You're not the only one wondering why the Eagles haven't used Hollywood Brown

You're not the only one wondering why the Eagles haven't used Hollywood Brown originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

No catches, no targets, one game, 17 snaps.

That’s the sum total of the first six weeks of Hollywood Brown’s Eagles career.

The former 1^st-round pick, who’s averaged over 700 yards in six healthy NFL seasons, expected more when he signed here. 

“I did, but I do understand stuff happens,” Brown said at his locker Friday. “I mean, you can’t take anything personal in this business, so you kind of just got to go about your process and when that time happens, whatever happens, you’ve just got to be ready for it.”

Not an easy lesson to learn and one that took Brown a while to learn.

“Definitely just being older and being in the league for a minute,” he said. “I wouldn’t have handled it as well as a younger guy, but now just knowing I’m blessed to be here. I can’t be mad about a situation because maybe that’s not what God called for me.”

Brown had a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season with the Ravens in 2021. He also surpassed 700 yards in 2020 and 2022 and has been over 500 yards every other full year of his career. He has 33 touchdown catches since 2019 and that’s with missing all of 2024.

But so far this year? Nothing. Hasn’t even had a football thrown his way.

“It’s just really taking it day by day,” he said. “I just really have to be right when I get my opportunity, so that’s what I’ve been focused on.”

Brown signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Eagles in free agency, so you would expect him to have a bigger role. 

Why hasn’t it worked out that way?

“Honestly, I don’t have an answer,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know, but what I can do is just try to be ready and go from there. I feel like I’m putting good stuff on tape (at practice). But I could be playing and still not getting the ball or I could be playing and getting the ball and we’re losing. So I try not to make it all about me and just try to roll with the punches.”

It’s possible the Eagles will be without both DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks for their Monday night game against the Cowboys at the Linc. Neither has practiced yet this week, Smith thanks to his lingering hamstring injury and Wicks with an ankle.

That leaves Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Brown as healthy and available wide receivers.

Is this the week Brown gets his chance?

 “I hope so,” he said. “If it does, I’ll try to make the most of it. And if it doesn’t, I’ll be rooting on my teammates.”

If Brown doesn’t figure into the Eagles’ plans there is a trade deadline coming up in a few weeks, and it’s possible to see a scenario where Howie Roseman unloads someone like Brown for a late-round draft pick.

Brown isn’t looking for a change of scenery, but he does want to play.

“I’m here right now just trying to play,” he said. “Of course, you want to be somewhere where you play, but at the ultimate end of the day, it’s not my plan. So I might want to play, I might want to contribute, but if that’s not the plan for me, I can’t dwell on it too much or you’ll be unhappy

“And then you’re taking that back home. I can’t take that back home to the wife and kids. So I gotta try to stay as positive as I can.”

How are you doing with that?

“Some days better than others,” he said with a laugh.

“But like I said, it’s a good group here with my teammates. If I’m frustrated, I can go talk to the coach. Everybody hears me out, so it’s not really a bad thing. We’re all dealing with something and we’re dealing with something as a team. So I don’t wanna add that extra stress.”

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Warriors will ‘lose sleep’ over late collapse in loss to Grizzlies

SAN FRANCISCO — Brandin Podziemski converted a contested layup, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo called timeout and the Warriors’ fourth-year guard amped up the crowd as he retreated to his bench.

Podziemski’s bucket put Golden State up 11 with 5:19 to play, and De’Anthony Melton drained a 3 96 seconds later to extend the lead to a dozen with less than 4 minutes left in regulation.

Then, in the words of Steph Curry, “pretty much everything went wrong.”

Curry and the rest of the Warriors were still processing their epic fourth-quarter collapse Friday night as they boarded the bus to take them to the airport. Golden State missed its final nine attempts from the field, allowed the Grizzlies to mount a 17-0 run and treated 18,064 fans to a devastating 111-108 loss in its first game inside Chase Center this season.

“There’s losses,” Curry said, “and there’s ways that you lose like tonight that sting a little bit more.”

Stephen Curry stands on the side of the court during the final moments of the Warriors’ 111-108 loss to the Grizzlies at Chase Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in San Francisco. Getty Images

In less than 24 hours, the Warriors will have to do it all again in Phoenix, still in search of their first win. 

And will likely have to do so without Curry, who said he will “probably not” suit up against the Suns in the second half of the first back-to-back of the season as the Warriors try to manage his workload.

Podziemski, who missed their season opener after tweaking his back and left briefly after taking a hard fall in the first quarter, also said he will sit out the back end of the back-to-back.

