QB-WR Connection: Chiefs’ WR Worthy Working to Align With Mahomes
One of the biggest mysteries across the NFL this season has been why it has been such a struggle for Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes to get on the same page with first-round rookie speedster Xavier Worthy.
Worthy was hailed as the difference-maker who could take the top off opposing defenses and throw open the Chiefs’ playbook in the vertical passing game.
However, to date, Mahomes and Worthy have struggled to connect on deep passes and have often seemed just a hair off when it comes to big-play possibilities when the quarterback airs it out in the former Texas Longhorn’s direction.
“Right now, I feel like it’s just a little bit of thinking going through my head,” Worthy said a couple of weeks ago, via The Athletic. “I’m still trying to figure things out.”
Through his first 10 NFL games, Worthy has caught 24 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns, while averaging 12.8 yards per reception.
However, as Pro Football Focus points out, Mahomes has just a 86.1 passer rating when targeting Worthy who is averaging 12.8 yards after the reception per catch, underscoring that many of his big plays have come on screen passes or throws near the line of scrimmage.
“As the season has gone on, he’s playing faster,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday of Worthy. “He has more confidence. It’s about me being on the same page as him. We can practice it all we want, but until we start doing it in the game, there’s not much more I can say about it.”
Time will tell if more snaps together will make a difference, but if Mahomes and Worthy do wind up finding a way to get on the same page down the stretch, the Chiefs’ offense is going to be even more lethal for opposing secondaries.
