Chiefs Making the Most of 'Huge' Impact Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown Makes on Offense

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is making a difference for the Chiefs' offense, which comes just in time for the postseason to arrive.

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown (5) runs the ball against the Houston Texans during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After lacking consistency and a scary element for most of the regular season, the tides seem to be turning a bit for the Kansas City Chiefs as 2025 approaches. The club's last two games, specifically, have seen scoring outputs of 27 and 29 points from Andy Reid's team.

Weeks 16 and 17 also happen to coincide with two things: Marquise "Hollywood" Brown getting in the lineup and rookie Xavier Worthy putting up some of his best efforts. While the offense will always go as quarterback Patrick Mahomes does, having some viable weapons certainly doesn't hurt.

There was no greater example of that than Christmas Day's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mahomes played some of his best football of the season, and just about every weapon on offense seemed to be tailor-made for his role. Head coach Andy Reid thinks Brown's return is making a difference for Worthy and everyone else.

"Hollywood is doing a great job," Reid said. "We're trying to ease him back in and it's like holding a horse back, man. He wants to get back in every time we take him out, which is a positive thing. He's got a great attitude. But to have both of those guys in there is a plus, for sure. I think they're all doing well. They're all playing good football right now and they all complement each other in a certain way. I'd hate to just pick two of them out, but they're doing a good job."

The wait for Brown, who suffered a sternoclavicular injury in the preseason opener back in August, seems to have been worth it. In Weeks 1-15 without him, Kansas City's offense ranked ninth in EPA/play (0.068) and 10th in dropback EPA (0.131). In two games with him, those ranks are seventh (0.214) and fourth (0.367), respectively. The Chiefs went from being a good offense missing Brown to one of football's best with him in the fold. All it took was him getting activated and acclimated. The latter is still an ongoing process, leaving even more room for growth.

It's a small sample size, sure, but Mahomes thinks patience and trust throughout the entire season led to this point.

"Yeah, I think we just built up to the perfect spot," Mahomes said. "We've gotten better and better before Hollywood got here. Xavier started playing better, being more confident and I got a better chemistry with him. Other guys have stepped up and started making plays and then you throw Hollywood in there, and it kind of sets everybody perfectly in their roles. You saw that today. I don't know the exact stats, but it seemed like we spread the ball around really well and guys made plays. When you have that many weapons out there, it's hard for a defense to account for. Hollywood has made a huge impact in this offense."

In his two games back, Brown has yet to top the 40% snap mark and is at 45 combined reps. With that said, he has a whopping 15 targets during that span and has posted reception totals of five and four in Weeks 16 and 17. His production is a prime representation of a role player having a domino effect on the rest of the roster.

Now, with the No. 1 AFC playoff seed locked up and Week 18 being background noise, the pressure is on Kansas City to replicate this in the postseason.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Explains Impact of Clinching No. 1 Seed, First-Round Bye for 'Banged-Up' Chiefs