Xavier Worthy had words before the game.
As the Kansas City Chiefs finalized their preparations for hosting the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead on Sunday, Worthy spoke publicly about the Bills and how he felt slighted by them in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was, he said, also intent on some revenge.
As it turns out, Worthy is a player who both talks and walks.
For the sake of review, the Bills were on the clock at No. 28 overall near the bottom of the first round when the Chiefs called them to move up into the spot. The Chiefs selected Worthy, while the Bills slid down one more spot in a deal with the Carolina Panthers to ultimately take another wide receiver prospect in Keon Coleman.
Earlier this week, Worthy spoke with the media after practice and talked about his feelings when facing Buffalo.
"I take it as a blessing and I feel like it's a sign that they didn't want me," Worthy said. "At the end of the day, I'm going to play with my chip on my shoulder. This game means a little bit more. Obviously, it's the AFC championship game, but this is a team that traded their pick away to get somebody else."
On Sunday night at Arrowhead, Worthy got his revenge and then some. Worthy was a factor from the very beginning and had five catches in the first half—as many as every other pass catcher combined for the Chiefs. He finished the night with 6 catches for 85 yards and another 2 carries for 16 yards.
Not only did Worthy put up a great night of overall production, but he added plenty of flash as well. Mahomes found Mahomes early on an 11-yard score where Worthy's speed helped him beat Bills' defenders to the outside.
While his speed is his calling card, his toughness has been the most surprising aspect of his game for the Chiefs. Check out this play from the second quarter:
Worthy led all players in receiving yards from either team and earned more targets than any other Chiefs receiver. With 101 yards from scrimmage, he also led all Chiefs in total offense (and only Buffalo RB James Cook had more on the night).
Worthy finished the regular season with a solid stat line of 59 catches for 638 yards and 6 touchdowns, but it's the way he specifically turned it on in the second half (and how much more the coaches trusted him) that is the real story. He had 392 of those yards from Week 11 forward and he's remained a primary offensive pillar even as the postseason has unfolded.
As the Chiefs look forward to Super Bowl LIX, Worthy is going to be a major x-factor for the Chiefs. Whether the Philadelphia Eagles will have an answer is anyone's guess, but so far, no team has been able to keep Worthy from looking like a future star.
