The Kansas City Chiefs left Jacksonville with a loss on the field and potentially an even bigger loss on the roster. In their 26-13 loss to the Jaguars, Hollywood Brown played one snap on the field and left the game with a shoulder injury that will keep him off the field for an undisclosed amount of time.
The hype was there, and with the game’s first offensive snap, Quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered a pass to Hollywood Brown. The completion was successful, but the Chief’s top free-agent signee left the field and did not return to the game.
After their 26-13 loss, Head Coach Andy Reid said Brown was in a local Jacksonville hospital with a sternoclavicular joint dislocation. Ironically, it’s the same injury Tyreek Hill suffered five years ago in the same stadium. Though the diagnosis was confirmed, Hill was out four weeks after surgery to repair the joint.
If that’s the case, hopefully, it’s not more severe. Brown could be ready to play in week three of four for the Chiefs. It’s a tough blow for the Chiefs’ offense, which was flat against Jacksonville on Saturday. Mahomes, Carson Wentz, and Chris Oludokan struggled to find consistency.
It’s hard to tell if the Brown injury impacted the team, but it was clear this team didn’t have the fire it had shown in previous preseason games. Though a few players stood out—more on those in a minute—Andy Reid can’t be happy with his staff or his players.
The Chiefs played woeful special teams, including giving up safety because they didn’t know the rules of the new kick-off mandates, which resulted in safety.
It’s hard to glean the actual value of preseason games, but the Jaguars played hard the entire game and were the better team. Perhaps this was just a glorified scrimmage for the Chiefs, but with the Brown injury, they will need to pivot again.
The game was missing several Chiefs starters, but that’s still no excuse for a lack of execution and poor tackling on defense. Kansas City plays the final two exhibition games in Kansas City before its regular season begins against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5th, so it has time to figure out the kinks.
Chiefs Standouts
Carson Steele was the Chiefs leading rusher with 29 yards on four carriers. He averaged over seven yards per run and scored the team’s only game touchdown. He showed power, grit, and promise that he could make this roster and be the backup for Isiah Pacheco. Andy Reid said he saw him as not just a fullback because he felt he could run the rock. He proved Saturday that he can certainly do that, and he might be the short-yardage piece that’s been missing from the offense the last two years.
Nicco Remigio led the Chiefs with three catches for 35 yards, and though he was lucky, his turnover happened after he was ruled down by contact, he appeared to be pressing a bit. Now that’s understandable considering a year ago, he injured his knee and was lost for the season. With the injury to Brown, Remigio has to step up and take those snaps.
Justyn Ross had the longest catch of the night and had another wiped out by penalty. His. 23-yard reception adds to the lore that made him a Chiefs preseason highlight performer last year. The Chiefs have praised his natural abilities as a receiver, and he’s had another brilliant training camp. Again, like Remigio, Ross is going to get every chance for a roster spot.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah had a terrific game against the Jaguars. He had three solo tackles, and his pursuit of Jaguars Quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, on fourth down, led to a Jack Cochrane sack. He played a lot of snaps for the Chiefs, and you can tell he was ready for his 2024 debut. He showed the quick burst and presence as a disrupter that made him the Chiefs first round pick a year ago.
