The Kansas City Chiefs are back, and apparently so is the home run potential of their offense. Kicking off their 2024 season Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, the reigning Super Bowl champions got on the board early thanks to a 21-yard sprint by rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who showcased his record-breaking speed on the very first touch of his NFL career.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes faked a handoff to Isiah Pacheco before tossing the ball to Worthy, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick this spring, and the electric Texas product did the rest, racing through each level of the Ravens defense to hit paydirt. The touchdown not only knotted up the AFC Championship rematch at 7-7 in the first quarter, but had plenty of other NFL players, including former Chiefs star Tyreek Hill, abuzz.
And get this: Worthy wasn’t done, slipping past the entire Ravens secondary for a 35-yard fourth-quarter touchdown catch from Mahomes, giving him two scores in his NFL debut.
The 21-year-old Worthy broke an NFL record by running the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in just 4.21 seconds. The Chiefs selected him 28th overall in April, and he’s set to be featured prominently alongside fellow wideouts Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, the latter of whom missed Thursday’s opener due to injury. A bonus for Kansas City: Worthy arrived in part because the AFC rival Buffalo Bills opted not to select the rookie, trading out of the very pick the Chiefs used for the speedster.
