While it remains clear the Kansas City Chiefs need help at the receiver position, a positive byproduct of the recent struggles has been Xavier Worthy. It was beginning to become apparent that Worthy was a first-round bust when you looked at the numbers over the last season.
Worthy simply didn't have anything close to a consistent impact while also failing to offer the expected explosive plays. With this in mind, last Sunday's performance has the chance to be a defining moment for a player who was badly in need of a strong outing.
Worthy was the primary target for Patrick Mahomes, finishing with a perfect seven catches on seven targets for 73 receiving yards. No other Kansas City receiver had more than four targets in a game that both exposed the need for a meaningful addition at the position while championing the ability of Worthy.
Xavier Worthy finally delivers performance that Chiefs fans have been waiting for
This was the version of the Texas alum that fans expected to emerge behind Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce. A consistent option capable of utilizing impressive speed to find open space and help Mahomes keep the chains moving. What is now difficult to debate is whether this is the true growth that it appears to be or an outlier that isn't a sign of things to come.
It's not known how long Rice will be out with his current hamstring injury, but we do know that he won't play in Week 7 versus the Seattle Seahawks. Which means Worthy will once again have to step up and be the lead man against a truly impressive opposing secondary.
The first thing people talk about when bringing up Worthy is his speed. And rightfully so, the guy broke the record for the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL Draft Combine history. But what he was also really good at in college was route running. On all three levels.
Something that he hasn't been able to truly translate to the NFL level. But after two consecutive games of 70-plus yards, perhaps all Worthy needed was a confidence boost. If so, with him staying hot alongside the league's best rushing attack and help from Travis Kelce, maybe the Chiefs offense has a chance of putting up enough points to pull off the upset on the road.
Add us as a preferred source on Google