Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has failed to connect with rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy downfield on several occasions this season. But offensive coordinator Matt Nagy believes big plays are coming for Worthy, and when they do, it’ll be fun to watch.
“The time is coming when we start hitting some of those [deep shots],” Nagy said during his November 14 press conference, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “It’s going to be fun.”
Whether it was Worthy failing to get both of his feet in bounds or Mahomes not putting the ball where it needed to be, the chemistry between the two players hasn’t evolved as fast as some hoped it would as the season progressed. But that doesn’t mean it won’t improve moving forward. The Chiefs have eight games remaining in the regular season and then the playoffs, which gives Mahomes several more months to build rapport with his rookie wideout.
No evidence suggests Mahomes can’t overcome his lack of chemistry with Worthy. That’s why, until proven otherwise, we should expect to see more big plays between Mahomes and Worthy during the second half of the season.
Through nine games, Worthy has registered 20 receptions on 43 targets for 246 yards — an average of 12.3 yards per reception — and three touchdowns.
Patrick Mahomes: Hitting Xavier Worthy Deep Changes Offense
Speaking to the media on November 13, Mahomes talked about his missed deep shots to Worthy in recent games and the impact of those missed opportunities.
“There’s a couple – these last few weeks, I’ve missed Xavier on some of those deep shots,” Mahomes said. “I feel like if I hit those shots, the offense looks completely different. Not only for those numbers and those stats, but it opens up everything else for everybody else. [I’m] just trying to get back to that. He’s getting open every single game — hitting those throws whenever I can, and it’ll take pressure off [of] the rest of the offense as well.”
Mahomes was then asked about his missed throw to Worthy deep down the sideline against the Denver Broncos in Week 10 and went into detail about Worthy’s progress.
“I think you can see how much he learned from week to week. I mean, the week before, he got open and kind of faded a little bit and caught the ball and ended up being out of bounds. Whereas you saw on that double move, he kind of re-stacked the guy, we say, got back on the red line, gave me room to throw and then I threw the ball out of bounds,” Mahomes said. “You see those steady progressions each and every week and I think in the long run, it’s going to really pay off because he is getting open. I have the confidence [that] I’ll be able to hit him on some of those shots down the field. Like I said, it’s going to open up the rest of the offense as well.”
Mahomes and Worthy’s next opportunity to build chemistry on the field will be in Week 11 when the Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills. That game will be played on Sunday, November 27 at 3:25 p.m. Central Time and will be available to watch on CBS.
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