KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With Rashee Rice out for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a hamstring injury and Tyquan Thornton expected to miss at least 12 weeks due to a dislocated left ankle, the Kansas City Chiefs have tasked other wide receivers to step up.
Xavier Worthy, the third-year wide receiver out of the University of Texas, led the charge Sunday. He recorded seven catches for 73 yards Sunday, putting together one of the best performances of his young career.
The message was clear in the opening quarter: get Worthy involved ASAP.
Worthy had three receptions for 36 yards across the Chiefs' first two drives, and a 33-yard catch-and-run on the first play from scrimmage was wiped out by an illegal block in the back by Travis Kelce.
"It's obviously great to be targeted early and often," Worthy said. "Getting those targets early, getting your feel for the game, and obviously getting rolling early."
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes credited Worthy for having "another good day," which the Chiefs will continue to need.
"He keeps stacking those and it'll help out a ton as we get Rasheed back," Mahomes said.
While Worthy led the team in targets, receptions and yards, second-year wide receiver Jalen Royals and rookies Cyrus Allen and Andrew Armstrong also contributed to the Chiefs' 22-6 victory Sunday.
Royals, Allen and Armstrong combined for five catches and 64 yards, with Armstrong and Allen grabbing their first career receptions in the second and fourth quarter, respectively.
Worthy praised the work ethic of that crew heading into Sunday's contest, saying they were "prepared" and "very ready."
Mahomes echoed Worthy's sentiments about a group that rose to the occasion despite having minimal NFL experience.
"At the end of the day, I thought they played hard," Mahomes said. "They played fast. They blocked when they needed to block, and they made the catches whenever they got the ball thrown their way."
Mahomes said he has "a lot of confidence in those guys" and believes their growth will be accelerated due to the injuries to Rice and Thornton.
For Armstrong, he expressed gratitude after his first catch at the NFL level for his "favorite team," the Chiefs.
"It was surreal, and I'm thankful for the opportunity," Armstrong said.
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