After leading the NFL in dropped passes last season, the Kansas City Chiefs came back this season with a concentrated effort on building a better offense. As a result, drafting wide receiver Xavier Worthy and acquiring Hollywood Brown in free agency was their way to go in the offseason. However, injuries to Brown and Rashee Rice almost didn’t allow that plan to materialize.
Yet, Brown’s return in Week 16 has seen a change to that. Now, the Chiefs’ offense looks as dangerous as ever, with four excellent showings before Week 18. However, let’s take a look back at the terrible luck that caused their star offseason acquisition to miss out on practically the entire season.
What Was Hollywood Brown’s Injury?
Coming in with much fanfare, Brown lasted a solitary play in the preseason for the Chiefs. Going up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he made his first catch from quarterback Patrick Mahomes before landing awkwardly on his shoulder. Immediately, he was taken off the field and placed on injured reserve in September.
Since then, it’s been a long road back for Brown. However, ahead of Week 16, positive news started coming in. Full practices in the week leading up to their game against the Houston Texans was the final indication, and finally, he was back on the field.
What Impact Has Brown Had on the Chiefs?
Even though the team went 13-1 without Brown in the rotation, Kansas City’s offense wasn’t functioning at the same level. Averaging exactly 23.5 points per game, Mahomes wasn’t dishing like he is used to.
A midseason acquisition for DeAndre Hopkins and JuJu Smith-Schuster gave the Chiefs some additional weapons, but since coming back, Brown has been a blessing. While individually he hasn’t blown anyone away, the impact of a downfield threat has opened up the offense.
Brown had 45 and 46 yards, respectively, in his two games against the Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers on a combined nine catches. More importantly, the Chiefs averaged 28 points in the two games, a major step up from their regular-season average, as well as the highest margin for any two-game sample all season.
Before the Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos, in which the Chiefs trotted out backups galore, they had found their way into the top 10 on PFN’s Offense+ metric. But with an almost fully healthy roster and Worthy coming along nicely as a rookie, vintage Chiefs might be a reality come the playoffs.
