Chiefs vs. Browns, Preseason Week 3 Preview

The Chiefs return to Arrowhead this Saturday to take on the Cleveland Browns in their final preseason contest.

Finally, preseason is almost over and we can get started with meaningful football.

The Kansas City Chiefs close the preseason with a Week 3 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Game time is set for noon CT, with the game televised on NFL Network and local TV affiliates.

Almost all sportsbooks have the Chiefs favored as 3.5-point favorites against the Browns, following the Chiefs’ 38-10 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals. Chiefs coach Andy Reid noted that starters may get “a little bit of time,” while the twos and threes will receive the majority of snaps.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski also plans to play starters on Saturday — about 20-25 snaps.

Chiefs injury report

Chiefs offensive lineman Nick Allegretti (shoulder), defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (toe), cornerback Nic Jones (hand), defensive end George Karlaftis (illness), receiver Nikko Remigio (shoulder), CB L’Jarius Sneed (knee) and WR Kadarius Toney (knee) all missed Wednesday’s practice, so it seems doubtful that they’ll participate in Saturday’s matchup.

DT Chris Jones is expected to continue his holdout, so he will likely not appear in this game. Coach Reid noted that running back Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) and DT Tershawn Wharton (knee) could play after missing the first two preseason games.

Browns injury report

There’s no official injury report out of Cleveland, but players like offensive tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), safety Grant Delpit (arm), RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) and DE Myles Garrett (foot) have all dealt with recent injuries, so their status is up in the air.

Chiefs key players to watch in preseason Week 3

We mentioned that “meaningful football” is yet to come, but preseason is still meaningful for guys trying to earn a spot on the roster or earn more playing time in the regular season. Here are a few players to watch that fit one of those categories.

QB Shane Buechele

Preseason Week 1 was up and down for the Chiefs’ third-string quarterback, but Week 2 was a good showing overall. Buechele received work with the twos last week, leading some to speculate whether there’s a backup QB competition between him and Blaine Gabbert.

I think it’s more likely that the Chiefs are trying to get a good look at Buechele’s progress to see whether it’s worth keeping him on the 53-man roster or risking a practice squad stash only for him to be plucked by another team. If Buechele has another good game on Saturday, the Chiefs should opt to keep him on the squad.

RB Deneric Prince

It’s been a curious case for Prince this summer. He came into camp with tons of hype, impressing the coaches and leading some to believe that he’d take over the Chiefs’ No. 2 RB role. Now he’s suddenly been relegated to No. 5 behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire and La'Mical Perine.

Maybe Prince fell out of favor with the coaches, but Reid recently hinted that Prince may have fallen off due to being gassed from his sizable workload in training camp. Whatever the case may be, this weekend seems like Prince’s last opportunity to prove he belongs on the 53.

WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Just when we thought the Chiefs’ receiver battle couldn’t get more interesting, Smith-Marsette went out and had himself a day against Arizona. Four catches, 92 yards and a touchdown — he looked tremendous and proved that he probably belongs on somebody’s 53-man roster.

The bad news is that it may not be the Chiefs’ roster due to a crowded room. But remember, these guys aren’t just competing for spots on their current team — they’re auditioning for other squads as well.

OT Lucas Niang

Niang hasn’t allowed any pressures this preseason, but his run blocking has been suspect and he hasn’t looked better than fellow tackle Prince Tega Wanogho. The Chiefs will keep Wanogho and Wanya Morris, which means Niang could be the odd man out. That is, of course, unless he impresses this weekend.

Entire defensive line

I wanted to stick to two or three players here, but there is so much competition on the Chiefs’ defensive line that “all of them” is the correct answer of whom to watch. Guys like Daniel Wise, Danny Shelton, Malik Herring, Joshua Kaindoh, B.J. Thompson and more are fighting for one or two spots left on the line.

My guess is Herring and Thompson make it, but a superb showing from the others could make this decision difficult for the coaches.

CBs Dicaprio Bootle, Ekow Boye-Doe, Kahlef Hailassie

Okay, your locks at cornerback are Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams. That leaves one, maybe two spots left. Nic Jones probably gets one, but with his current injury he could miss time. With that, even if there are two spots left, who takes them between these three?

Other options exist, but these are the three corners who really stick out. Hailassie has had a tremendous preseason and is probably the pick, but Bootle has experience on these guys, and Boye-Doe looks good as well.

Chiefs-Browns matchup history

In the regular season, the Chiefs have never lost to Cleveland during the Reid era. Reid holds a 5-0 record against the Browns with K.C., including one postseason victory. Overall, the Chiefs are 15-11-2 against the Browns dating back to 1971.

Chiefs-Browns prediction, picks

Both squads will only play starters for a short time, so this game could go any which way. Naturally I’ll take the Chiefs 30-28 because, well, homerism, but the Browns could stay in it with several talented back-end roster guys of their own. On Cleveland’s side, keep an eye on WRs Austin Watkins Jr. and Cedric Tillman, and DT Isaiah McGuire.