Where Chiefs coaches see progress in Xavier Worthy: ‘A hard thing to do as a rookie’
Kansas City Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy pulled off a Travis Kelce-like move late in last Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That is ... he broke off the route he was supposed to run and then made a game-changing play for his team.
Chiefs pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier complimented the 21-year-old Worthy for that Thursday, saying quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ third-and-10 pass to Worthy for 14 yards in the fourth quarter happened only because of Worthy’s instincts.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to move the chains, and we’ve got to get the first down,” Bleymaier said. “And he’s been able to separate — and it’s a very small, just a subtle difference — but he’s been able to show up in those downs and distances and move the chains.”
Specifically, Bleymaier talked Thursday about something he’s mentioned before: The Chiefs’ playbook being filled with “blurry lines.”
Technically, a play asks a receiver to run the exact line shown in the playbook. But if the defense plays you a certain way? Or if Mahomes is in scramble mode?
Those lines — on purpose — are supposed to be able to change, with those post-snap adjustments becoming one of the Chiefs’ most dangerous tools offensively.
Like a pick-and-roll in basketball, the Chiefs’ offense can become fluid instead of static. Those real-time adjustments make pass plays tougher to defend, as freelance becomes a virtue to strive for instead of a sin to avoid.
All of this in moderation, though. Bleymaier says on first and second downs, it’s usually best to stick to the assignment and run a route the way it’s designed. It’s the easiest way to ensure the Chiefs aren’t accidentally cluttering themselves in space.
But this is where the nuance comes in. Worthy is starting to sense when he should stay in his lane — and also when he can cut across traffic.
“That’s a hard thing to do as a rookie, because it shifts within the game on how you run those routes,” Bleymaier said. “But on those third downs he’s converting, you’re seeing ... he’s running his route, then he’s making a play.”
The third-and-10 completion against the Chargers provides a perfect example.
Bleymaier said Worthy had the deep route on this particular setup. He started in the right spot for the first few seconds before “the clock just went off in his head.”
Sensing the ball should’ve been thrown by that point — and because it hadn’t, Mahomes likely was moving around the pocket — Worthy turned his head around and located his QB, then worked back to the football for the 14-yard catch.
Early in the year, Bleymaier said, Worthy probably continues his route toward the pylon in the end zone. The playbook wouldn’t have said he was wrong.
This time, though, he pivoted to help Mahomes.
And the Chiefs might’ve lost the game if he didn’t.
“He’s getting better and better,” Mahomes said of Worthy. “I think he’s just playing with such more confidence.”
The Chiefs also have asked more of Worthy lately.
Early on, he mostly ran deep routes, often used as a decoy to stretch the field vertically.
Recently, though, Bleymaier said the Chiefs are working to give him new tools so he can get easier completions.
Worthy’s speed has to be respected deep, so improving his stop-and-starts — like on out routes or “whips” where he pivots inside and then out — has improved his versatility while also upping his production.
His targets are increasing. Worthy has a career-high five catches in each of his last two games, and he’s also posted more than 40 receiving yards in four straight contests.
How he’s getting those numbers has been shifting lately as well.
For the season, NFL’s Next Gen Stats has Worthy with advanced stats typical of a downfield threat; he’s averaged 10.7 air yards per target and created an average of 3.8 yards of separation.
Worthy’s output Sunday against the Chargers looked nothing like that. His average air yards per target was down to a season-low 4.2, while his average separation was 4.8 yards — his best mark of his season.
In simple terms: Worthy is becoming more valuable by making himself into a new and viable target on shorter throws.
“He’s showing his versatility in how he’s able to work underneath, catch the ball, get yards after catch and stuff like that,” Mahomes said. “And I think he’s going to continue to get better and better, which is going to help us going into the postseason.”
