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.

The Chiefs have ruled out second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy for their Week 3 matchup with the Giants, per a team announcement.

Worthy was knocked out of the game in Week 1 in a collision with teammate Travis Kelce. The injury, later diagnosed as a labrum tear, sidelined Worthy for Week 2, but the Chiefs expressed optimism about his Week 3 status last Sunday. He was considered “50-50” on Friday, but did not make enough progress to play against the Giants.

Worthy’s absence will once again place a significant burden on Kansas City’s other pass-catchers. The Chiefs offense has been middling in an 0-2 start, but it should have a bounce-back opportunity in New York on Sunday night. The Giants have allowed 910 yards this year, the most in the NFL through two games, including 555 yards through the air.

That should allow Marquise Brown and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ leading receivers, to thrive in some winnable matchups. JuJu Smith-Schuster was reliable in Week 2, catching all five of his targets for 55 yards, while Tyquan Thornton has emerged as a deep threat with 25.0 yards per catch. As a result, Sunday night should be less of a concern for the Chiefs, and holding Worthy out might be a wise move to preserve his long-term healthy, especially since he’s elected not to undergo surgery.

However, the Chiefs will be hoping that Worthy can get back on the field for tough upcoming matchup’s with two Super Bowl contenders in the Ravens and the Lions in the next three weeks. Rashee Rice will not return from his suspension until Week 7, so Worthy’s availability for those games will be crucial for Kansas City’s success.

Ruled out for Week 2 because of the friendly-fire shot he absorbed from teammate Travis Kelce on a crossing pattern in Brazil, Xavier Worthy is not expected to be out long for the Chiefs. The speedy second-year player may end up missing only one game.

Specifics on Worthy’s injury had not surfaced until Sunday, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the Kansas City wideout is battling a fully torn labrum. Rather than undergo surgery, Worthy will attempt to play through the injury by using a harness.

Earlier this week, Andy Reid said Worthy was unlikely to land on IR. While the Chiefs are holding him out for their Week 2 matchup with the Eagles, they are aiming to have him against the Giants next week. Using a harness to navigate a labrum tear is not unheard of, but a player of Worthy’s size (165 pounds) attempting to do so will make for a more interesting effort.

This does represent positive news for the Chiefs, as a Worthy surgery would have left them in dire straits at receiver. The three-time reigning AFC champions are without Rashee Rice due to a six-game suspension. They will roll out a receiving group headlined by Marquise Brown today, with JuJu Smith-Schuster — re-signed to just a one-year, $1.42MM deal this offseason — likely set to play a key role.

Kansas City has been unable to keep its preferred receiving trio healthy since assembling the pieces last year. During the 2024 preseason, Brown went down with a shoulder injury that did require surgery. Weeks later, Rice suffered an LCL tear that sidelined him for the season’s remainder. Rice has since recovered but is out of the mix due to a suspension in connection with a hit-and-run accident that brought eight felony charges. Brown worked as Patrick Mahomes‘ top target in Week 1, catching 10 passes (on a whopping 16 targets) for 99 yards against the Chargers.

The Chiefs have steadily seen Mahomes fall off the stratospheric pace he set during his early seasons as their starter. Their receiver plan, Travis Kelce‘s presence notwithstanding, has undoubtedly contributed to the soon-to-be 30-year-old passer’s production dip. Kelce’s dominant 2022 season helped the Chiefs after their Tyreek Hill trade, but the increasingly popular tight end has been in decline since that Suepr Bowl LVII-winning season. That component has amplified the issues the Chiefs have run into post-Hill.

Rumors about a Hill-Chiefs reunion appear premature, with the Dolphins holding off on any trade talks involving the mercurial standout. The Chiefs are also focusing on having Worthy healthy and paired with Rice (come late October) rather than reacquiring the star they developed, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

While Mahomes remains one of the NFL’s best players, the Chiefs have ranked 15th in scoring offense in each of the past two years. They have increasingly relied on Steve Spagnuolo‘s defense for protection against running into shootout game scripts, but that unit struggled against the Chargers. The Eagles will present a challenge as well, but the team will hope to begin reassembling its receiving corps soon after this Super Bowl LIX rematch.

