Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Xavier Worthy shrug off Bills’ ‘tell’ on body language
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bills rookie corner Maxwell Hairston identified pre-snap tells on Xavier Worthy.
- Patrick Mahomes and Xavier Worthy downplay the claim and pledge adjustments.
- Coach Andy Reid stresses tape study while Worthy returns from shoulder injury.
After the Buffalo Bills’ 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston told Go Long’s Tyler Dunne he could tell when Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy was about to get the ball based on his actions pre-snap.
“Finding a difference in his posture and his effort for real when he knows he’s not getting it, when it’s a run,” Hairston said, per Dunne. “So just applying what I saw from the film room and taking it out to the field. There are tells that everybody gives. It’s just about finding it.”
Hairston defended Worthy on three of his seven targets (per Pro Football Focus), including a key interception by Patrick Mahomes late in the fourth quarter, when pressure from Joey Bosa forced Mahomes to throw into double coverage.
Worthy later made an 18-yard grab against Hairston down the right sideline on Kansas City’s final drive. He finished with three receptions for 23 yards.
Asked Wednesday about Hairston’s comments, Mahomes seemed almost perplexed.
“I didn’t necessarily see it,” he said. “Obviously, if he said it, he saw something. We’ll be better at looking at things like that.”
In the locker room, Worthy did not sound like he was buying it.
“I don’t react to it,” he said. “If you couldn’t point out the indicator, then you’ve really seen no indicator. It just happens. It’s part of the game. We’re going to bounce back. I’ll be all right. You put it on the back burner — you don’t worry about it.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid explained that tells like that are just part of the game.
“Everybody’s got a tendency somewhere along the line — that’s how it works,” Reid said. “If you watch enough tape, you’re going to see certain things. The objective is to give them that against different looks. We look at all that and try to keep track of that, and we ask players to do the same thing. Xavier’s a smart kid — he gets all that.”
After suffering a shoulder injury on the third play of the season-opener, Worthy missed the next two games before returning in Week 4. Since then, he’s averaged 42.7 yards per game, which is actually about five yards more than his 2024 regular-season average of 37.5. The second-year pro spent the bye week “getting some sun” in Texas, as he described it, adding that his shoulder now feels strong enough that he got in a couple rounds of golf. He said his newfound hobby provides him some peace.
Now back to work, Worthy has turned his attention to being an even better player in the second half.
“You want to critique certain things,” he said. “It’s just getting better at the little things, making the most of my opportunities, and just going out there and making plays.”
And sure — perhaps a small part of that will be making sure he cleans up any pre-snap indicators.. Mahomes, now in his eighth season as Kansas City’s starter, shrugged off Hairston’s words with a grin. “I appreciate the info,” Mahomes said, chuckling, “so we can be better as that as the season goes on.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM.
