Xavier Worthy is getting open deep, and the Chiefs need to get him the ball
Looking at some of the missed opportunities to Worthy in the Saints game and discussing why it's so crucial the rookie WR start getting more downfield action.
There are a number of reasons why a deep threat isn’t getting targeted as often as he should.
The first thing that’s going to pop through anyone’s brain when they see a title like “Xavier Worthy is getting open deep” is that Patrick Mahomes is somehow failing the speedy rookie. But the reality is that quite often, there’s more going on than the quarterback simply having a “missed shot.” If you want to talk about Mahomes’ role in such things, the weekly film review is the place to go. And we’ll talk about one of those plays a bit here (as we already did in the Week 5 review).
I’m on vacation (thanks for all the food recommendation in Dallas, it’s been terrific!), so I’ll try to make this short and sweet: Xavier Worthy is getting open down the field, and there are a combination of factors that are leading to him not getting targeted on deep shots as often as he should. The offense needs to start adjusting to build itself around his skillset with more frequency. And I’ve got ideas on how they should do that.
Before we even begin, you should know that just because Worthy is open down the field doesn’t necessarily mean that the play was a failure by the QB, OL, coaching, or anyone else. Sometimes the first read is just open and he gets the ball. Keep an eye on Worth coming across the field from the bottom of the screen.
Here, the Saints are playing man coverage with a blitz coming, so the cornerback is passing coverage of Juju Smith-Schuster off to a safety. That allows Juju to come open underneath as the first receiver that Mahomes is looking at, so the ball comes out to him. It’s a completed pass and a first down, so the play is a successful one for the offense (though the placement of the throw was less than ideal).
But again, watch Worthy. Notice anything?
