The Kansas City Chiefs have returned to their winning ways in 2026, as their 24-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday made them just one of five unbeaten teams remaining. The Chiefs' performance in South Beach was closer to a middle school art project than the Mona Lisa, but they still flew home with a two-touchdown victory.
Patrick Mahomes was once again superb, completing 20 of his 24 pass attempts for 246 yards (10.3 YPA) with two touchdowns and one interception. While Kenneth Walker III wasn't as productive as in the first two contests (70 rushing yards on 18 carries), he still found the end zone twice, once on the ground and once through the air. The Chiefs also got a very strong performance from Rashee Rice, who added 7 catches for 88 yards, by far his most productive outing of the young season.
While there has not been much to complain about with the Chiefs' offense to this point, their receiving room has still left plenty to be desired. While Rice's performance on Sunday was encouraging, Xavier Worthy is still struggling to produce, as the third-year wideout has just 10 receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown through three games. After a promising rookie campaign in 2024, Worthy has unfortunately been a disappointment over the past year and change.
Last season, the Texas product's lackluster statistical output could be chalked up to injuries, as on his first route of the season, a collision with Travis Kelce caused him to miss nearly three games with a shoulder injury. After a strong showing in his season debut against the Ravens, in which he hauled in 5 receptions for 83 yards, Worthy failed to eclipse 65 receiving yards for the rest of the season. In total, he caught 42 passes for 532 yards and just one touchdown in 2025. Worthy was targeted 73 times, so he managed to catch just 57% of his targets from a year ago.
In Worthy's rookie season, he was forced into an elevated role due to Rice suffering a season-ending torn ACL in just the fourth week. While the youngster got off to a bit of a slow start (20 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the first nine games), he started to improve his play down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Over the Chiefs' final ten games, Worthy answered the bell as Mahomes' go-to wide receiver, catching 58 passes for 679 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was additionally excellent when it mattered most, notching 6 receptions for 85 yards and a score in the Chiefs' AFC Championship win over the Bills. Then, in Super Bowl LIX, Worthy had the best statistical outing of his career, with 8 catches for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns. It looked by the end of that season like the Chiefs had found themselves a bona fide offensive weapon that they could build around.
Unfortunately, it appears as if Worthy is more likely to fall down the Chiefs' pass-catching pecking order than he is to become the star they hoped he would become.
Since 2024, Worthy has played in 16 full games. In those contests, his per-game averages have rounded out to 3 catches and 37 receiving yards per game, with just two touchdowns in this time span. Heading into this season, the optimism surrounding Worthy came from the Chiefs finally having a legitimate rushing attack with Walker and from the fact that he would not be hampered by injuries. Additionally, who on the Chiefs can one honestly say played to their potential in 2025? It was fair to be hopeful that Worthy would bounce back from his disappointing sophomore campaign.
While it is still early, Worthy has had an underwhelming start to his third season. Through three games, the 2024 first-rounder has recorded 10 receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown. This averages out to a measly 6.3 yards per reception. For context, Tyquan Thornton, who is behind Worthy in the rotation, has 45 more receiving yards than him, despite having four fewer receptions.
The Chiefs' offensive renaissance has masked the struggles of a player who once looked to potentially be an offensive centerpiece. Travis Kelce has turned back the clock and looks as if he's in his prime again, Kenneth Walker has added a dimension that the Chiefs' offense has never had in the Mahomes era, and Rashee Rice has shown that he can be a strong asset to the team's passing offense. However, if Worthy does not improve his performance, he could be at risk of losing playing time to the likes of Thornton, rookie Cyrus Allen, or, dare I say, Tyreek Hill, should the Chiefs seek a reunion there.
Even in the Chiefs' exciting primetime home wins in their first two weeks, Worthy made critical errors in those contests. In the third quarter against Denver, with the game still in doubt, Worthy ran the wrong route, which led to an easy interception for Broncos safety Brandon Jones. On this play, Mahomes expected Worthy to sit in the zone, but the third-year receiver continued to run downfield, leading to the turnover. Then, in the Chiefs' thrilling Sunday Night victory over the Colts, Worthy had multiple passes hit his hands that fell incomplete and recorded 25 yards on 69 offensive snaps. This past weekend, against arguably the league's worst secondary in Miami, he hauled in 2 passes for 20 yards on 43 snaps.
Worthy's lack of production is not the only concern, as his advanced metrics are even more troubling. Worthy's Pro Football Focus receiving grade sits at a cool 56.8, which ranks 75th among 84 qualified wide receivers. PFF is polarizing among fans, and many take its metrics with a grain of salt, but the fact is Worthy has been one of the league's worst receivers through 3 weeks by its grading. In some cases, a receiver's lack of production could be due to factors outside of their control, such as poor quarterback play. According to these grades, that has not been the case, as Worthy's suboptimal box score stats have reflected his individual performance.
It would not be entirely fair to write Worthy off as a complete bust at this point. It is still early in his career, and he will have more chances to prove himself this season, including this Sunday against a questionable Raiders secondary. Worthy has also shown the ability to be a high-quality receiver in the NFL, as proven by the way he finished his rookie season. Unfortunately, it has been quite some time since he has proven to be a reliable asset to the Chiefs' offense, and time could be running out if he doesn't start contributing more. If Worthy can regain the form that he showed down the stretch in 2024, the Chiefs' offense could be a threat to score on every drive.
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