3 bad Kevin Stefanski decisions that cost Browns trip to AFC Championship

Kevin Stefanski is a tremendous coach, but he had a rough performance in Arrowhead.

Stefanski is in line to win Coach of the Year for a reason, leading the Browns to the brink of the AFC Championship game. The Browns were five points shy of a huge upset in Kansas City, but fell short thanks to some curious decisions throughout the game.

The Browns had a great opportunity, with Patrick Mahomes unfortunately being knocked out of the game due to a concussion in the second half. While Cleveland did make the game closer, they failed to complete the comeback. In such a tight contest, every decision will be diagnosed for better or worse. In Stefanski’s case, the tape won’t be kind.

Stefanski made three awful calls in particular that cost the team mightily

Deferring on opening kickoff

Why not give the most explosive offense in football the ball to start the game? It’s not like Cleveland is a team that lives and breathes by its defense. Rather, the Browns have an established offensive attack thanks to a strong run game and the stable play of Baker Mayfield. Instead, Stefanski instructed his captains to give the Chiefs the ball first, and limited his first half possessions in the process.

The Chiefs scored on that possession, marching right down the field and cashing in on what would be a theme in the first half — the Kansas City offense overwhelming a Cleveland defense.

As always, such a decision evens out. And analytics suggests deferring is a smart decision as the Browns were able to double-dip to finish the first half and start the second. However, given the team Cleveland was playing AND their underdog status in a tough road environment, making an early statement would’ve greatly benefitted them.

Not going for two when the situation called for it

Thanks to a couple of missed Harrison Butker kicks, the Browns had a chance to narrow their deficit to one possession near the end of the third quarter, but instead kicked the extra point. Basic math would suggest this was the wrong call, and I’m with the arithmetic.

Kicking the extra point put the Browns in the same position they were in before driving all the way down the field and scoring an emphatic touchdown. I’ll admit to not knowing the thought process behind Stefanski’s decision here, and thus I won’t put words in his mouth. Perhaps there was an adequate reason for ignoring the math. On the surface, though, it looks like a complete oversight on his part — a man who is supposed to embrace this sort of decision-making with intellect. That wasn’t the case on Sunday afternoon.

Clock and timeout management

I’m summing up a lot of brutal choices with one category. Stefanski was forced to use several second half timeouts that he surely wished he could’ve had back late in the game. One, of course, was blatantly his fault as Stefanski challenged a supposed Tyreek Hill catch, which was confirmed by replay review. While the catch did give the Chiefs a vital first down at the time, there was never really a question as to if it was a reception. Replay showed just that, and the Browns were down another timeout.

Shortly thereafter, when the Browns were driving, Stefanski chose to punt the football when Cleveland had a chance to take the lead, thinking his defense would step up in a major moment. Needless to say, that did not happen, and the choice looks worse at the end of play.

Stefanski is a brilliant football mind, but sometimes a rookie coach needs to experience this sort of failure to be ready the next time duty calls with a postseason victory on the line. Next time, expect the potential 2020 Coach of the Year to react differently, leading the Browns exactly where he promised to take them.