BEREA - The Kansas City Chiefs will be arriving in Cleveland later this week still dealing with the impact of the murder-suicide that claimed the lives of linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra M. Perkins.
Belcher shot and killed Perkins at the couple's apartment. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium, where he committed suicide in front of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli.
Browns coach Pat Shurmur can't fathom what Crennel had to deal with trying to coach the following day. The Chiefs won for just the second time this season, 27-21, over the Carolina Panthers.
"I don't want to imagine what Romeo and the staff and the players went through there," Shurmur said. "You can see what happens when a group of guys bind together for some reason. They played an outstanding game and won.
"We play these games on Sunday, but there are some real-life, tragic things happening around us all the time. It's very thought-provoking and sad, but we have to keep moving forward and try to do the right thing."
The Browns are dealing with an in-house tragedy as well. Eric Eucker, an assistant groundskeeper, committed suicide in a storage building on the team's complex last week.
CONFIDENCE-BUILDER: The 14-play, 94-yard drive that produced a 3-yard touchdown run by Trent Richardson to seal the 20-17 win over the Oakland Raiders is something the offense can build on in the future.
"Any time that you do something once, you become confident that you can do it again," Shurmur said. "If you're not getting that done, then you're waiting for the other shoe to drop or we're going to screw something up. You get beyond it by doing it. That's where the confidence comes in."
MAKING STRIDES: Other than the two interceptions thrown by quarterback Brandon Weeden, Shurmur was pleased with what he saw of the rookie. Weeden was 25-of-36 for 364 yards and one touchdown. His passer rating was 88.2.
"I think he had some really good third-down throws," Shurmur said. "He made some pretty accurate throws with people in his face. It wasn't because they were free rushers. Even though we had hats on some of them, they had a little bit of a push, which can create inaccuracies for a quarterback. He made some tough throws."
WIN 'EM ALL: Last week linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said his goal was to win the final five games. Defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin thinks it's a possibility.
"That's what we're pushing for," Rubin said. "Get in the playoff run and try to finish out the year on a good note. We've been close all year. Putting these last couple of games together would be huge, especially for the team and the city."
GETTING INVOLVED: Backup running back Montario Hardesty continues to provide solid relief when Richardson is given a break. Hardesty had 39 yards on five carries against the Raiders.
"For Montario, it's not quantity; it's quality," Shurmur said. "When he gets in there, he's had an impact on the football team. That's his role, and he's being a pro in handling it that way. He's earned a right to carry the ball some."
INJURY REPORT: For the first time in memory Shurmur didn't have any injuries to update on Monday.
