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While attending Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game over the weekend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and Cleveland native) Travis Kelce made headlines by saying the Browns would be “neck and neck” with the Chiefs in 2021.
Kelce’s remarks prompted a discussion on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Monday, where co-host Peter Schrager (who is a well-known Chiefs booster) said that Kelce was right.
Travis Kelce said the Chiefs and Browns are “neck and neck” in the AFC.
— GMFB (@gmfb) June 14, 2021
Many have scoffed.@PSchrags says he’s “spot on” and the @Browns are more than just contenders; they’re a legit threat to the two-time defending conference champions. pic.twitter.com/qHBpQLd2MF
“There is no flaw in this Browns team,” said Schrager. “It’s not the Browns circus from years ago. Suddenly, they’re as well-rounded a squad as it comes.”
Schrager said that in his view, the team’s excellence starts at the top with head coach Kevin Stefanski, who rejects the old-school approach.
“It’s a 38-year-old coach who says, ‘Let’s respect each other.’ I like the fact that these guys all showed up for Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game.”
Schrager also said that to stay competitive with the Chiefs, Cleveland needs defense — and that in the offseason, they have done a good job improving that side of the ball. But he said that’s not all the Browns have going for them.
“I feel like the Browns are as loaded a team right now — with the Coach of the Year and with some of the most fiery offensive players in the entire league — they can go right up against it with the Chiefs.”
After noting that last year’s Browns team had taken it “right to the wire” in their Divisional Round game against the Chiefs, Schrager went all-in.
“These two teams might be my picks for the AFC Championship round,” he declared.
Whether Kelce and Schrager are right remains to be seen — but we won’t have to wait long to find out. The two teams will open the season against each other at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, September 12.