It was Jan. 17, 2021 in Kansas City and the Browns had the defending Super Bowl champion — and heavily-favored — Chiefs right where they wanted them in the 2020 AFC divisional playoffs.

Trailing at halftime by 16 points, 19-3, the Browns came roaring back to close the gap to just five, 22-17, on former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt’s four-yard touchdown run with 11:07 left in the game.

And did we mention that Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City’s standout third-year running back, had been knocked out of the game with an injury?

The Browns, who lost a touchdown when wide receiver Rashard Higgins caught a Baker Mayfield pass and fumbled out of the end zone for a touchback while trying to stretch the ball over the goal line by the pylon, had several more possessions after Hunt’s score but couldn’t do anything with them. Plus, the Cleveland defense let backup quarterback Chad Henne make a couple of third-down plays to sustain drives, eat valuable minutes off the clock and keep the ball away from the Browns.

The result was a gigantic missed opportunity for the Browns, as, in numbing fashion, they lost by that 22-17 score and failed to pull off what would have been the upset of not just the playoffs, but of the season overall.

The Chiefs went on to get to the Super Bowl, where they were whipped 31-9 by quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kansas City lost in the AFC Championship Game following the 2021 season and then won the Suoer Bowl in 2022 and ‘23. As they get ready to visit the Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, they are gunning for their third Super Bowl title in a row and their fourth in six years.

But what if the Browns had won that playoff game four seasons ago? Would they have beaten the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game, gotten to their first Super Bowl and then won it? Would they have been regular qualifiers for the playoffs the next four years instead of having three losing records? Last year in their lone trip to the playoffs, they didn’t come close to winning a game. Would that have been different as well?

And, would Mayfield still be with the Browns instead of Deshaun Watson?

In addition, what would have become of the Chiefs?

We’ll never know, but it’s certainly interesting to wonder.

Steve King