As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cleveland Brown in a thrilling (33-29) victory, arguably the best NFL game on opening weekend. Plenty expected KC to win Sunday’s game but the Brows shocked the audience after being able to hang with Patrick Mahomes and company. 

This game was telling in terms of what to expect from both teams this season. Here are four takeaways after the first game between the Chiefs and the Browns: 

Confirmed: They are still really good

Of course, Sunday’s game was another come from behind victory for the Chiefs — a trend that they seem to enjoy doing so much. For the seventh straight year, the Chiefs opened NFL weekend with a victory. 

KC trailed 22-10 at halftime because they couldn’t seem to stop the Brown’s efficient offense, but the former eventually turned it up in the second half. The defense intensity was all because of star defensive lineman Chris Jones who had two sacks and Juan Thornhill’s five tackles. 

While it’s unfair to make judgments in week one of the season, this game was another familiar story for the Chiefs, who always find a way to steal the win late in the game. People can argue that the Browns may have outplayed them but KC’s firepower was just hard to keep up with and the main reason why they’re contenders to win it all this season. 

The new offensive line is off to a good start

One of the main reasons why Kansas lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Super Bowl was because of their offense. And in the off season, that’s what the Chiefs made sure to retool in order to stay as contenders. 

True enough, the offensive line of the Chiefs composed of Mahomes, Orlando Brown Jr., (left tackle), Joe Thuney (left guard), Creed Humphrey (rookie center), Trey Smith (rookie right guard) and Lucas Nieng (rookie right tackle) came to play against the mighty strong pass rush from the Browns. 

Mahomes showed why he’s ranked the best player in the league

The reason why the Chiefs are often the favorites to win their games is because they have the best quarterback in the league. Mahomes played fantastic again, leading all quarterbacks in pass EPA (+20.0) throughout the afternoon window. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the former MVP has a 10-0 career record in September with 32 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He’s on track to keep that record flawless. 

It also helps that the quarterback is hungry and motivated after what happened in last season’s Super Bowl. Can he bounce back with this newly constructed roster? Odd bettors believe the Chiefs have what it takes. 

Do the Chiefs lack defensive firepower?

While there were a ton of positives to takeaway from the Chiefs' new offensive line, Kansas struggled on the defensive end. They had a difficult time stopping the Brows and struggled to run block. It's the reason why the Browns kept up with the Chiefs in the first place. Thankfully, Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce made up for it on offense for this game. But it's going to be interesting to see how the defense holds in the next following weeks.