his job back after Josh McCown broke his collarbone. Williams has struggled since being thrust into the top corner spot with Joe Haden missing most of the year but he was not the sole reason the Browns defense struggled defensively in Kansas City today.

The Chiefs notched only 58 yards in 14 plays and three first downs, and eight of those plays were runs – an apparent attempt to take advantage of the second-to-worst run defense in the league.

They scored first, courtesy of an 11-play, 65-yard drive that lasted more than 7 minutes.