Dec
22
Written by:
LarryMac
12/22/2009 12:22 PM
Much like their earlier game against the Lions, the stage was set for a "showdown" between the of the NFL's worst teams as the 2-11 Cleveland Browns traveled to Kansas City to take on the 3-10 Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium's first non-sellout in 19 years. Most people expected little from either team and, like the earlier Lions game, most people were wrong.
A plodding first quarter saw the teams exchange field goals until Josh Cribbs returned a kickoff 100 yards for the game's first touchdown - setting the NFL mark for career kickoff return TDs in the process. An uneven Browns offense added another field goal in the second quarter, before the Chiefs rallied back with three straight touchdowns to seemingly blow the game open, 24-13. That lead was short-lived, however. After the third TD, Cribbs returned a second kickoff, this one 103 yards, for his second TD return of the game to pull the Browns within 24-20.
After watching Cribbs dominate the first half for the Browns, unheralded Jerome Harrison dominated the second, breaking off a 71 yard TD run up the gut of the Chiefs' defense to retake the lead for the Browns, 27-24. A second Harrison TD in the third staked the Browns to a 34-24 lead early in the quarter, but the Chiefs came back to tie the game at 34. In the waning minutes of regulation play, with the Browns driving down the field, Harrison broke off another TD run, this one 28 yards to give them a 41-34 lead with 44 seconds left, capping an historic day for him - as well as Cribbs - and a second straight win for the Browns.
The Good: Josh Cribbs finished the game with over 300 yards on kick returns, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and became the NFL's all-time career leader in kickoff TD returns and was a footnote. Jerome Harrison gashed the Chiefs for a Browns' franchise record 286 yards and three touchdowns - shattering the old mark held by none other than Jim Brown. The performance was the third highest single-game total in NFL history.
The Bad: The Cleveland defense that played so well in the win over Pittsburgh wasn't here for this game. The woeful Chiefs scored 35 points and racked up nearly 500 total yards despite nine dropped passes by Chief receivers. Matt Cassel had his first 300+ yard game as a Chief, dissecting the Browns' secondary for 331 despite only completing 55% of his passes.
The Ugly: Brady Quinn ended his streak of passes without an interception, turning it over twice, while passing for a scant 66 yards. He did add 39 rushing yards on nine carries, but is now out for the season's last games with a foot injury.
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