The Chiefs, already short-handed at the wide receiver position due to Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension, are now expected to be without Xavier Worthy for an undetermined amount of time, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Worthy collided with teammate Travis Kelce during Kansas City’s Week 1 loss to the Chargers on Friday, and he sustained a dislocated shoulder as a result. 

Worthy will obtain a second opinion on the matter, and Rapoport says the most likely scenario is that the second-year pro will be able to return this season and play with a brace. That said, surgery is still an option as of the time of this writing.

The 28th overall pick of the 2024 draft, Worthy set a scouting combine record for the fastest 40-yard dash in the history of the event, though that speed did not translate to massive yards-per-reception numbers in his first NFL regular season. Worthy was targeted 98 times last year, and he hauled in 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns.

He did, however, add 20 carries for 104 yards and three more scores, and he elevated his game in the postseason. In three playoff games, Worthy caught 19 of his 21 targets, tallying 287 yards and three TDs. That led to heightened expectations for the 2025 slate, especially in the wake of Rice’s early-season ban.

Unfortunately, those expectations will be put on hold for the time being. The Chiefs still have Hollywood Brown as a big-play threat, and Brown and fellow veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster combined to catch 15 passes for 154 yards in the Los Angeles game. 

Meanwhile, fourth-round rookie Jalen Royals missed the regular season opener due to a knee injury, so the Chiefs are certainly feeling the pinch when it comes to their WR depth chart. Although Rapoport does not say so, it is fair to wonder if the team will look to fortify the group with a free agent signing.

At present, Tyler Boyd and Nelson Agholor represent two of the most accomplished names on the list of FA wideouts.

6:16pm: Worthy will not be charged in this case, Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said (via Tyler Davis and Claire Osborn of the Austin American-Statesman). This case has been declined after discussions with multiple witness along with Worthy and his attorneys. Barring the arrival of new information which could lead to prosecution being sought, the matter will be therefore be closed.

9:01am: Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was arrested Friday night in Texas on a charge of assault against a family or household member by impeding their breathing or circulation, Fox26’s Will Kunkel reports. Worthy, 21, is currently in the Williamson County Jail, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Kirk Bohls. This is a felony domestic violence charge, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Chosen in last year’s first round, Worthy impressed and played a central role in the Chiefs’ third straight Super Bowl appearance. However, he has run into what could be significant off-field trouble. This arrest comes less than a year after 2023 Chiefs second-round pick Rashee Rice‘s involvement in a street-racing incident, which brought eight felony charges. The Chiefs are gathering information on Worthy’s arrest, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds.

Worthy’s attorneys released a statement indicating (via the Austin American-Statesman’s Cedric Golden) indicated the victim was a woman who “was recently asked to leave Mr. Worthy’s residence upon discovery of her infidelity. She had made a number of extortive efforts prior to this baseless allegation.” The third-degree felony charge carries a penalty of between two and 10 years in prison, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher notes. Even if the charge could be reduced to a misdemeanor, Worthy will be facing a potential NFL suspension.

Rice remains expected to face a suspension. The Chiefs have shown a tremendous tolerance for off-field problems; they have continually seen key players run into trouble. Wide receiver has been the most common roster spot to cause such problems for the Chiefs, dating back to Tyreek Hill‘s issues and involving Justyn Ross‘ placement on the commissioner’s exempt list after a 2023 arrest.

The ex-Texas Longhorn joined the Chiefs as last year’s No. 28 overall pick. The team traded up (via the Bills) to land the player who set the Combine 40-yard dash record. Worthy started slowly but became a more consistent piece of Kansas City’s offense down the stretch, totaling at least 40 receiving yards in each game he played from Week 11 on. Worthy finished his rookie season with 638 receiving yards and 104 more on the ground, producing nine touchdowns.

Worthy also scored two TDs in Super Bowl LIX. Aided by garbage time in the Chiefs’ blowout loss, Worthy set a rookie Super Bowl record with 157 receiving yards (on eight catches). He will be expected to team with Rice to give the Chiefs a better receiving corps than they trotted out in 2024, but Worthy’s charge provides a significant early-career impediment.

This familiar territory for the Chiefs comes days before free agency. As the three-time reigning AFC champions will need to consider veteran options as potential Rice stopgaps, as the SMU alum is rehabbing a season-ending knee injury. Worthy’s status may now factor into Kansas City’s plans.