The Kansas City Chiefs need their offensive power on max in a matter of a few weeks. The Chiefs offensive roster is marred with injuries right now, but one name sticks out like a sore thumb: Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown. The WR hasn’t returned from his sternoclavicular shoulder injury that he suffered in the preseason. Luckily, Patrick Mahomes has some closure.

The Chief’s back-to-back Super Bowl-winning QB took to the ‘Carrington Harrison Show‘ and provided a much-needed update on Hollywood Brown’s rehab. Red-zone issues plague the Kansas City Chiefs, and Brown’s return could fix them. The good thing is, he’s out there with the Chiefs players, practicing for playoffs.

Mahomes was confident in Hollywood Brown’s return. The thing is, Brown will be seeing his surgeon in week 15, per Ian Rapoport, and is waiting for the final clearance. He might be back as early as week 16 or 17, but it would be better if the Chiefs play him at the right place and the right time. But check out what Mahomes had to say about his return.

Yeah, no. I mean, he’s been, he’s been working, man. He’s saying he’s ready to go. I mean, obviously it’s a long break, and he has to get cleared, and all that different type of stuff to play. But I mean, he’s ready, he’s ready to go. And I’m excited for him, and hopefully he’s able to get out there quicker, sooner rather than later,” Patrick Mahomes said on Carrington Harrison’s radio show.

Brown has been on the IR since Sep 14 and hasn’t played a single snap in the 2024 regular season. Yet, the Kansas City Chiefs can’t wait to get him back on the field, especially to counter Rashee Rice’s absence. Mahomes is confident that his receiver will fit in the offense right away and be ready once the playoffs arrive. But the Chiefs can’t throw caution to the wind.

“I think once he gets out there, many will be able to kind of fit right in and get some reps. We got to be smart, obviously, but you want to get them wrapped up and ready to go for the playoffs,” the QB added further. As stated earlier, the Chiefs expect him to be back by Christmas (week 16). That’s when they play against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Around December 6, Brown shared a video of himself catching passes from a JUGS Machine. He shared another IG Story on Tuesday, showing him sprinting around in an indoor facility. He appears to have regained the majority of his health. But while we’re out here speculating on his return, let’s hear more opinions from an Ex-NFL head team doctor.

Professional opinion on Mahomes’s WR Brown’s injury

Dr. David Chao, who has also been a one-time team doctor for the San Diego Chargers, says that Brown catching the pigskin from a JUGS Machine “doesn’t mean anything.” That’s because playing in the NFL and absorbing massive hits is way different from catching one-handed passes from a machine. Not many players in the league have suffered a sternoclavicular shoulder injury, and that’s what makes it tricky.

“You don’t have to do the surgery very often. I’ve done it in my career, not very often. And never in the NFL. I’m not aware of anyone who’s had it in the NFL. And the axiom is don’t be the first or last to have a surgery,” per Dr. Chao. In pointing out that Brown is one of the very few in the NFL to have this kind of surgery, Chao thinks the situation is still “uncharted waters,” per Outkick.com.

Despite the presence of players like Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins, Patrick Mahomes has had a hard time finding his offensive groove. The good news, though, is that the Chiefs have JuJu Smith-Schuster and most importantly, Isaiah Pacheco, back again. Slowly but surely, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 3-peat dreams are shaping up.