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The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs meet in Week 1 in what many see as a potential preview of the AFC Championship. However, both teams will be without key players at the 4:25 p.m. ET kick-off. Cleveland has ruled out wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., while Kansas City will be without safety Tyrann Mathieu and defensive end Frank Clark.
Beckham suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2020 season in Week 7 against the Bengals. Although he considered his rehabilitation at various times, the Browns were careful with him during training camp and chose to err on the side of caution. Beckham had been listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, but the decision was made during warm-ups to keep him away.
The LSU product had 23 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdowns in his second season with the Browns before the injury. In his absence, Cleveland is likely to transform a wide receiver combination led by Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and Anthony Schwartz.
At the start of a contract year, Mathieu had missed training all week on the reserve / COVID-19 list. He was activated from the roster on Saturday but deemed doubtful to play in Sunday’s game. The 29-year-old is entering his third season with the Chiefs. Mathieu had 62 tackles, six interceptions and one touchdown last season.
Clark had suffered a hamstring injury the entire week leading up to today’s game. In his second season with the AFC franchise, he recorded 29 tackles, six sacks and one fumble. He’s never missed more than two games in his six seasons in the NFL.
Cleveland also added kicker Chris Naggar, defenseman Grant Delpit, linebacker Tony Fields II, offensive lineman James Hudson III, offensive lineman Michael Dunn and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai. Kansas City’s inactive roster also included cornerback DeAndre Baker, offensive lineman Austin Blythe, offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and wide receiver Daurice Fountain.
Follow live updates and analysis from the Browns-Chiefs in the CBSSports.com live blog!
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