The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs met in the AFC Divisional round of the 2020 playoffs. That means Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce got a first-hand look at the up-and-coming Browns team, and it’s safe to say he came away impressed.
Kelce attended Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game Saturday, and when asked about the Browns’ status as contenders, he was giving them plenty of respect.
“They’re definitely a contender, without a doubt,” Kelce said, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “It’s definitely there. Baker [Mayfield] and the gang have upped the ante, made this team an unbelievable team and a team you have to prepare for and take serious. I think that moving forward without a doubt, I can see a lot more playoff games between us, and I’ll just take it one day at a time and hope for it. I think the Browns and Chiefs are definitely neck and neck.”
Neck and neck may seem like a bit much, but it’s worth remembering the Browns pushed the Chiefs hard during their playoff game and only ended up losing by five. That was without Odell Beckham in the lineup, who is apparently looking great in preseason workouts.
The Chiefs look firmly entrenched among the AFC’s elite. That said, Kelce may be right. The Browns look to be on the rise, and they may challenge the Chiefs quite strongly for years to come.
