Browns safety says season opener versus Kansas City Chiefs will have ‘vindictive vibe’
The Cleveland Browns will be facing the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in consecutive games. They’re just separated by eight months.
The Browns lost 22-17 to the Chiefs in an AFC Divisional playoff game in January, and those teams will open the 2021 season on Sunday, Sept. 12.
Browns safety John Johnson III didn’t play in the postseason game because he was with the L.A. Chargers last season.
But Johnson told reporters he made a point of watching film of the Browns-Chiefs playoff game after signing as a free agent with Cleveland.
“When I first signed and I got my iPad, that was the first thing I looked at, was that game. I just wanted to see what went wrong, and it was a close game so it’s not like we were far off. It was just a few more things. Those discipline plays can really hurt you in the NFL”
Johnson was asked about the 5-yard pass from backup quarterback Chad Henne to Tyreek Hill that gained a first down and clinched the Chiefs’ victory.
“No, that wasn’t an unstoppable play,” he said. “It was kind of like a tough play to stop, but it’s definitely stoppable, and I think that type of play, you’ve just got to see it coming. When Tyreek goes in motion and he’s in a position where he can beat you to the flat.
“Especially that down and distance, that’s just something you have to alert the whole defense before it happens.”
Although he didn’t leave Arrowhead Stadium in January after a playoff loss, Johnson said the Browns will have extra incentive for the season opener. He called it a “vindictive vibe.”
“That’s the last one from last year, it’s going to be the first one from this year so there’s definitely a little, it’s a vindictive vibe, you know?” Johnson said. “We definitely want to get back at those guys but I always want to win the opener regardless of who it is, so that’s what we’ve got to go out there and do.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 10:43 AM.