Golden State will have to find a way to beat the Suns without its two leading scorers, lest risk getting off to its worst start since losing the first six games of the 2007-08 season. Curry led the way with 24 points, but it was Podziemski who took the most shots (17) while matching Yaxel Lendeborg with 18.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Curry said, “considering we played really solid, especially in that second half, to give ourselves a lead and be in control of the game for as long as we did.”

The Warriors fell behind by as many as 13 points in the first half as they struggled to manufacture offense without Curry or to contain Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer, who outclassed Lendeborg in the first NBA clash of the former college rivals and first-round picks.

The last of Boozer’s 25 points came on a spinning shot in the lane over Podziemski with 20 seconds to play that gave the Grizzlies their first lead since late in the third quarter, 108-106. On the Warriors’ ensuing trip down the floor, Draymond Green was called for an illegal screen — his third of the game — and Ty Jerome was able to drive uncontested for a layup to finish off his 28-point night as the Warriors’ collapse.

Kerr was given a technical for arguing Green’s illegal screen on Jerome that gave up the ball on the Warriors’ final possession. Kerr said it was a “shocking” call by the referees.

“We probably had six illegal screens tonight, and those were really tough because the flopping that was happening on every single one,” he said. “[It] looked like guys were going down like they’ve been hit by a car or something. …

“All those illegal screens really hurt us.”

Stephen Curry is fouled by Scotty Pippen Jr. during the second half of the Warriors’ loss to the Grizzlies. Getty Images

A few possessions earlier, Podziemski and Melton collided while going after a loose ball that Podziemski had poked free. It ended up in the hands of a Memphis player.

It was, as Kerr said, one of “like eight different things [that] had to happen.”

“I think if any one of those eight doesn’t happen, we win the game. It was just an avalanche.”

After their 127-105 loss to the Lakers on opening night, the Warriors are 0-2 for the first time since 2020-21. That’s two games with a healthy Curry they won’t get back.

“Everybody says there’s another game tomorrow,” Curry said. “But the idea of how important every game is for us … and the fact that we gave one away like this, you might lose a little sleep over it.”

Ty Jerome celebrates in the final moments of Grizzlies’ comeback win over the Warriors. Getty Images

Kerr, however, took a more measured stance.

“There’s 80 [more] games. We’ve lost a couple. We’ll bounce back,” he said. “You don’t think, ‘Does this sting more than any other game?’ You just move on.”

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Bears lead NFL in time of possession, but Ben Johnson would prefer one-play TD drives

The Bears lead the NFL in time of possession, but that doesn't matter to coach Ben Johnson.

"I've never been one for the time of possession stat. I don't know that that really equates to winning and losing, necessarily. And yet when you look up, we were possessing the ball more than our opponent more often than not," Johnson said.

The Bears' average time of possession of 35:30 per 60-minute game is the highest in the NFL, they've run 505 offensive plays this season, which is by far the most of any team, and they're the only team averaging more than 70 offensive plays per game. Johnson said he thinks about how long drives affect players, both on offense and defense, but that he's ultimately happier when his offense scores quickly than slowly.

"It's not something that we stress," Johnson said. "We really talk more about getting explosive plays. I would rather have a one-play drive for a touchdown than a 10-play drive for a touchdown. But the ability to stay efficient, stay on schedule, I think that's something that good offenses show that they can do."

The Bears have shown they're a good offense, even if sometimes it takes them longer to get into the end zone than Johnson would like.

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Will Jessie Bates be moved ahead of NFL Trade Deadline?

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 24: Jessie Bates III #3 of the Atlanta Falcons walks off the field for halftime during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 24, 2026 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

What is one of the biggest dominoes that led to the defense falling apart after 2022? The Cincinnati Bengals allowing safety Jessie Bates to walk in free agency. At the time, the front office was unwilling to meet Bates’ expectations for guaranteed money, and that led to him signing with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bengals have spent plenty of free agent and draft capital trying to replace what Bates did on the backend of this defense. Obviously, it all epically failed, which is why this past offseason the team went out and got safety Bryan Cook to bring a veteran to stabilize the position. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with an injury, but even if he is able to return, could Cincinnati take a flyer on Bates to pair with him?

The need is there. Jordan Battle has had serious issues. Kyle Dugger has also had injuries as well.

