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.
Brown will take the field with the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, and he has Kansas City’s offense looking as dangerous as ever. 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.
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 of 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 to end the regular season. In the playoffs, he had three catches for 35 yards in the Chiefs’ AFC Championship Game victory over the Buffalo Bills. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, having a deep threat like Brown has been big for Mahomes and Co. Recently, Brown guaranteed that he would score his first touchdown as a member of the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
“I’m definitely getting in there this week for sure,” Brown said to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe.
“I’m definitely getting in there this week for sure.”
Hollywood Brown says his 1st TD as a Chiefs WR will come in his 1st Super Bowl Sunday. Lock it in!
1-on-1 for @nflnetwork Super Bowl Live: pic.twitter.com/N57EvGAz5q
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 7, 2025
Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl Preview
Based on PFN’s win probability model, which ran 10,000 simulations via the PFN Playoff Predictor, the Eagles have a 52.8% chance of defeating the Chiefs.
The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Kansas City has won three of the last five Super Bowls and will be the first NFL team to play in five Super Bowls over a six-season span.
This is Philadelphia’s third Super Bowl appearance in the last eight seasons. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII and lost to the Chiefs two seasons ago in Super Bowl LVII.
Kansas City Chiefs Trends and Insights
- The Chiefs have 17 straight one-score wins (12-0 this season, their last three playoff games last year, and their last two regular season games). Twelve one-score wins is the most in a single season all-time, tied with the 2022 Vikings, 2019 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos.
- Patrick Mahomes passed Joe Montana for the second-most playoff wins by a starting quarterback (17) and John Elway for the second-most playoff game-winning drives by a quarterback (seven).
- From 2019-24, the Chiefs have made six Super Bowl appearances, are chasing a fourth title, and have won 78% of their regular season games. For reference, the Splash Brother Golden State Warriors (2015-19, 2022) made six NBA Finals appearances with four titles and won 76.2% of their regular season games.
- The Chiefs have averaged over 2.5 points per offensive drive in four straight games when playing their regulars – that’s a good formula, as NFL teams have won 78.9% of their games this season when clearing 2.50 PPD.
- During his career, Mahomes has averaged 3.9 carries for 20 yards and 0.13 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season. In the postseason, those rates elevated to 5.4 attempts, 29.1 yards, and 0.35 touchdowns per game.
Philadelphia Eagles Trends and Insights
- The Eagles peaked early last season and scored 155 points over a five-game win streak (Weeks 7-12). Over their past five games, they’ve scored 166 points.
- Jalen Hurts ran for three scores in his prior Super Bowl experience, joining Terrell Davis as the only player to do that in The Big Game. With his three rushing scores on Sunday, Hurts joined LeGarrette Blount as the only players in NFL history with multiple playoff games in which they ran for three-plus touchdowns.
- Philadelphia has forced 19 turnovers in their past six games, a run that includes four games with three-plus.
- The Eagles became the sixth team to have multiple players rush for multiple scores in a playoff game, the first since Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel did it for the 2018 Patriots.
- Since 2022, the Eagles are 18-8 ATS (69.2%) when facing a team that enters play with at least as many wins as losses (second best, trailing only the 20-6-1 Lions).
- Hurts will become the eighth quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls within his first eight seasons. Of the previous seven, only Elway failed to secure a ring within his first five seasons—though Elway would famously cap off his career with Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons.
