A few weeks ago, there was still hope that the Christmas Day showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos would have significant implications in the race for the division crown. Instead, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is out for the season and Kansas City is no longer capable of reaching the postseason. Still, the holiday nightcap will be integral to Denver’s push for the No. 1 seed, not to mention all the action that will take place between the margins.
Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium is on the books for 8:15 p.m. ET.
Denver is a 13.5-point favorite for the AFC West showdown with the point total sitting at 37.5. Looking elsewhere on DraftKings Sportsbook, here’s a quick breakdown of my favorite Xavier Worthy prop bet.
Best Xavier Worthy Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Xavier Worthy 20+ Longest Reception (+181)
Mahomes’ absence is obviously the most notable on either side, but one of his top weapons is out as well. Rashee Rice hit the injured reserve this week with a concussion, knocking him out for the rest of the regular season. Tight end Travis Kelce is still in the lineup, rounding out a receiving corps headlined by Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Now that Gardner Minshew is also out with a torn ACL, Chris Oladokun is responsible for delivering passes to each of those veterans. The 28-year-old attempted his first career pass when he came in against the Titans last week, so he is still a bit of a mystery box. Still, it is worth noting that 70 of his 111 passing yards came after the catch.
That plays right into Worthy’s strengths as a pass-catcher. The second-year wideout leads active Chiefs receivers with 193 yards after catch in 2025, all while Tyquan Thornton has a deeper average depth of target. Worthy’s longest catch has been at least 23 yards in each of his last five games, including a 28-yarder from Oladokun just last week. Andy Reid tends to use Worthy in more creative ways when Rice is out, too.
The last time Worthy failed to hit on 20+ Longest Reception was against the Broncos, who have a top-tier defense and arguably the best cornerback on the planet in Patrick Surtain II. Usually, betting on a receiver facing Surtain isn’t advisable, but Surtain probably won’t be matched up with Worthy all night long. The Chiefs’ offense is spread thin enough at this point that Brown, Smith-Schuster and Thornton will have to deal with him themselves.
Worthy won’t need to have an all-around dominant performance for this prop to hit – just one long catch.
