UPDATE: Per Schefter, Brown is not expected to play in the regular season, which would knock him out for the Steelers game.
While Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was originally only scheduled to miss a few weeks with a sternoclavicular injury suffered in the preseason, he will now undergo surgery for the injury. Head coach Andy Reid told reporters that Brown would miss “months, not weeks,” per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to play the Chiefs in Week 17 on Christmas Day, it sounds as if Brown’s status is now officially up in the air for that.
Brown was signed this offseason to bolster a Kansas City passing attack that struggled at times last season due to a lack of weapons. Despite having the best quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes, the lack of weapons was evident, and Brown was expected to play a key role for Kansas City.
Now, he’s sidelined indefinitely and possibly for the season. The onus will be on rookie WR Xavier Worthy to step up, and Worthy had a solid NFL debut, with two receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown and a 21-yard touchdown run in Kansas City’s Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
There is a chance Brown could return in time for Week 17, but Reid’s update and Brown’s upcoming surgery don’t make it seem as if he’s anywhere close to returning. Even when he does return, it might take a while for him to re-acclimate into the offense, given that he got injured in the first preseason game and is new to the Chiefs this season.
Pittsburgh is familiar with Brown, who started his career with the Baltimore Ravens. In his career against Pittsburgh, he has 18 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. However, he was shut out last season against the Steelers as a member of the Arizona Cardinals, failing to haul in a reception on three targets.
If Brown is out, that will be one less speedy receiver for the Steelers to worry about in what should be a tough Christmas Day matchup against the Chiefs.
