The Kansas City Chiefs have been ravaged by offensive injuries. The first one was Hollywood Brown, who went down on his first play of the preseason.
Three months later, we take a look at what happened to Brown, and a timeline for his potential Chiefs debut in a game that counts.
Why Isn’t Hollywood Brown Playing?
The Chiefs lost Brown at the very beginning of their first preseason game. He caught his first and only target, fell on his shoulder, and did not return.
After the game, it was reported that Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint injury similar to the one Tyreek Hill sustained in 2019. That injury only cost Hill four games. However, SC joint injuries are rare and can be very dangerous if not handled properly. Unfortunately for Brown, his injury required surgery to repair, resulting in a far lengthier absence.
How Long Will Hollywood Brown Be Out Due to Injury?
Brown has been on injured reserve since September, and initial reports suggested that he was supposed to be out until January. While that would have put him in a position to return during the playoffs, it would have been extremely difficult to integrate a brand-new receiver in a win-or-go-home environment.
However, a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport before Week 13 said that Brown was planning on meeting with his surgeon before Week 15. In doing so, Rapoport noted the wide receiver was hoping to get cleared to play by Week 16 or 17.
The Chiefs haven’t opened his 21-day window to return to practice and ramp up, but it sounds like that could be approaching imminently.
How Has Hollywood Brown’s Absence Impacted the Chiefs?
Without Brown, rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy was thrust into an immediate starting role. There have been some highs but more disappointment. He’s been prone to mental errors, most notably an inability to get his feet in bounds on wide-open receptions near the sideline against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills.
Once Rashee Rice was lost for the season as well, some people thought Worthy was poised to see even more work. That never really tracked, though, as Worthy’s role didn’t hold much overlap with Rice.
Instead, it was veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster who stepped into the Rice role. Smith-Schuster performed admirably in his first game without Rice, catching seven passes for 130 yards in their Week 5 win over the New Orleans Saints. The hamstring strain set him back, though, and he’s yet to eclipse 10 receiving yards since returning.
All of these injuries compelled the Chiefs to make a move at the deadline, acquiring veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. Hopkins has been a crucial add, even in a reduced role at age 32. Since making his Chiefs debut in Week 8, he ranks second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns while also catching over 70% of his targets.
Even with Hopkins, the depletion at WR has caused Patrick Mahomes to rely more on Travis Kelce than the team had intended. The plan was to not overload Kelce during the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs. However, Kelce has instead played over 80% of the team’s snaps this season, his highest rate in a season since 2019.
All this has created a less explosive Chiefs offense that is highly reliant on maintaining a high success rate that allows them to barely stay on schedule. It’s worked just well enough so far, with a litany of close escapes putting Kansas City in a position to earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
The hope would be that Brown could help manufacture some of that explosiveness to increase the Chiefs’ margin for error. Even if his first regular season in Kansas City is a wash, Brown could easily make up for it with a critical moment or two in the postseason.
