EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsKANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Kansas City Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy entered Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, he knew the team's offensive game plan was different for him."They told me all week it's going to be for me, and I've got to step up for the receiver room," Worthy said Sunday of the coaching staff following the Chiefs' Week 6 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. "Guys are down, so I did my job."The proof was demonstrated in the Chiefs' opening possession. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes' first passing attempt was for Worthy. As the game progressed, the Chiefs' need for Worthy to have a strong performance increased. Tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes' most reliable pass catcher, sustained a right ankle injury in the first quarter.Mahomes responded by trusting Worthy -- and the receiver kept rewarding the Chiefs. In his best performance of the season, Worthy, a third-year player, finished Sunday's game with a game-high seven receptions for 73 yards. The Chiefs' offense needed Worthy's production, too, especially since it was Mahomes' first game this season without his top receivers: Tyquan Thornton, who was placed on injured reserve last week after suffering a dislocated left ankle, and Rashee Rice, who is recovering from a strained right hamstring.Worthy on Wednesday compared getting targets early in Sunday's game that led to positive receptions when a basketball player swishes multiple shots in the first quarter."You hit five in a row [in basketball], it doesn't get any better than that," Worthy said, smiling. "It obviously built the confidence and led to a strong game."The 5-0 Chiefs will likely need similar play -- or even a better performance -- from Worthy in this Sunday's showdown against the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL's defending champion.For much of his career, Worthy has tried to become the speed threat many had hoped after he broke the record for the 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL combine (4.21 seconds). He showed sizable improvement as a rookie, recording 638 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns. But last season was a disappointment. He sustained a significant right shoulder injury on opening night when he collided with Kelce while running a crossing route.Coach Andy Reid acknowledged the Chiefs had to adjust the routes Worthy ran last season to better protect his shoulder. He finished with 532 receiving yards and one touchdown."People look at him because he's a little bit smaller and he's real fast, so they think of him as just a deep threat," Reid said of Worthy, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. "We've always looked at him like he can run shallow crosses, deep crosses. He can do all that stuff and [is] very good at it. He's tough and he's smart, so you can move him around a lot in a lot of different spots."In Sunday's game, Worthy caught the ball on crossing routes, beating zone and man-to-man coverage on different snaps. When the Chiefs asked him to work in the intermediate area of the field, he was able to create proper separation. All told, he led the team with 28 routes.Worthy never dropped the ball, either. He made multiple diving catches, becoming the Chiefs' first pass catcher this season to have a plus-17.1% catch rate over expected and a 100% catch rate with at least five targets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats."Xavier had another good day," Mahomes said Sunday. "If he keeps stacking those, it'll help out a ton, as we get Rashee back."In September, Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy called plays that manufactured short receptions for Worthy, hoping his speed could be used to create explosive gains. Instead, Worthy was unable to outrun defenders or break tackles on the perimeter. In the Chiefs' first three games, he recorded 10 receptions on 15 targets for just 63 yards.The biggest moment for Worthy during that month was when he ran a deep route on opening night against the Denver Broncos. Instead of running his route in front of the two safeties, he kept sprinting to split the defenders in hopes Mahomes would throw a deep pass for him to run under. Instead, Mahomes threw an intermediate pass that was intercepted."I thought one thing, he thought the other," Worthy said the following week of his miscommunication with Mahomes. "We both weren't wrong, but it's about getting on the same page and knowing what each other is going to do. It was a newer play that we didn't get a lot of reps of, so it's about understanding what [Mahomes] would rather like in [that] situation."Since the calendar flipped to October, Worthy has been a more effective receiver. The Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders in part because Mahomes was able to find receivers downfield against man-to-man coverage. Worthy ran a deep over route when the Raiders blitzed in the first quarter and made a contested catch for a 41-yard gain."I'm building momentum," Worthy said Sunday. "As a receiver, just getting that momentum and getting that first catch. That first deep ball, I felt like that's what unlocked it for me -- and I feel they trust me, just going out there and executing. Having the trust of your team is big."Worthy's role should continue to grow since Thornton is expected to be out until January."Me and Pat [are] building that relationship and [it's] me feeling stronger and better each and every week, just continuing to be that reliable target for Pat and making his job easier," Worthy said Wednesday. "If I go out there and do that, everything's going to come."With more opportunities from Mahomes likely, Worthy is eyeing the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. After beating the Chargers, Worthy was satisfied to make a bigger impact in the Chiefs' continued success."We're 5-0 -- and it's hard to be 5-0 in this league," Worthy said Sunday. "I feel like we're playing some of our best ball. Whatever I can do, whether it's getting targets or not, or taking two [defenders] or blocking in the run game for [running back Kenneth Walker], I'm going to do it."
