- Ryan Succop kicked two second-half field goals to put the Chiefs in front, and Kansas City held on for a 16-14 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Succop connected on three field goals overall, while Brandon Flowers had an interception return for a touchdown for the Chiefs (2-0), who were coming off Monday night’s victory over San Diego. Kansas City has won its first two games for the first time since 2005.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel finished with 176 yards on 16-of-28 passing and was intercepted twice.
Seneca Wallace, starting in place of an injured Jake Delhomme, passed for 229 yards with a touchdown and was intercepted once. Joshua Cribbs had a 65-yard touchdown reception for the Browns (0-2), who had won their last three home games.
The Chiefs trailed by four at the break, but began the second half with the ball and advanced inside the 10. But after Jamaal Charles was tackled for a loss on a 3rd-and-1 from the six, Succop kicked a 26-yard field goal.
Neither team threatened for the rest of the quarter, and Kansas City moved in front thanks to a long drive in the fourth.
The Chiefs took over at their own 27 with 14:12 to play and got into Browns territory. Cassel’s 15-yard pass to Chris Chambers had Kansas City at the eight with a first-and-goal, but the visitors were unable to convert, and Succop’s 23-yarder made it a 16-14 Chiefs lead with 7:41 left.
Kansas City’s defense took over from there, forcing the Browns to punt on the next two possessions. On the first play after the two-minute warning, the Chiefs converted a 4th-and-1, then ran out the clock.
The Chiefs got on the scoreboard first, after Jerome Harrison fumbled in his own territory. Kansas City, though, couldn’t get a first down and Succop made his 35-yard attempt with a little under nine minutes left in the first.
Late in the first quarter, the Browns were pinned at their own two-yard line to start a possession, but managed to drive the distance for a score.
Cleveland had a few big plays along the way, including a screen pass to Harrison that went for 23 yards and got the ball near midfield. Then, on the last play of the quarter, Wallace found Ben Watson open in the middle of the field for a catch-and-run play of 44 yards.
Peyton Hillis capped the drive with a one-yard run, as he spun off the line and got across the goal line 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter. The 98-yard march was longer than any of Cleveland’s touchdown drives last season.
The Chiefs took the lead on the Browns’ next possession, as Flowers jumped inside Chansi Stuckey along the right sideline, made the interception and ran 33 yards into the end zone.
But the Browns countered quickly. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Wallace aired it out to Cribbs on a slant route toward the right hash. Cribbs had run past his defender, made the catch and escaped an ankle tackle on his way across the goal line on the 65-yard play.
The Browns intercepted Cassel on Kansas City’s next possession and again late in the half. They had a chance for points after the second one, but Phil Dawson’s 42-yard field goal was wide left, and Cleveland took the 14-10 lead into halftime.
Delhomme suffered an ankle injury in last week’s season-opening loss to Tampa Bay and did not practice during the week…In the last meeting between the teams, December 20 of last year, Harrison ran for a team-record 286 yards. However, on Sunday he was held to 33 yards on 16 carries. Hillis led the Browns with 35 rushing yards…Thomas Jones had 83 yards on the ground to pace the Chiefs.