The Chiefs missed a big play on Monday night, but it was a more heads-up play than it appeared.

Week 9 was one of the most productive games for the Kansas City Chiefs’ passing offense this season. The 30-24 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was tighter than the team would have liked. A score on the Chiefs’ opening drive could have made the game feel more in control.

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy appeared to make a catch on the sideline to gain 32 yards and set up one yard away from the end zone. However, Worthy was unable to stay in the field of play to complete the pass.

The mistake killed the drive and set up a Chiefs’ punt, but Worthy only messed up regarding sideline awareness. In fact, head coach Andy Reid praised the rookie on Wednesday during his press conference.

“What a great route,” Reid pointed out to reporters. “That was an adjustment he made to put himself in that position off the route.

“They clouded that side. He adjusted back outside… He was able to escape that cornerback — that forced him wider than the play normally brings him to. I thought he did a great job on that part.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes echoed his coach when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

“I looked down the middle of the field because that’s the guy I look to,” Mahomes began describing the play. “Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier down the sideline making that adjustment. I tried to get him the ball as quick as possible.”

“He’ll learn from that, but I thought he did a great job on that play of recognizing the coverage and getting to the right spot.”

The little things are keeping Xavier Worthy from being more productive

Just needs better field awareness on 1st one, then can't keep his toes down to drag on 2nd one (ball should probably be on him quicker) pic.twitter.com/pZHicbrNUn

— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) November 6, 2024

As the play begins, the cornerback to Worthy’s side bails into a deep-half responsibility, like a safety would have in Cover 2. As he drops, he directs his attention primarily towards the inside and doesn’t respect the possibility of a route up the sideline.

That clicked in Worthy’s head, who understood what he needed to do to maximize the blown coverage.

“I made an adjustment that wasn’t my actual route,” Worthy told Pete Sweeney in the locker room on Wednesday. “I just tried to veer off a little bit, try to buy enough time before the safety gets over there.”

The incompletion was one of two towards Worthy for the game; neither of them was caught. It was quiet in the box score for Worthy, but the rookie played 68% of the offense’s snaps. He made plenty of contributions toward the passing totals.

“Regardless of stats and whatever it is, the threat of him over the top is getting a lot of other guys open,” Mahomes emphasized. “That gets lost in the swing of things: you don’t see the big catches downfield, but I promise you the defenses are respecting his speed. That’s helping guys like (wide receiver) DeAndre [Hopkins] and (tight end) [Travis] Kelce open up in the medium range.”

“The ball is going to come to me, and if it doesn’t, I’m going to get my guys open,” Worthy acknowledged. “Whether that’s going to run off the safety or be a decoy, anything for the team to win.”

Worthy’s impact differs from the role wide receiver Rashee Rice played for the Chiefs as a rookie. Mahomes sees the difference between what the team needs from Rice and what Worthy has to do.

“Rashee’s season was special last year,” Mahomes asserted. “We needed him to step up and have that role in the offense. Obviously, we’ve gotten guys in here that can take off that pressure of one guy having to make all the big plays… I think we’re probably more well-rounded as an offense in general, so he may not have the numbers or stats that Rashee had last year.”

It was right about this time last season that Rice ascended into a primary target in the Chiefs’ offense. The trajectory of this year’s unit doesn’t require the same kind of leap from Worthy, but his development could still accelerate down the stretch.

In an instance like the opening-drive incompletion on Monday night, Worthy’s just an inch or two away from making the play. That could also represent how close he is to unlocking his full potential as the premier deep threat in an otherwise efficient Chiefs’ offense.