The Kansas City Chiefs had to sweat to extend their perfect start to the 2024 NFL season. Patrick Mahomes and company went into overtime to take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, but things could’ve been a bit different had Xavier Worthy scored an early touchdown.
In the opening drive of the game, Mahomes found Worthy wide open with a long pass that almost counts for six points, but the wideout stepped out of bounds before entering the end zone. However, the Chiefs quarterback made it clear that Worthy still did a great job on that play.
“He does a lot of great things,” Mahomes said of Worthy, via Sports Illustrated. “… He’ll learn from that, but I thought he did a great job on that play in general of recognizing the coverage and getting to the right spot.
“And regardless of stats and whatever it is, the threat of him over the top is getting a lot of other guys open. That gets lost in the swing of things, that you don’t see the big catches downfield, but I promise you the defenses are respecting his speed, and that’s helping getting guys like DeAndre [Hopkins] and Trav [Travis Kelce] open in that medium range.”
Xavier Worthy #1 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 04, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
It turned out to be a slow night for Worthy, who failed to record a reception in two targets against the Bucs. Either way, Mahomes knows that the wideout’s contribution to the Chiefs goes beyond what the stats sheet suggest.
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Mahomes optimistic about Worthy, but admits Chiefs have options
The Chiefs’ injuries in the 2024 NFL season, especially at wide receiver, had many wondering whether they would force Worthy to step up like Rashee Rice did in his rookie year in 2023. While Mahomes let his teammate know that the team has other alternatives now, he still believes the Texas product will make an impact.
“Rashee’s season was special last year, and we needed him to step up and have that role in the offense,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, we’ve gotten guys in here that I think take off that pressure of having one guy make all those big plays, but I think you’ll continue to see big games from him.
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“You’ve seen it in certain moments throughout the season, the big plays, you’ve seen certain plays where he’s caught the ball and scored touchdowns, and so I think his role will get bigger and bigger within the offense, but I think we’re probably more well-rounded as an offense in general, so maybe not as big of the numbers and stats that Rashee had last year.”
Mahomes echoes Reid’s comments on Worthy
Mahomes echoes the sentiment from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who strongly defended Worthy after this incompletion. Just like his quarterback, Reid thinks the rookie pass catchers will have bigger games in the rest of the 2024 NFL season.
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“He’s doing a good job,” Reid said of Worth. “… He didn’t have his number dialed up as much as he did the weeks in the past. I mean, most of the stuff going to (Travis) Kelce and ‘Eight’ (DeAndre Hopkins). But there’ll be weeks like that; his numbers called up more. That just says how it goes in these games. … He’ll learn from that, young guy. He’ll learn from it. You won’t see him step out of bounds very often. It was good, he can take something positive out of it, and then he could take something he can learn from out of it, too.”
