Xavier Worthy of the Kansas City Chiefs dives for a touchdown against Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo ... [+]
During the week leading up to the Kansas City Chiefs’ seventh straight AFC Championship Game, a player, who was not on the previous six squads, said he had a chip on his shoulder.
“This game means a little bit more to me,” Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy said.
The rookie could’ve been part of the Buffalo Bills, the team the Chiefs defeated in the thrilling 32-29 game that sent them to their third straight Super Bowl.
But in a curious move, the Bills traded their 2024 first-round pick (28th overall), fourth-round pick (133rd overall) and seventh-round pick (248th overall) to the Chiefs for their first-round pick (32nd overall), third-round pick (95th overall) and seventh-round pick (221st overall) during the first day of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I feel it’s sign they didn’t want me,” Worthy said.
Maybe the Bills should’ve wanted Worthy.
While the fastest player ever at the 2024 NFL Combine led all players in the AFC Championship game with six catches for 85 yards, the receiver the Bills drafted in the second round, Keon Coleman, had just one catch for 12.
Worthy also was the Chiefs’ third-leading rusher with 16 yards on two carries.
“I’m happy for Xavier,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “He’s a great player.”
Worthy only had one catch in the second half, but it was a crucial one.
His 23-yard reception, which tight end Travis Kelce helped clear space for, gave the Chiefs a first and goal and put Harrison Butker in position for the game-winning 35-yard field goal.
His first half was even more spectacular. With 6:12 left in the second quarter, his 11-yard touchdown catch vs. Damar Hamlin gave the Chiefs a 14-10 lead.
He had two other catches on that scoring drive, including a five-yard grab on the play prior to his score.
On the Chiefs’ next offensive possession — in which the Chiefs were put in good field position by a 41-yard Nikko Remigo punt return — he had his most thrilling highlight: he wrestled with defensive back Cole Bishop for a 26-yard catch. Patrick Mahomes ran the touchdown in three plays later.
Worthy is not only a difference maker, but he also provides great value.
He’s on a four-year, $13.8 million rookie deal.
But Worthy didn’t always look like he’d be so valuable. After scoring two touchdowns in Week One, he went through a slump before breaking out against the Bills on Nov. 17.
He had four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown and one rush for seven yards during that 30-21 Bills victory, which represents the Chiefs’ lone loss this season when their starters played.
That breakout performance came after Worthy had not had more than 50 yards since a Sept. 29 game vs the Los Angeles Chargers.
But Worthy has continued to grow and mature, showing Veach’s foresight in trading up to select him.
“We stick to our board. We have a plan and we believe in it,” Veach said. “Xavier was a guy we really loved and were passionate about, and we were fortunate to go up there and get him.”
Now Veach, Worthy and the rest of the Chiefs are poised to make history.
No other back-to-back champion in the Super Bowl era has made it back to the game for a third straight year.
“It’s an amazing achievement,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said.
And if they win Super Bowl LIX, they’ll achieve the first three-peat in modern NFL history.
