Xavier Worthy’s debut for Chiefs went deeper than his 2 touchdowns

The rookie had two memorable highlights, but there was more to be excited about from his first game.

With Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs seem to be in a prime position to contend for Super Bowl LIX. Offense was down across the league, and the Chiefs ended the season-opening slate on top in efficiency.

The Chiefs’ offense averaged a league-high 7.1 yards per pass play and also tied two teams for first downs by passing (15). The production occurred despite wide receiver Hollywood Brown being sidelined.

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy produced 68 total yards and two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, but he contributed much more over the 34 snaps he played on offense.

Here’s a closer look at Worthy’s electric NFL debut:

Opening up the middle of the field

Worthy ran 23 routes for the Chiefs in Week 1; 11 were categorized as vertical routes, according to NFL Pro. One turned into an exciting touchdown, but others resulted in open space for a teammate.

On this play, the Chiefs hurry to the line in a unique, heavy formation: both tight ends are in the backfield. This sets up a play-action pass against the Ravens’ heavy personnel. The Chiefs flood the right side of the field with routes, including Worthy on a deep corner.

Worthy’s route not only grabs the attention of the near safety, it also catches the eye of the backside safety, who continues gaining depth as Worthy works downfield. That opens up the middle of the field for wide receiver Justin Watson from the backside. He has ample room to catch and turn upfield for more yardage because both safeties were so deep.

Worthy also helped give the Chiefs a chance to seal the game on offense. On third down, the Chiefs’ last offensive snap, Worthy releases vertically between the two deep safeties. The far safety wants to drop into the middle of the field and potentially pick up tight end Travis Kelce coming across, but Worthy’s speed to the other side of the field forces that safety to continue gaining depth.

That takes away a help defender for Ravens’ linebacker Roquan Smith, who is now on an island with Kelce and wide receiver Rashee Rice working across the field. That advantage nearly ended the game, but linebacker Trenton Simpson makes an instinctual play to follow Mahomes and get in the way of a throw back to Rice.

Missed opportunities

Worthy only touched the ball three times against Baltimore, but there were additional opportunities for a big play that were passed over.

On one play before Worthy’s reverse touchdown on the opening drive, the Chiefs sent him on a crossing pattern, using Rice as the on-ball receiver to help give Worthy a free release. With a step on the cornerback, Worthy is open across the middle quickly.

However, Mahomes is uncomfortable in the pocket and loses his dropback footwork before the window between the linebacker and Kelce opens up. If Mahomes hung in the pocket a beat or two longer, Worthy may have scored on a long catch and run. No defender was in good position to cut him off after the catch.

On this third down in the red zone, Worthy works across the field against man coverage again. The defender trailing him stays in good position, but Worthy still has a step on him to the sideline. Worthy is also incredibly fast to clear the strong safety, looking to pick up a route over the middle, and leaves him flat-footed, unable to defend the throw.

The pass turns into a jump ball due to pressure on Mahomes, leading to a back-footed pass. If he had space to step into the throw, there’s a better chance he can lead Worthy to the sideline and away from his defender for a completion — and possibly a third touchdown.

Being an option on clear-out routes

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson uncorked a pass that traveled over 65 yards in the air during Week 1. We haven’t seen a bomb like that from Mahomes since he had wide receiver Tyreek Hill on his team, but Worthy may provide the two-time MVP with chances to use the arm cannon more.

Here, Worthy goes in motion and is used as a clear-out route on the outside, basically trying to take zone defenders with him deep. However, Worthy’s record-breaking speed gets him on top of the defense quickly.

Mahomes makes the clever play here, checking down after not liking his options over the middle (plus left tackle Kingsley Suamataia gives way to pressure). That said, he may see this and remember similar plays later this season. If nothing else is open, Mahomes’ “checkdown” could be launching a bomb downfield and letting Worthy track it.

The bottom line

The Chiefs’ offense was nowhere near its best in Week 1, which should scare the rest of the NFL. Despite the absence of Hollywood Brown, the Chiefs’ pass game was still efficient — and the team still created big plays when needed.

Worthy was a much bigger part of the unit’s success than just two touchdowns. His speed is already opening things up for the offense; when Brown’s back in the mix, it will be a nightmare for opposing secondaries.