“I think the Browns and Chiefs are definitely neck and neck.”: Travis Kelce thinks that the Cleveland contenders could be real contenders for the Chiefs in 2021.

The Chiefs have ruled the AFC for the past 2 seasons, and don’t seem to be stopping their dominance anytime soon. But the Cleveland Browns are right on their heels. And Travis Kelce isn’t downplaying their emergence either.

The Browns have been one of the worst teams in the entirety of the NFL since the start of the millennium. But after a long stretch of disappointing their fan base, Baker Mayfield and the Browns finally led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. However, the team fell short against the Chiefs in the divisional round.

The Cleveland Browns fell short in the playoffs last season. But after an offseason that saw the team make a ton of great moves and drafting well, they could be the Chiefs’ biggest rival in 2021.

Travis Kelce has high praise for the Cleveland Browns.

Travis Kelce had a ton of praise for the AFC rivals.

“They’re definitely a contender, without a doubt,” Chiefs All-Pro tight end and Cleveland Heights native Travis Kelce said of the Browns. “It’s definitely there. Baker [Mayfield] and the gang have upped the ante, made this team an unbelievable team and a team you have to prepare for and take serious. I think that moving forward without a doubt, I can see a lot more playoff games between us, and I’ll just take it one day at a time and hope for it. I think the Browns and Chiefs are definitely neck and neck.”

Travis Kelce could also be coming from a little biased angle considering he is a Cleveland native. But the Browns did have one of, if not the best offseason in the league.

The Browns’ biggest need heading into the 2021 season was to address their defensive woes. They brought in safety John Johnson III and CB Troy Hill to add to Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit in the secondary. Jadeweon Clowney also signed with the Browns to play alongside Myles Garrett. And then GM Andrew Berry drafted Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who could very well be the steal of the draft.

The Chiefs will still be the favorites in the AFC next season. The team is loaded and has experience playing with each other. But if the Browns make another leap forward, the dominance of the Chiefs could be coming to an end.

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