That was more like it.
The Kansas City Chiefs offense finally looked like something resembling the potent operation we’d expected entering the season.
In Sunday’s 37-20 drumming of the Baltimore Ravens, K.C. put up 382 yards of offense, walking up and down the field against an injury-ravaged defense.
Speedster Xavier Worthy’s return helped completely open a previously restricted offense.
“He’s just so explosive,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of the wideout, via ESPN. “When you get the ball in his hands, man, it just makes defenses have to adjust. And when they adjust, because he gets so much attention on him, other guys can make plays happen.
“Just having him out there, not only for his physical abilities but just the morale of the [locker room], I thought it was huge.”
Worthy’s speed was evident even on plays he didn’t make. The mere threat of him taking the top off forces the defense to adjust, opening the rest of the offense.
The second-year wideout paced the Chiefs with five catches for 83 yards with a long of 37. He also led the Chiefs with 38 rushing yards on two carries, including a 35-yard end-around; prior to that run, Kansas City hadn’t had a non-Mahomes rush go for more than 11 yards on the season.
Worthy was knocked out after just three plays in Week 1, so Sunday served as the first real look at him in Year 2.
“He’s not just this fast receiver,” Mahomes said. “He’s gained weight, he’s kept his speed, and he’s shown that he can be a guy that can do everything. This is the role we expected him to be in, and he’s showcased it today.”
With Worthy garnering so much attention, it unlocked the rest of the offense. The wideout keeps eyes on the outside while others, like Travis Kelce or JuJu Smith-Schuster, can work underneath in the middle of the field. Of Worthy’s 83 yards, 78 came on passes outside the numbers, per Next Gen Stats.
“With the offensive line, we just had better communication,” Mahomes said. “With Xavier being back, it’s that threat of being able to win over the top. It’s scary for defenses when they’re going to bring pressure, knowing you can get it to that guy — short or deep — and then he can make plays happen.”
The caveat is that K.C. was facing a defense that was down about seven starters at one point on Sunday. With bouts against a much-improved Jaguars defense and a physical Lions team on tap the next two weeks, it remains to be seen if the Worthy boost was a one-week blip or has staying power.