To be clear, I don’t this this is the move that is in the realm of reality for Cincinnati. I also do not think re-signing Bates back then would have magically fixed everything that went wrong defensively. Bates is in the final year of his contract, and the Falcons aren’t exactly shopping him around. I think if it was more than a Day 3 pick then the Bengals are instantly out.

Do I think that if they brought Bates in it would help? Absolutely.

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Tee Higgins certainly has had a fantastic start to his season. He usually only enjoys stretches like this if Ja’Marr Chase is missing a few games. It certainly seems like the defense has been allowing or even daring Joe Burrow to go Higgins way, and he has obliged. We will have to see because Chase usually has great games against Baltimore.

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There seems to be quite a bit of confidence in this Cincinnati squad coming off the bye. It would be a big win to maybe start a run that could propell this team into the post-season.

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Gutsy field goal decision bails out Caleb Williams’ mistake as Bears beat Patriots in ‘TNF’ thriller

Bears

A 58-yard field goal from Cairo Santos bailed out Caleb Williams late in Thursday night’s game after the Bears quarterback took a costly sack and almost knocked Chicago out of field goal range during a 30-24 win over the Patriots in Chicago. 

The kick was the longest that Santos has kicked in his career, extending the Bears’ lead and preventing Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense from getting the ball in good field position. 

THE GUTS pic.twitter.com/NtgOLumfBD

— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2026

The play before on a third-and-5, Williams dropped back to pass, but instead of finding a receiver, he started to scramble before being gobbled up by the defense and losing 10 yards. 

The sack set up a long field goal for Santos.

The 13-year veteran NFL kicker put it through the uprights with 1:34 remaining to give Chicago a nine-point lead. 

“These nights are awesome,” Williams said. “You play against another good team on a primetime game in a short week, these games are awesome because you get to see who you are as a team. That’s who we are. We’re a smashmouth football team, an innovative team. And when things happen and things don’t go our way and the water is rocky, we stay steady.”

It was a bit of a redemption story for Santos, who had failed to help the Bears take a two-score lead earlier in the fourth quarter. 

Cairo Santos (8) celebrates with teammates after kicking a 58-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 30-24 win over the Patriots on Oct. 22, 2026 in Soldier Field in Chicago. Getty Images

Caleb Williams reacts after Cole Kmet was injured during the fourth quarter of the Bears’ win over the Patriots. Getty Images

A 53-yard miss — which hit off the right crossbar — with eight minutes left allowed the Patriots to hang around a little longer.

Luckily for Santos and the Bears, he made sure to make his next kick. 

Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after the Bears’ win over the Patriots in Chicago. Getty Images

The Patriots were held to just a field goal on their subsequent drive, and they couldn’t recover the onside kick, sealing the win for the Bears. It was the Patriots’ first loss since Week 3.

— with AP

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Lakers’ Big 3 dominates in season-opening win over Warriors

The Lakers’ Luka Doncic era couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

And the game’s opening play foreshadowed what turned into a dominant 127-105 Lakers’ win over the Warriors Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers prepares to shoot a free throw during a game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. NBAE via Getty Images

As the shot clock was winding down, Doncic drove past Warriors star Draymond Green into the paint before tossing a lob to Lakers marquee offseason acquisition Walker Kessler for an alley-oop dunk to give the Lakers’ an early lead.

That scene – the 7-foot-2 center dunking – played routinely throughout both team’s season opener. 

Kessler finished with 10 dunks in his team debut with the Lakers.

His dunk toal was the most by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003, according to ESPN, and the most dunk by a player in the league’s play-by-play era (since 1996-97).

Kessler finished with 26 points on 12-of-12 shooting to go with 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

He joined Wilt Chamberlain (34 points on 14-14 shooting on March 11, 1969) as the only players in franchise history to record a perfect shooting night on at least 12 field goal attempts. 

Doncic led the Lakers with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, with the trash talking with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg in the second quarter igniting the Slovenian superstar. 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, left, tries to drive past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Austin Reaves added 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

After allowing the Warriors to score 33 points in the opening quarter, with Warriors superstar Steph Curry nearly half of his team’s points (16) in the first, the Lakers tightened up their defense in the second and third, allowing a combined 35 points in the middle quarters.

Curry finished with a team-high 23 points, playing just 21 minutes after the Lakers led by as many as 35 points early in the fourth.

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How Drake Maye and Caleb Williams stack up so far in their careers

The New England Patriots’ game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night will also be a matchup between two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL: Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, who both entered the league within the first three selections of the 2024 draft.

