It was announced that the Ravens will meet the Chiefs at Arrowhead for the NFL Thursday night season opener.
Two AFC heavyweights will duke it out in Week 1, as the Super Bowl Champions Kansas City team will face Baltimore in their building. The last time they met, the Chiefs beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship game last year at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Their last regular season meeting was in 2021, as Baltimore got the upper hand at home over Kansas City with a win.
Both teams have had some roster turnover this offseason, especially the Ravens, as they will have to overcome a Chiefs team looking to three-peat. This will be a historic opener, as this game will feature two former MVPs Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, franchise quarterbacks who have won it multiple times in their careers.
This will also be a big game for a former Baltimore Raven who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Baltimore Ravens: Marquise Brown was the 25th Pick in 2019
The Ravens drafted Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he was the first wide receiver taken at 25th overall. Although his stint in Baltimore only lasted three seasons, there were fun times with Jackson connecting to his friend from South Florida in “Hollywood” Brown.
At 5’9″ and 170 pounds, the speedster, on the field and off, has been a big play threat when he’s been healthy but hasn’t been a reliable option so far in the NFL.
The former Sooner had his best year for Baltimore in 2021, before requesting an extension but not getting it from the Ravens.
Despite his inconsistent involvement and issue with drops occasionally, Brown still had over 1,000 yards and 91 catches. Those numbers are still career highs, as he had six touchdowns that season but had 15 total touchdowns the two years prior combined.
The cousin of the infamous Antonio Brown, Hollywood played 46 games as a Raven but dealt with some injuries that still affected him last year with a new team.
Baltimore Ravens: Hollywood Traded to Cardinals in 2022
This dispute with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman led to a trade request, and Hollywood was traded during the 2022 NFL Draft. Baltimore sent Brown and a third-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals for their first-round pick in that draft, which turned into Ravens star center Tyler Lindebaum.
Although Brown reunited with his former college quarterback Kyler Murray, it didn’t yield better results than 2021. Brown played in 26 games and had 118 catches total, with 1,283 receiving yards and seven touchdowns combined in two years.
For Arizona, it only lasted two seasons before the Cardinals decided to not give him an extension, as his injuries were more lengthy and cost him more games compared to past seasons.
It was clear Brown wasn’t the number one wide receiver target he was hyped up to be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had career numbers as a part-time, second receiver for his new team.
Baltimore Ravens: Brown Signed with Chiefs in Free Agency
The former Ravens wide receiver signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million with the Chiefs, and now after drafting Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, they get even faster.
This is a great, relatively cheap gamble for Kansas City to take, as he is now paired with Mahomes as we see how the rest of their wide receiver room shakes out. Rashee Rice will likely get a suspension with his off-field arrests, and they still have players like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, both receivers who haven’t lived up to expectations.
Either way, it is an upgrade from what they had last season, as the Chiefs had Toney, Moore, and Rice making big-time plays in the Super Bowl. Along with the obvious future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce as their clear top offensive weapon for another season.
Even if he can’t stay healthy, Brown is still penciled in as their starting receiver on the outside. Mahomes can look to target instead of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, who just signed with the Buffalo Bills.
The Thursday night opener for Ravens vs. Chiefs can’t come any sooner.
For More Great Sports Content
Follow Andrew on Twitter at @kookykim1357, and follow us at @TotalApexSports for the updated news in ALL sports. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
