Don't let Patrick Mahomes injury update distract you from the real Chiefs news

The Kansas City Chiefs began their grueling stretch of three games in 11 days against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. They'll host the Houston Texans on Saturday after a shortened week of preparation, then travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

That difficult stretch of games became even tougher to navigate after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a mild high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 21-7 victory over the Browns. The three-time Super Bowl MVP left the game after he was hit by multiple defenders, and his availability against the Texans was immediately thrown into doubt.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid claimed Mahomes could have finished the game if it was necessary. The concerns were further alleviated when the team listed Mahomes as a full participant in practice on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Marquise Brown's return could spark the Chiefs offense

While most of the focus has been on Mahomes' ankle, the return of Chiefs wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has flown under the radar. Brown was also listed as a full participant in Tuesday's practice. Brown is expected to make his debut with the team in Week 15, per Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star.

When the Chiefs signed Brown signed in free agency, they hoped he would help produce explosive plays as a deep threat on the perimeter. Those hopes were dashed when the veteran wideout suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason opener. Brown underwent surgery to repair a dislocated sternoclavicular joint and spent the entire regular season on the sidelines.

Kansas City can only hope that Brown's return will provide a spark to their dormant offense. Mahomes has struggled throughout the 2024 season, and his ankle injury overshadowed a Week 15 performance that left a lot to be desired.

Mahomes completed just 19 of his 38 pass attempts for the lowest completion percentage of his career, and his 4.2 yards per pass attempt was the second-lowest mark of his career. Kansas City's offensive line struggles have certainly played a role in the passing woes, but so have Mahomes' sloppy fundamentals and mechanics.

Mahomes has targeted a wide-open wide receiver (5+ yards of target separation) at the fourth-highest rate (29.3 percent), but he has completed the eighth-fewest of those passes (84.4 percent), per NFL Next Gen Stats. He's also only completed nine passes of 20-plus air yards, which ranks 26th among 34 qualified quarterbacks.

If Brown can develop some chemistry with Mahomes, Kansas City shouldn't have any problem clinching the AFC's top seed. That will provide the team with plenty of time to rest before beginning their journey for another Super Bowl championship.