I feel like everything that's happened this season has led us to this moment in the AFC. It had to happen, as if fate had brought the two of them into conflict. once again, buffalo bills face kansas city chiefs A shot finally defeats the giant. While most of the attention is going to be on the QBs and play callers on both sides (the team that can best protect passes from the base personnel could win this game), I think the role is I would like to focus on one player who has increased. Chiefs rookie wideout Xavier Worthy since the last time those two played.
Yes, that's Xavier Worthy, whom the Chiefs acquired in a trade with the Bills. Worthy and Bills rookie wideout Keon Coleman will forever be linked in a draft-day trade between the two teams, but both serve distinct purposes in their respective offenses. Worthy's use was interesting to me. He hasn't had a game since Week 13 in which he hasn't completed less than 80% of his snaps (with the exception of Carson Wentz's master class in Week 18), and he ranks second on the team in targets and first in receptions and yards over the same period. are. Oh, and he caught two touchdowns during that time. What really intrigued me about how Worthy is used is that he's not just used as a “fast and far guy” in this offense, he's used as a weapon. laterally instead of vertical direction. His average target depth of 5.7 yards is the same as tight end Noah Gray, but his 225 yards after contact during this period is a team lead. Compare this to weeks 1 through 12. His ADOT was 12.7, but he only had 188 yards after the catch. What Worthy is doing is becoming an explosive option for QB Patrick Mahomes, and it's also helping his game blossom.
This year's Chiefs are essentially running the most modern West Coast offense in the NFL. Sprinkled on the defensive end with crossing routes, screens, and now throws, Worthy is the linchpin underneath. He's targeted for a lot of quick flips to the edge, which Mahomes will throw if he doesn't like the box count on the run, which Worthy can easily take for 6 yards. Against Pittsburgh, Mahomes was reading the box count, saw a nickel defender trying to run off the edge, and knew he was going to go 2-on-2 on the right side. A quick flip to Worthy and he gets a first down.
The other thing the Chiefs will do is plan on appropriate design touches in the backfield. Every offensive mind wants to release their most explosive player for free, and KC has done that very well with Worthy in recent weeks. Worthy's touchdown against Pittsburgh came on a play where he lined up in the backfield and the Chiefs ran a mesh rail. But Worthy is a rail route and he has the leverage to rush into the end zone.
In a playoff victory, texansthe Chiefs got some valuable snaps in the backfield and showed off some work at the catch point from out of the backfield. When a receiver comes out of the backfield, most people run a selection route, giving the receiver a “choice” to route in or out. Instead, Worthy performs a select and go, disguising the chosen route and taking it to high ground. Mahomes set it up and Worthy made a great catch through contact.
Kansas City does a very good job of protecting Worthy from pressing at the line of scrimmage by stacking and bunching. The Chiefs will likely use another game to try to acquire Worthy, as he is weaker and doesn't do much against the press.
Not only is Worthy being used to carve holes for himself, but his speed and the threat of that speed is also used to carve holes in others' zones. In the first matchup against the Texans, Kansas City beat Houston with Worthy's all-field speed threat and these bunches and stacks, creating a natural pick for a player like WR Hollywood Brown. This game was particularly egregious, with three receivers locked together and tight end Travis Kelce coming off the line of scrimmage to the same side. Worthy's over route creates a natural pick and allows Brown to get into some open voids in coverage.
The Chiefs traded up for the Bills' pick and selected Worthy with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, along with a fourth-round pick. The Bills traded back to No. 32, drafted Coleman and added a third-round pick and a seventh-round pick.
Buffalo's pass defense will need to be strong in communication and discipline when faced with the stack and motion that Kansas City will create. This is the Chiefs' way of getting information and influencing opponents while putting defenders' minds in a blender. Whether it's worth it is going to be a big part of this question and could be the difference between playing in another Super Bowl or making an early trip to Cabo.
