During the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense is widely expected to operate around the legendary duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, given that the two have combined for 1,745 receiving yards in 20 playoff games together. But Kelce isn’t the only receiver Mahomes has; former Texas Longhorns star Xavier Worthy was a first-round pick in 2024, and the speedster has thus far proven worthy of his selection.
The Chiefs have struggled to recruit a good wide receiver corps for Mahomes ever since Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins before the 2022 season, but they clearly emphasized the position during the 2024 offseason. Kansas City selected Worthy in the first round — its first first-round wide receiver since 2011, when it chose Jon Baldwin 26th overall — signed Hollywood Brown in free agency, brought back JuJu Smith-Schuster after a one-year stint with the New England Patriots, and traded for DeAndre Hopkins during the season.
Going into Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Worthy is projected to be Mahomes’ second-leading target, after Kelce.
Bet on Super Bowl LIX game leaders at DraftKings Sportsbook, including Xavier Worthy Most Receiving Yards, here.
At +360, Worthy has the third-shortest odds to be the game’s leading receiver, after Eagles receiver A.J. Brown (+180) and Kelce (+290). During the regular season, Worthy was the team’s second-leading receiver, amassing 638 yards to Kelce’s 823. He was the only Chiefs wide receiver to record more than 300 receiving yards, although he was only third on Kansas City in target share among the receivers that will be healthy on Sunday, behind Kelce and Brown, who didn’t play until Week 16. He broke out in the AFC Championship Game, with a career-high 85 yards, which made him that game’s leading receiver.
Worthy’s odds of repeating that feat on Sunday are long. I don’t buy that Kelce will put up another two-catch, 19-yard stinker like he did against the Bills. Philadelphia will probably be able to slow him down, given that it allowed the fewest receiving yards to opposing tight ends, but he’s arguably the greatest postseason receiver of all time for a reason, and with the exception of last week, he’s always shown up in big moments. I’m also expecting big things from Brown and DeVonta Smith, who should be able to take advantage of a Chiefs secondary that has struggled a little bit in the postseason.
Worthy’s best asset is his speed; at the NFL Combine, he set a new record with a blazing, 4.21-second 40-yard dash. During the regular season, he averaged a respectable 10.8 yards per reception — good for 109th among 215 qualified receivers — and 7.1 yards after the catch per reception, the 12th-best in the league. In both of Kansas City’s postseason games so far, he has gotten the most average separation per play on the team, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
This season, Worthy used his speed to flash big-play ability, as he had six catches of 20 yards or more, but no team is better equipped to handle him after the catch than the Eagles, who allowed just 35 20-plus-yard receptions this season, the fewest of any team. Pro Football Focus projects him to spend a plurality of his snaps lined up against slot corner Cooper DeJean, who has allowed just a 74.0 passer rating in the postseason and missed only two tackles.
It won’t be any easier for him when he lines up on the outside, either; Philadelphia’s two outside cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay, are also elite stoppers, with the duo having missed just one tackle each. Overall, the Eagles’ three cornerbacks have conceded only 109 yards after the catch in the postseason, severely limiting Worthy’s chances of being the game’s leading receiver.
