KC Chiefs-Ravens players to watch: Old friends alert + thinking about team Hall of Fame
An “old friends alert” sounds when the Chiefs visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
Here are some players to watch on both sides of the ball, besides quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
The old friends alert goes both ways. Brown was traded from the Ravens to the Chiefs after last season and plays left tackle, a position that was filled in Baltimore.
Brown spent his first three NFL seasons in Baltimore, playing in the city where his dad, Orlando Brown Sr., spent six of his nine seasons in the league. Dad died of diabetic ketoacidosis at age 40 when Orlando Jr. was in high school in 2011. When he played games at M&T Bank Stadium, Orlando Jr., would look up at the suite level, where his family watched Dad play.
Orlando Brown Jr. was so-so in the Chiefs’ opening-game victory over the Browns. “I’ve got to play better, and I will,” Brown said. This is his next chance.
Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill
No telling if Thornhill will start against the Ravens. He got the call last weekend because Tyrann Mathieu was a game-time scratch, and Mathieu is expected to play this week.
The Chiefs could go with Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen at safety. But Thornhill had good moments against the Browns. His forced fumble on Nick Chubb was the game’s first big defensive play for the Chiefs, and he had a nice pass breakup in the fourth quarter when the Chiefs were protecting the lead. There were some tough moments as well, but Thornhill’s play in the opener was encouraging for a player seeking to regain his 2019 rookie form.
Ravens receiver Sammy Watkins
Watkins had many good moments in his three seasons with the Chiefs. The biggest? His 38-yard reception late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV that set up the go-ahead touchdown against the 49ers.
But his best game might have come in the opener that season: his three touchdowns and 198-yard receiving total were career bests. Watkins had a beautiful over-the-shoulder grab last week against the Raiders and got his Ravens tenure off to a nice start by averaging 24 yards on four catches.
Ravens linebacker Justin Houston
Houston spent his first eight seasons in the NFL with the Chiefs. Those years included four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro selection. The peak came in 2014, when he recorded a team-record 22 sacks.
The Colts signed Houston after the 2018 season, and he spent two seasons in Indy before moving on to Baltimore. In his one regular-season game against the Chiefs, for Indianapolis in 2018, Houston recorded a sack. Is he a Chiefs Hall of Famer? He ranks fourth on the franchise’s career sack list with 78 1/2, behind Derrick Thomas (126 1/2), Tamba Hali (89 1/5) and Neil Smith (88 1/2). Hali and Smith went to five Pro Bowls.
The careers of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are tracking toward the Pro Football Hall Fame, but there’s another group that started with Andy Reid and didn’t get to a Super Bowl that should be strongly considered for the team’s hall of fame. Houston, Hali, Smith, Derrick Johnson, Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry are part of that group.