Xavier Worthy puts a wrap on the season in Super Bowl loss in a way that should make Buffalo Bills take a hard look in the mirror
In an outcome that nobody saw coming, the Kansas City Chiefs got boat raced right out of the Superdome by a Philadelphia Eagles team that looked like they could do no wrong. It wasn't until late in the game, on the Chiefs' tenth drive of the game, that they even managed to cross midfield. The […]
In an outcome that nobody saw coming, the Kansas City Chiefs got boat raced right out of the Superdome by a Philadelphia Eagles team that looked like they could do no wrong. It wasn't until late in the game, on the Chiefs' tenth drive of the game, that they even managed to cross midfield. The Eagles defense was simply suffocating. The final score was 40-22, but it should have been more like 40-6 except for some desperation heaves late in the game by Patrick Mahomes.
Those desperation heaves went to Xavier Worthy. And now, all of Bills Mafia will enter the offseason with the lasting image of Worthy torching the Eagles secondary on some plays that would have looked really, really good on the opposite end of Josh Allen passes instead of those by Mahomes.
Worthy finished the night with eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, those numbers are inflated with garbage time, but he was still capable of accomplishing them.
For the final time of the 2024-25 season, we'll have the conversation that the Bills have been having all season. When Brandon Beane traded down with the Chiefs on draft night of the 2024 NFL Draft, it immediately opened the door for future regrets. One season does not make a career, but the trade that landed Worthy in Kansas City that set up Buffalo to take Keon Coleman while picking up defensive tackle DeWayne Carter in the third round is clearly looking like advantage: Chiefs.
In the AFC Championship Game, Xavier Worthy led all receivers 85 receiving yards and a touchdown, catching six of seven targets, while also taking two carries for 16 yards as well. Coleman had one catch for 12 yards. Carter was a healthy scratch.
For better or worse, Coleman and Worthy are going to be linked at the hip for years to come, but it's currently not looking great. Worthy has game-breaking speed that opposing defensive coordinators have to account for, and has proven capable of running a diverse route tree while creating separation down the field, taking the top off the defense. Coleman has not shown the ability to do any of those things.
Yes, Coleman had flashes this season. His ability after the catch is promising, as is his impressive 6'3" 215 lbs frame, and he made a handful of strong contested catches down the boundary, but Worthy, all 5'11" 165 lbs of him, has shown that you don't have to be the prototypical X wide receiver of the early 2000s to win on the outside. What matters is route running combined with explosive speed. Defenders have to respect that, which creates cushion for him to operate with crisp route running underneath. No matter how defenses line up, Worthy has the time of game-breaking speed to leave defenders in the dust if the scheme gives him the slightest of steps on the positioning of the defensive backs.
What annoys me is that this was all over Worthy's college film, then all he did was break the NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.21 second time. That time of speed is sorely missing from the Bills offense, with quality defenders like Chiefs' Trent McDuffie having no problem with Coleman on the outside.
If I'm the Bills, I learn from this. I go into this offseason looking for a weapon that has speed and can separate down the field. It's an element that would greatly help the Bills and newly-minted MVP Josh Allen, in so many ways.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
