KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Not many wide receivers have made a big impression during their rookie seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Xavier Worthy, however, has done just that.
When the Chiefs drafted Worthy in the first round this season out of Texas, they were hoping he could be a vertical threat for Patrick Mahomes. Worthy has been that and more for the Chiefs, especially over his last seven games. In that stretch, Worthy has caught 39 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns — after catching just 20 passes for 246 yards and three scores during his first nine games.
Now Worthy is looking to continue his late-season surge when the Chiefs take on the Texans at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in the divisional round of the playoffs.
“I felt like I’ve always had the confidence,” Worthy said. “It’s just more understanding the game. Football now in the NFL is different than college so I feel like I’m catching on.”
With the exception of the Week 18 game against the Broncos, Worthy has caught at least five passes in each of his last five games, including eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers on Christmas.
Worthy credited his rise in the second half of the season to veterans DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown. The Chiefs traded for Hopkins in October, and Brown finally made his season debut in December after inuring his shoulder in the preseason.
“I feel like I’m understanding the game more being around guys that’s been around and done it,” Worthy said. “And getting it from them and understanding their knowledge has helped me evolve as a player.”
Worthy, who clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL history at 4.21 seconds, has also contributed as a runner, carrying the ball 20 times for 104 yards and three touchdowns. And while his speed and versatility might be the first things that come to mind for fans, it’s Worthy’s overall grasp of the offense that has impressed Mahomes the most.
“I think the offense started coming to him better,” Mahomes said. “He had been open earlier in the year. I think for me, it’s just the more and more reps we got, I started hitting him on some of those passes.
“He’s a smart kid. He works extremely hard. And usually when you do that and you’re that talented, good things happen. You just stay with the process, and he’s done that, and that’s why he’s gotten better and better as the year has went on.”
Worthy’s season is somewhat similar to that of Rashee Rice last year. The then-Chiefs rookie struggled early before turning it on in the second half of the season. And Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he knew Worthy would improve in time.
“He’s a smart kid,” Reid said. “You can see the talent. You know it was a matter of time. We saw that with Rashee the year before. We’ve seen it with a bunch of receivers over time. So as long as they’re willing to work and are smart and have the skills, which he has, you just hang with it, and they’ll work through it. He’s done a nice job.”
But don’t look for Worthy to be nervous making his playoff debut. He said the veterans are helping him keep everything in perspective.
“I’m just treating it like any other game,” Worthy said. “I’ve got a lot of vets in the room, so they kind of make it easy on me and treat it like a normal game.”
