The Cleveland Browns can play spoilers to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ lofty 2021 goal.
He has his eye on an unprecedented perfect season of 20-0.
The closest to attain this goal would be the 1972 Miami Dolphins who finished 17-0; a 14 game regular season was the norm in those days.
.@PatrickMahomes wants to make history next season going 20-0 🔥
From B/R x @CoorsLight #madetochill @15andMahomies pic.twitter.com/7PafymYp7j
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2021
Browns Want To Give Chiefs First Loss Since Super Bowl
Though the Chiefs playing at home in Arrowhead will be the odds-on favorites, the Browns are capable of pulling off the upset.
They were very competitive in the AFC divisional playoff in January.
Chad Henne‘s improbable 4th down pass sealed the deal for the Chiefs against a Browns defense that is not as strong as it will be in 2021.
Browns vs. Chiefs, week 1 – the Chad Henne Bowl. pic.twitter.com/1Nq1HxkSia
— Chiefs Daily (@chiefsdaily15) May 12, 2021
Chiefs Have Improved Also
The Chiefs addressed issues on its roster in the 2021 offseason, namely the offensive line.
Keeping Patrick Mahomes protected and upright last year was not as seamless as the Chiefs prefer so a revamped Chiefs o-line will meet up with an improved Browns defense in Week 1.
The Chiefs offensive line week one will not be the same as it was in the SB. They also have a full pre season to gel. They will be fine. With that said I do think Cleveland, Buffalo and Miami are also much improved
— Scott Frankel (@scottfrankel13) May 31, 2021
Unlikely Chiefs Will Go 20-0
Nothing is impossible, but let’s just say a 20-0 run by an NFL team in a newly expanded 17 game regular season seems like a tall order.
The 2020 Steelers jumped out to an 11-0 record only to fizzle out at the end of the season and lose to the Browns in the wildcard playoff round.
Perfection was close for the 2007 New England Patriots who went undefeated in the regular season to finish 16-0.
The Patriots won two playoff games before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.
https://twitter.com/Red_Choice/status/815447672261869568
They finished 18-1.
1972 Dolphins
The surviving players from this incredible team are protective of their record and legacy.
Cheers to the @NFL’s only undefeated team. pic.twitter.com/nCWyauUNUu
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 22, 2019
Their record will likely never be touched, but if it is, it will still be one of the most impressive in professional sports.
Long before the NFL officials called roughing the quarterback and pass interference penalties diligently, these players were physically beaten up until the end of the season.
There were no bye weeks during the regular season to sneak in recovery time.
Stay tuned this fall to see how the Chiefs fare now that Mahomes has laid down the gauntlet for the team’s 2021 goal.
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