The Chiefs look firmly entrenched among the AFC’s elite. Nevertheless, Travis Kelce might be right. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs met in the AFC divisional round of the 2020 playoffs. That means Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce got a first-hand look at the up-and-coming Browns team, and it’s safe to say he came away impressed.

Kelce attended Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game Saturday, and when asked about the Browns’ status as contenders, he was giving them plenty of respect.

“They’re definitely a contender, without a doubt,” Kelce said, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “It’s definitely there. Baker [Mayfield] and the gang have upped the ante, made this team an unbelievable team and a team you have to prepare for and take serious. I think that moving forward without a doubt, I can see a lot more playoff games between us, and I’ll just take it one day at a time and hope for it. I think the Browns and Chiefs are definitely neck and neck.”

Neck and neck might seem like a bit much, but it’s worth remembering the Browns pushed the Chiefs hard during their playoff game and ended up losing by only five. That was without Odell Beckham in the lineup, who is apparently looking great in preseason workouts.

The Chiefs look firmly entrenched among the AFC’s elite. Nevertheless, Kelce may be right. The Browns look to be on the rise, and they might challenge the Chiefs quite strongly for years to come.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Suns to hire ex-NBA champion as new head coach
MVP Jokic, Nuggets blow out Timberwolves on road in Game 3
Panthers dominate Bruins again to take 2-1 series lead
ESPN has big plans for Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut
Angels superstar explains why he chose not to play through knee injury
Bears make big, but not surprising Caleb Williams announcement
Cardinals to sign WR who commanded extensive interest
Jayson Tatum refutes narrative that Celtics are a 'superteam'
Watch: Kyle Busch crashes in Truck Series race at Darlington
Oilers work overtime to tie Canucks at 1-1
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Former NBA big man sentenced to 40 months in prison
Peyton Manning reveals Bill Belichick's role on 'ManningCast' for this season
NBA Hall of Famer questions Knicks longevity in face of high playoff workloads
Falcons rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. details first interaction with Kirk Cousins
Insider reveals Mike Budenholzer's humongous contract figures to be Suns HC
Watch: Novak Djokovic accidentally struck, knocked down by metal water bottle
Legendary Cowboys HC clarifies misunderstanding regarding HOFer's death with same name
Raiders HC names leader in Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew competition
Former MLB infielder Sean Burroughs dies at 43 years old