The Kansas City Chiefs had a strong start to their 2024 season, defeating the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 on Thursday. One of the biggest standouts from the win was the Chiefs' receivers group, which looked much more balanced than in recent years with the addition of rookie Xavier Worthy.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke about Worthy's impact after the win, and even had a message for opposing defenses.
"Just having [Worthy] out there, it just opens up stuff," said Mahomes. "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... When we get [Marquise Brown] out there too, it's going to be tough for defenses to decide who they want to cover."
As Mahomes mentioned, the team was without offseason signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown due to a shoulder injury, but they expect him to return in the coming weeks. With Brown's speed joining the skillsets of Worthy, Rice and Kelce, the offense is going to certainly be a formidable challenge for defenses.
In his NFL debut, Worthy finished with 68 total yards and two touchdowns on just three touches. Rice, who is expected to be the Chiefs' top receiving threat in 2024, finished the game with seven receptions for 103 yards, both of which led all Chiefs receivers. Although Kelce's performance didn't jump off the stat sheet, his impact was felt as a blocker throughout the night.
