KANSAS CITY, Mo — On the opening play of the preseason, Patrick Mahomes eluded pressure and rifled a pass around Jacksonville defensive end Travon Walker to the player who’s supposed to be his new favorite wide receiver.
Hollywood Brown caught an 11-yard pass as Chiefs Kingdom celebrated the duo’s first NFL connection, but that joy quickly was replaced with concern.
Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown drove Hollywood Brown to the ground from behind on the field at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, where the heat index was 105 degrees at kickoff.
It wasn’t a dirty tackle, but it did leave Hollywood Brown wincing on the sideline, appearing to favor his shoulder, after the play.
Hollywood Brown retreated to the locker room and, shortly afterward, the Chiefs announced on social media that he was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
Brown, a first-round pick by Baltimore in 2019, signed with the Chiefs after five seasons with the Ravens and Arizona.
He and Kansas City’s first-round pick last spring, Xavier Worthy, are expected to help restore the Chiefs’ ability to threaten defenses deep.
Unfortunately, Kansas City has seen its top wide receiver exit after a rough introduction to the Jacksonville turf before.
Tyreek Hill suffered a broken collarbone in the 2019 season opener. He missed a month recovering from the injury.
Seven other players who came into the game with injuries — LB Nick Bolton (elbow), LB Swayze Bozeman (knee), WR Jaaron Hayek (shoulder), DT Chris Jones (groin), CB Kelvin Joseph (hamstring), S Justin Reid (quad) and WR Kadarius Toney (back) — didn’t suit up.
Neither did LG Joe Thuney (chest), who missed Super Bowl LVIII with a strained pectoralis muscle, or backup LT Wanya Morris.
DT Derrick Nnadi, who has battled a triceps injury in camp, and two defensive backs — CB Nazeeh Johnson, who is returning after missing last season with a torn ACL, and Jaylen Watson, who missed time in camp with a shoulder injury — also sat out the preseason opener.
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