Even compared to the Chiefs’ middling offenses in 2023 and ’24, this year’s version has brought a new low for the Patrick Mahomes era. Operating without Rashee Rice and largely without Xavier Worthy, Kansas City has slogged through three unremarkable performances.
The Chiefs did manage a win over the Giants in Week 3, beating the hosts by two scores before Russell Wilson‘s demotion, but the team ranks 21st in scoring offense and 18th in yardage through three games. Although the Chiefs managed a Super Bowl win and another appearance with 15th-ranked offenses, their early-season form has brought concern.
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A key reinforcement is coming back, however. Worthy will play against the Ravens in Week 4. The Chiefs have not given the speedy wideout an injury designation, after he went through three full practices this week. Worthy has been sidelined since the first quarter of the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Chargers, suffering a shoulder injury after colliding with Travis Kelce on a crossing route.
Worthy managed three limited practices last week but was held out. The 165-pound pass catcher is attempting to play through a fully torn labrum by wearing a harness, delaying surgery. This gutsy effort will be interesting to observe, especially for a player Worthy’s size, but the 2024 first-rounder’s presence figures to make a difference for a team that has been unable to rely on its passing game much this season.
Kansas City has used ex-Patriots cuts Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster alongside Marquise Brown at receiver. Thornton scored two long-range touchdowns over the past two weeks, and Mahomes also missed him on a would-be long TD against the Eagles. Worthy’s return stands to impact Thornton’s usage, but the Chiefs’ offense will not look like its planned version until Rice’s six-game personal conduct suspension wraps. The Chiefs will face the Ravens, Jaguars and Lions before having Rice back against the Raiders in Week 7.
Trading up four spots (via the Bills) for Worthy at No. 28, the Chiefs observed an increasingly promising rookie season. His record-setting Combine 40-yard dash performance did not lead to a role as a Mahomes long-range weapon; rather, the Chiefs opted to use him more as a shorter-range target for catch-and-run purposes. Worthy caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie; like Rice, he showed promise down the stretch. Also logging 20 regular-season handoffs, the Texas product totaled at least 40 receiving yards in his final 10 games last season. This included an 85-yard showing in the AFC championship game and a garbage-time-fueled 157 in Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs will hope their preferred No. 2 wideout’s reemergence will give them a lift in a key Ravens matchup Sunday.