Not quite

It is so easy from this perch to pin blame for the Browns' latest opening-game loss Sunday on punter Jamie Gillan. He had plenty of company.

In a game that should be titled "The One That Got Away" or, better yet, "The Great Gag Job in Kansas City," the Browns extended their opening-day winless streak to 17 games with a second-half display of ineptitude that has become predictably familiar in season-opening games.

Those used to the Browns finding unusual ways of turning victories into losses had to be thinking that after they raced out to a 22-10 halftime lead, playing near-flawless football on both sides of the ball, only to fall apart in the final 30 minutes en route to a 33-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Just about everything worked in the first 30 minutes. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was dialed in with his throws as he led three long touchdown drives, Nick Chubb scoring twice and Jarvis Landry reaching the end zone on an inside handoff from five yards.

Gadget plays worked for the most part. Mistakes were kept to a minumum on both sides of the football. Fourth-down gambles worked to near perfection. It was almost too good to be true at the halfway point as the offense compiled 318 yards and the defense limited the Chiefs to just 14 yards on the ground.

Sure Odell Beckham Jr. was in street clothes, the Browns being extra cautious with the wide receiver, who is recovering from a torn ACL. But rookie Anthony Schwartz filled in nicely, burning a couple of big plays.

Certainly a two-possession lead should hold up the way both units were playing even with the peerless Patrick Mahomes in charge of the Chiefs' attack. Sure he and Tyreek Hill played pitch an catch in the first half, but it resulted in little damage. Mahomes' 10-0 record in September was seriously threatened.

Even the doubters had to wonder that maybe, just maybe, this is a turning point for this franchise. The offense was bold, confident, even brazen. Everything seemed to work just as it was drawn up in the playbook. So what could go wrong?

Murphy's Law: "Anything that can do wrong will go wrong." And it did. Big time.

And this is where Gillan, free safety John Johnson III, third-down problems on both sides of the football  and, yes, even Chubb enter the picture.

It all started innocently with the Chiefs driving 75 yards in 14 plays to open the second half, Mahomes connecting with tight end Travis Kelce from 11 yards. Chubb, who fumbled only once last season, matched that total on the third play of the next possession, the Chiefs recovering only 53 yards from the Cleveland goal line.

Solid transition defense held them to a Harrison Bukter field goal and the doubters breathed a little easier when Mayfield, again flawlessly, directed a nine-play, 75-yard march, Kareem Hunt scoring from two yards out, to restore a nine-point lead (29-20).

And then it all fell apart on the next two possessions in a matter of three minutes. 

On the very first play, Mahomes dropped back and found Hill at the Cleveland 30 as Johnson, in coverage, stumbled just enough to make the 75-yard scoring bomb look easy. Just like that, it was back to a two-point Browns lead. 

It was clearly an emotional lift for the Chiefs' defense, which forced the first Cleveland three and out of the game on the next possession.

Enter Gillan for the first time in the game (not counting his holding duties on placekicks) . That's how good the offense was until then. Long snapper Charley Hughlett's snap was perfect, Gillan's hands were not. He dropped the ball, picked it up, started running and picked up just four yards. Turnover on downs at the Cleveland 15.

Three plays later, Kelce had his second touchdown and the Chiefs their first lead. The two teams traded punts -- yes, Gillan held on to this one -- and the Browns still had a chance with 2:49, one timeout and the two-minute warning remaining and the ball at their 17. 

They matriculated to their 48 with a little more than a minute left in regulation, converting just their second third down of the afternoon. (The Chiefs were nine of 13 on third down.) And that is where the last act of Murphy's Law unfolded.

Mayfield was pressured and hurried his first-down throw as he fell to the ground, intending to hit tight end Harrison Bryant along the left sideline. In retrospect, he should have taken a sack. The ball fluttered into the waiting hands of Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes. He still had a timeout and ample time left.

If anything, this game should act as an object lesson for the Browns, whose biggest problem, it seems, is putting away games against strong opponents. In order to be considered elite, you have to consistently perform at that level, especially when trouble intervenes,

The Chiefs showed that Sunday. They were patient. They waited for the Browns to self destruct. It took the better part of three quarters, but their patience and, of course, some dumb plays by the Browns, eventually paid off.

It's clear the Browns aren't there yet. It's also quite clear they are knocking on the door.