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Is Xavier Worthy becoming the force every team fears to face?
After a relatively slow start to his rookie year, Xavier Worthy has emerged as one of the most dangerous weapons in the Kansas City Chiefs offense.
As the Chiefs prepare to take on arguably the NFL's most talented secondary in Super Bowl LIX, much of the Eagles' defensive game plan will revolve around stopping the 21-year-old.
DAZN News examines whether Worthy is becoming the latest weapon that NFL defenses dread.
Charting Worthy's Rise
One month into the 2024 NFL season, Xavier Worthy was labelled a "gadget player" by some NFL fans and pundits.
The term—often used to describe a player who can contribute in multiple ways—can also infer that the player cannot consistently contribute at a specific position.
It was perhaps a fair reflection after Worthy's modest start to his NFL season. In his first nine games, the rookie managed only 246 receiving yards and 37 rushing yards.
Then the lights came on. Comparing Worthy's output before and after week 10 is like night and day.
Over his next nine games, Worthy had 50 receptions for 522 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Worthy's upward trajectory reached a pinnacle in the Chiefs' most important game of the season as he scored a touchdown and led the team with a season-high 85 receiving yards in the Divisional Championship win over the Buffalo Bills.
What's more, Worthy proved to be a consistent and reliable outlet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, accounting for six of the Chiefs' 14 first downs.
The youngster seemed fated to play a pivotal role in the game's outcome after admitting pre-game that playing Buffalo "means a little more" because they "traded away their pick".
Of course, he was referring to how the Bills traded back in the 2024 NFL Draft, allowing the Chiefs to move up and select Worthy with the 28th overall pick.
Worthy also made his feelings clear about that trade post-game:
What's next for Worthy?
After running the fastest-ever 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and being subsequently drafted by the Chiefs, Worthy drew comparisons to Tyreek Hill, the speedy former Chiefs receiver who dominated NFL defenses between 2016 and 2021.
Worthy is 3" taller and 19 lbs lighter than Hill, but both players possess the stop-start ability to make defenders miss and the long speed to stretch the field.
It may seem unfair to expect Worthy to establish a career as successful as Hill's, but it's well within his scope of outcomes -Hill and Worthy's rookie starts were remarkably similar.
Worthy did not surpass 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie year, so his contribution will be considered inferior to the impact Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, and Ladd McConkey made for their respective teams.
However, Worthy has greater competition for targets in an offense that emphasises spreading the ball to several receivers.
Target volume may again be a challenge for Worthy in 2025, considering Travis Kelce seems unlikely to retire, and Rashee Rice is set to return from the injury that cost him most of the 2024 season.
Still, Worthy's connection with Mahomes looks set to flourish for many more years. The electrifying playmaker will undoubtedly play a significant role in the Chiefs' offense going forward, including in Super Bowl LIX.
NFL defenses, beware.
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