Patrick Mahomes has added defensive prowess to his multitude of skills
However it’s the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs might just have their Tyreek Hill replacement that put the NFL on notice after just one game.
While Mahomes was busy showcasing behind the back passes in preseason, and brushing up on his defensive skills – it appears the NFL right to be concerned about the arrival of Xavier Worthy, handed to them by the Buffalo Bills.
As the Chiefs squeezed out a 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens to open the season on Thursday night – thanks to Isaiah Likely’s choice of cleats – it was a couple of additions to Mahomes weaponry that caught the eye.
Firstly, it was his alert-thinking that averted the first of four attempts that the Ravens had to put the two-time defending champions to bed.
Deep inside their own half, and on third down, Mahomes appeared to have handed the opposition a chance to win.
His attempted pass was tipped into the air by Trenton Simpson and ran loose to leave the Baltimore defense chasing a possible Pick Six – however Mahomes showed his athleticism to beat everyone else to the ball.
The recovery meant the Chiefs could punt the ball away and defend their line from further up the field and eventually hold on for the victory when Likely’s late touchdown was ruled out for the tight end’s toe being out of bounds.
While Mahomes is unlikely to be needed on defense too often, it is the arrival of Worthy that confirmed the league’s worst fears.
Handed the ball by Mahomes 20 yards outside the endzone, his first touch was a 21-yard weaving run through the Ravens defense that showcased his speed and elusiveness and levelled the game.
Taken with the 28th pick of the draft in April – a move that excited Mahomes on his social channels – following a trade with their AFC rival Buffalo Bills that allowed them to move up the board, the wide receiver enjoyed a stand out NFL debut.
The 21-year-old former Texans Longhorn racked up just two receptions, one run and 68 total yards from scrimmage – but those numbers were good for two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
Worthy is part of a retooled offense that includes Hollywood Brown – who missed the game through injury – the returning JuJu Smith-Schuster and last season’s key receiving pair of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce.
Worthy’s speed is likely to stretch the field and spell danger for Chiefs opponents who have not had to deal with electric speed since the days of Hill – who was traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Worthy ran a 40 yard dash record at the NFL Combine earlier this year, his 4.21secs mark making him the fastest player to ever enter the league.
For comparison John Ross, at 4.22secs, had held the record, while Hill ran a 4.29secs dash at his Pro Day and went on to be a fifth round pick for the Chiefs in the 2016 NFL Draft.
He recorded more than 6,000 yards for the Chiefs, at an average of 13.8 yards per catch and won Super Bowl LIV alongside Mahomes and Kelce.
For many it was a surprise that the Bills – in need of receiving help themselves – allowed the Chiefs to move up the board to potentially grab a receiver.
That Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach were able to claim the fastest man in the draft, caused outrage among fans on draft night in April – and did so again on Thursday.
“I think the Bills are going to regret trading the Chiefs the pick they used for Xavier Worthy,” Pro Football Talk Managing Editor Michael David Smith wrote on X.
XAVIER WORTHY HAS ARRIVED.
📺: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0612BrVxlJ— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024
Other fans went even further, predicting that the move might cost the rest of the NFL their chance to a third successive Chiefs Super Bowl.
“When the Chiefs are celebrating their three-peat in February, let us never lose sight of the fact that the Buffalo Bills directly made way for them to get Xavier Worthy,” one posted.
And another added: “Hilarious that the Buffalo Bills just gift wrapped and handed Xavier Worthy to the Kansas City Chiefs on draft night. Always a good idea to make your already insanely strong conference rivals even stronger.”
Kelce has already given his backing to Worthy, speaking ahead of the game he was in no doubt about what Worthy might be able to bring to the Chiefs offense.
“Some guys have the speed and some guys are just football players.
“He’s intelligent, he’s picking up on the offense very smooth, he can see things and react to things and then on top of that he has absolute speed that is just on a whole other stratosphere.
“He’s a fluid runner, he’s very smooth and he’s understanding when Pat (Mahomes) is going to come to him on the route.
“That’s the biggest thing in this offense and the biggest thing getting used to as a rookie being able to trust what you’re seeing so that you’re on the same page as your quarterback.”
