Thursday’s season opener left us with plenty to talk about. The Ravens offensive identity, the wild finish, illegal formation penalties, kickoffs and more. The one storyline that stands out to me is the immediate impact of wide receiver Xavier Worthy (and the subsequent Bills trolling).
Worthy had just three touches, but he made the most of them with 68 scrimmage yards, including a 21-yard touchdown run and 35-yard touchdown reception.
He had just a five percent chance to score on his touchdown scamper. Clearly his combine record 4.21 40 speed translates in a game.
He had as many 20-plus yard touchdowns on Thursday as all Chiefs wideouts combined in 2023 (two). He was the first wideout with a 20-plus yard rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game in four years, when Tyreek Hill did it for the Chiefs.
His presence was felt beyond the three touches he had, too. It’s no accident Patrick Mahomes averaged his most yards per attempt (10.4) in a game since Week 7 of 2022 vs. the 49ers.
“Just having him out there, it just opens up stuff,” Mahomes said. “You saw when he’s out there, they’re playing shell coverages. It’s getting guys like [Travis Kelce] and it’s getting guys like [Rashee Rice] open underneath, and that’s what’s so great about this offense is we’re able to do all of that, and that’s when we’re at our best.”
He’s got a point. Worthy saw the field for 31 of the Chiefs’ 50 offensive snaps in Week 1. They averaged a whopping 9.5 yards per play with him on the field and 3.1 with him off. Even if you take away the busted coverage where he caught a 35-yard touchdown pass it was still 8.6 with him on the field.
Chiefs With Xavier Worthy On/Off Field – Week 1 vs Ravens
On
Off
Plays
31
19
Yards per play
9.5
3.1
Dropback percentage
77%
37%
As you can see from the heat map of Mahomes completions, he carved up the middle of the field with Worthy on the field, going 12 of 15 for 187…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-how-xavier-worthy-impacted-chiefs-win-over-ravens-and-it-wasnt-just-his-two-touchdowns/
Author : Douglas Clawson
Publish date : 2024-09-06 22:46:47
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