2002 · Week 1

Final

Chiefs

Kansas City

QB Trent Green

40·39

Browns

Cleveland

QB Kelly Holcomb

Cleveland Browns Stadium · outdoors · grass · 86°F · wind 0mph

Closing spread

CLE -2

Total

36

Model margin

+4.9est.

CLE perspective

Push chance

2.1%est.

Win probability

  • Browns
  • Chiefs

How each play moved the game.

Browns winsChiefs wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Chiefsedge mapBrowns
  • +0.161EPA / play+0.007
  • 47.5%Success rate42.2%
  • +0.224EPA / dropback+0.050
  • +0.083EPA / rush-0.064
  • 11.6%Explosive rate7.9%
  • 41.1%Third-down rate40.7%
  • 62.8%Red-zone TD rate60.6%
  • 2.29Points / drive1.59
  • 1.4%Turnover rate2.8%
  • +0.098EPA / play allowed-0.025

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

KC lead 9–3 since 1999

KC have won 6 straight. Meetings average 49.8 points. CLE are 7-5 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2024 · W15KC @ CLE217KC
2021 · W1CLE @ KC2933KC
2020 · playoffsCLE @ KC1722KC
2018 · W9KC @ CLE3721KC
2015 · W16CLE @ KC1317KC
2013 · W8CLE @ KC1723KC
2012 · W14KC @ CLE730CLE
2010 · W2KC @ CLE1614KC

Box score

Individual performances

Chiefs

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Trent Green20/2927611

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Priest Holmes221225.54
Trent Green2178.50
Dante Hall2147.00

Browns

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Kelly Holcomb27/3932630
Kevin Johnson1/13310

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Jamel White12423.50
William Green8172.10

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +23.5%6.5%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.2%3.0%

Positive margins favour Browns; negative favour Chiefs.

Half-point at risk

2.09%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

62.1%

Expected total

46.2est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-0.35
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment+2.69
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+4.90