Browns vs Chiefs Injury Report and COVID Updates for AFC Divisional Round Matchup

• The Kansas City Chiefs (14-2) are 10-point favorites against the Cleveland Browns (11-5) in their Divisional Playoff game Sunday at 3:05 pm ET
• The Browns are finally free of their Covid-19 issues and the Chiefs have 11 players on their injury list
• See below for a full roundup of injuries, plus analysis of their impact

The Kansas City Chiefs are 10-point home favorites against the Cleveland going into their Sunday Division Playoff contest. But the length of their injury list, which includes leading rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire, could mean this contest will be closer than it appears.

Helaire practiced once this week and  is listed as “questionable” heading into Sunday’s meeting at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. He’s one of 11 injured Chiefs.

If Helaire is out, getting 10 points with a hot Browns team, looks more attractive.

Browns Injury Report

All information taken from the Official Injury Reports

Browns receive “All Clear” for Covid-19

The illness list was more important than the injury list in Cleveland until the last coaches and guard Joel Bitonio came off the Covid-19 list on Friday. The Browns have no players or coaches currently dealing with Covid-19.

The Browns do have some injury concerns: tight end David Njoku (19 catches, 213 yards, 2 TDs) is questionable. He had limited practice Friday. Other players of concern are offensive tackle Jake Conklin (hamstring and knee) and linebacker BJ Goodson (shoulder) . Their availability will have an impact.

#Browns announce assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters was cleared today. So Cleveland no longer has any coaches or players on the active roster out due to COVID-19

— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) January 15, 2021

However,  coach Kevin Stefanski indicated this week that he feels confident about the team’s readiness because the Covid-19 issue has been cleaned up. More than dozen players and half a dozen coaches tested positive in recent weeks, including Stefanski who was cleared earlier this week.

The return of Bitonio is crucial. He is rated the NFL’s No. 6 guard, according to profootballfocus.com

Chiefs Injury Report

Edwards-Helaire’s Status

Here’s what we know about Edwards-Helaire:  He practiced Wednesday, and looked pretty good. But the Chiefs decided to shut him down. They say they wanted to give him more time to rest and heal.

Maybe we should read that as optimism. But officially, he’s still day-to-day and we won’t know his availability for sure until the team announces inactive players on Sunday morning.

Even though the Chiefs have plenty of weapons, Edward-Helaire’s status is important to the Chiefs. He’s a dynamic playmaker who has rushed for 804 yards.  Defenses have to respect him, meaning they can’t  focus on Patrick Mahomes.

When you add on all the Chiefs’ injuries on top of concern about Edwards-Helaire, this will be a challenging weekend for the Chiefs.

Andy Reid said Clyde Edwards-Helaire looked fine during Wednesday's practice. Reid said the Chiefs just want to give Edwards-Helaire as much time & rest as possible ahead of Sunday's game. Sounds like Edwards-Helaire is going to be a true game-time decision.

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) January 15, 2021

Helaire’s status Could Prompt Late Bettors

The Chiefs’ injury woes hasn’t changed the line this week. The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are such a dominant offensive team that bettors trust they can handle the Browns even without Helaire.

As long as Mahomes is healthy, bettors feel confident about the Chiefs.

However, when the Chiefs announce their decision about Helaire on Sunday morning, it could prompt some late action. The Browns have been playing well enough to persuade bettors that they can keep this game close if Helaire is out of the lineup. Getting 10 points could be enticing for bettors, particularly those who live in Cleveland.