The Chiefs need Xavier Worthy to make his latest performance the new normal

Like just about everyone these days, I’m signed up for a bunch of subscription services. Netflix, Spotify, NFL Sunday Ticket, a whole bunch of them. But if I could, there is one more thing I’d like to sign up for—getting that kind of performance from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy every week.

Worthy was excellent in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week, stepping up when the Chiefs needed him most. Now, he’ll need to do it again against the Seattle Seahawks.

With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton both out with injuries last Sunday, Worthy had his best game of the year so far. His seven catches, seven targets, and 73 yards in the win were all season highs for Worthy and the most of any receiver on the day.

But maybe more importantly, Worthy looked good putting up those numbers. For the first time in more than a year, he looked like a genuine WR1.

Xavier Worthy's strong showing against the Chargers

We saw it from the very first play of the game. Patrick Mahomes found Worthy over the middle, with Worthy’s upfield burst turning a 10-yard pass into a 33-yard gain. The play was canceled out by a penalty, but it set the tone for the game.

Worthy got the ball again on the very next snap, this time making a diving grab to catch a rocket from Mahomes at full extension. He made a smooth one-handed grab on a 17-yard catch-and-run later in the first quarter and another diving grab late in the third.

It was the kind of performance Chiefs fans have been craving from Worthy, a player who entered the season with something to prove.

The 23-year-old impressed as a rookie in 2024, but his sophomore season last year was disrupted by a shoulder injury in Week 1 that changed the way the Chiefs used him on offense and derailed his entire season.

There were questions heading into this year about whether Worthy would be able to live up to his first-round expectations, and on Sunday we saw a clear sign that the answer might be yes.

Worthy's breakout performance was more than just numbers

Worthy’s 7 catches are tied for the second-most he’s had in a game in his career, and it’s the most receptions he’s had while also catching 100 percent of his targets.

Worthy looked fast out on the field too, something that hasn’t always been the case for a player who broke the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine. The Chiefs did a great job of working Worthy into space and giving him room to run, something we saw on the final play of the first half when a short pass turned into a 19-yard gain that got the Chiefs into field goal range.

It was exactly the kind of performance Kansas City needed from Worthy. He was a reliable target for Mahomes, he consistently got open, and he shouldered the load for a wide receiver group that, outside of him and Justin Watson (who didn’t have a target against the Chargers), has played just 11 games combined.

Was it a perfect game from Worthy? Not quite. The diving catch he made on the second play of the game actually could have gone for a touchdown instead.

Worthy stopped in a free pocket of space, but the whole field was open ahead of him, and he could have taken it to the house had he caught the pass from Mahomes on the run instead. But even still, the positives from the game far outweigh the one small negative of making an awesome diving catch when maybe he didn’t need to.

The Chiefs need this version of Xavier Worthy every week

Now, the challenge is for Worthy to turn in that kind of performance again and again, starting with Sunday night against the Seahawks.

Seven catches for 70 yards without a touchdown might not be a stat line that brings the house down, but it’s the piece on offense that complements a killer run game and creates space for a legendary tight end.

You can’t go broke making a profit, and last week Worthy was more than profitable for Kansas City. If I could lock in that kind of performance every week, I’d sign up in a heartbeat.

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