Xavier Worthy, a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, had to leave Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of a shoulder problem. This happened after a tough hit with Travis Kelce, a tight end, on the Chiefs’ first drive. The collision occurred when the two were running routes that crossed each other and they accidentally collided.
Worthy suffered the brunt of the contact. He was knocked down and took some time to get up before heading to the locker room with a towel over his head. The play finished with quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing an incomplete pass intended for Hollywood Brown. The team later announced that Worthy’s return was uncertain due to a shoulder injury, and then in the second quarter, they confirmed he would not be returning to the game.
After the game, Chiefs coach Andy Reid informed reporters that they would have more information about how serious Worthy’s injury is after an MRI when they get back to Kansas City.
Worthy’s injury is another major setback for the Chiefs’ receiving group, which is already missing players at the start of the season. Kansas City started their first game without wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is suspended for the first six games of the season because he violated the league’s personal conduct rules.
Worthy, who was the Chiefs’ first pick in the 2024 draft, was expected to take on a bigger role while Rice is out. The responsibility of leading the Chiefs’ receiving efforts for the rest of the game fell to players like Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton. The Chiefs’ lack of top-tier receiving power was a major factor in their 27-21 defeat to the Chargers. Now, the question is whether Worthy will be forced to sit out, and who might fill the potential gap if his shoulder injury keeps him off the field.
Allen Robinson, a former Pro Bowl wide receiver who is still a free agent, offered his services in a post on X.