Williams was chosen first overall by the Bears out of USC, through a pick they originally obtained the previous year in a trade with Carolina. Maye came off the board two selections later, moving from North Carolina to New England as the No. 3 pick. They have since started their pro careers apart from one another — one in the AFC, the other in the NFC — but will now cross paths for a second time in three seasons.

This gives us an opportunity to take a closer look at how they stack up midway through Year 3.

Statistical comparison

Despite entering the NFL the same year, Maye and Williams began on different trajectories. Maye was a backup at first, while Williams began as a Day 1 starter. And yet, they are entering Thursday with the same number of combined regular season and playoff starts under their respective belts.

	Drake Maye	Caleb Williams
Games (starts)	40 (39)	39 (39)
Snaps	2,390	2,640
Attempts	1,133	1,311
Completions	766	794
Completion %	67.6%	60.6%
Yards	8,961	8,813
TDs	63	54
INTs	29	19
Yards/attempt	7.9	6.7
CPOE	6.0	-1.4
AdoT	9.1	8.5
Drops	31	55
Throwaways	54	91
Pressure %	38.3%	36.1%
Sacks	113	102
Carries	180	168
Rush yards	1,186	1,028
Yards/run	6.6	6.1
Rushing TDs	8	5
Fumbles (lost)	29 (15)	22 (6)
EPA/play	0.153	0.055

From a statistical perspective, Maye has been the superior player thus far from an efficiency perspective. He has completed passes at a higher rate, is willing and able to push the ball downfield, and is more dangerous as a runner. He also has scored more often and contributed more yards despite playing 250 fewer snaps.

That said, Williams has been better at taking care of the football. He has turned it over 25 times in 39 games compared to Maye’s 44 giveaways.

Both have also been hampered at times by uneven support, with Maye finding himself under pressure and on the ground more often. Williams, on the other hand, has seen his receivers drop 24 more passes in two and a half seasons so far.

Career accomplishments

Maye and Williams developed on a similar trajectory, and from a similar starting point. Their rookie seasons were plagued by organizational turmoil — both their head coaches were not retained after 2024 — and rosters not at a stage to help first-year quarterbacks to consistent success.

Since 2024, with Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson arriving in Foxborough and Chicago, respectively, their outlooks have changed. Maye made one of the most impressive second-year leaps in NFL history, and finished 2025 as a Pro Bowler, second-team All-Pro selections, as well as the MVP runner-up to eventual winner Matthew Stafford. He also led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance in seven years.

Williams has not enjoyed the same level of individual or team success yet. That said, with him at the helm Chicago won its first playoff game since 2010 last season.

In total, the Patriots are 21-14 with Maye as their starter in the regular season and 3-1 in the playoffs. The Bears are 18-19 and 1-1 when led by Williams.

Head-to-head

Maye and Williams met once before in their careers, in Week 10 of their respective rookie campaigns. New England, then led by head coach Jerod Mayo, traveled to Chicago to take on the Matt Eberflus-led Bears in a matchup between a 2-7 and a 4-4 team. Despite the Bears being favored by six points entering the contest, it was the visiting Patriots that came a way victoriously.

Their 19-3 victory was mostly a defensive one: their defense sacked Williams nine times, forced two turnovers on downs, and allowed the Bears to convert only one of 14 third downs. Their QB went 16-for-30 for 120 yards — one of the least productive outings of his career.

Drake Maye fared marginally better, going 15-for-25 for 184 yards with a touchdown and interception each. The score was a 2-yard connection with Ja’Lynn Polk in the late second quarter, and the only time New England found the end zone that day. All their other points came courtesy of kicker Joey Slye.

Outlook

Maye has been the more successful of the two quarterbacks so far, which is a testament to his own abilities and the support he enjoys in New England.

That doesn’t mean Williams is not equally supported in Chicago, but coaching experience does matter: Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels have a combined nine Super Bowl rings between them, and are both accomplished and well-proven in their positions as head coach and offensive coordinator. Williams has one of the NFL’s best young head coaches and most creative offensive play-callers and play-designers by his site in Ben Johnson, but Johnson is only in his second season as an NFL head coach.

Looking forward, Johnson and Williams will continue developing together, as will Maye alongside his own support staff on and off the field. And after this season, both are in contract extension territory. The expectation is that both will be signed to multi-year deals near the top of the market; depending on what happens down the stretch in 2026, both could reset the market altogether and become the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.

Even if they don’t, however, both the Patriots and Bears seem committed to their young quarterbacks in the long term. Accordingly, they will likely be locked up sooner rather than later.

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