Marquise Brown is a certified “primetime” player

Over the past two seasons, the Baltimore Ravens have been in a handful of big games. They have had plenty of success and huge wins, but also their fair share of heart-breaking losses and defeats. With a loaded roster, the Ravens have plenty of guys who have been difference makers in these big spots.

There is one player who shines especially bright whenever the primetime lights come on, though: wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

Dating back to Week 11 last season, the Ravens entered a six-game stretch in which every matchup was essentially a must-win. They ended up going 5-1 in those games and clinched a playoff berth. Brown showed up in every single one of those games. He produced a total stat line of 26 catches, 338 yards, and six touchdowns over this six-game span. He then followed this stretch with two really solid performances in the playoffs.

Brown was a major factor in the Wild Card victory against the Titans with 128 total yards on nine touches. He also looked like one of the only bright spots in the Divisional loss in Buffalo, hauling in four grabs for 87 yards — good for 21 yards per catch. Going even deeper, specifically looking at just primetime games during his career in Baltimore, Brown has scored eight touchdowns in nine games under the lights.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Brown’s importance to this team in big games goes far beyond his numbers as well. He is cut from the same cloth as Lamar Jackson: young, energetic, south Florida natives who just love playing football. They have such great friendship off the field and it is easy to see how much that chemistry translates to on-field success. The “jump pass” touchdown from Sunday night is a great example of that awesome chemistry. Jackson and Brown may not be the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the league in terms of raw statistics, but they’re one of the best in terms of a mind-meld between two players.

Just two weeks into this 2021 season, the Ravens have dealt with major injuries across the team. In particular on offense, where they lost their entire running back depth chart and first-round pick Rashod Bateman. Bateman will be back soon, but the Ravens needed someone on offense to desperately make a leap in their development.

So far, through two games, “Hollywood” ranks 10th in the NFL in receiving yards with 182. He had hauled in 12 of his 16 targets for a 75% catch rate. Nine of his 12 grabs have gone for first downs. In other words, Brown looks absolutely primed for a third-year breakout campaign.

Once Bateman comes back into the fold, the Ravens’ passing attack has the looks of the best group of talent Jackson has ever had. Mark Andrews, Sammy Watkins, and Bateman alone are a great trio of pass-catchers. But the player who Lamar will continue to trust in the biggest moments this season is “Primetime Jet” himself, Marquise Brown.