When Kansas City Chiefs fans think of great receiving performances in the Super Bowl, the first name that almost automatically comes to mind is that of tight end Travis Kelce. He’s been the man for over a decade, after all, and in many of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl appearances, it was Kelce who functioned as the engine of the Kansas City offense.
But there’s one other Chiefs receiver who did Kelce one better. That would be receiver Xavier Worthy, who posted one of the all-time great performances by any receiver, but it often goes unrecognized because Worthy did it in a losing performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 as the Chiefs came up on the short end of the 40-22 score.
It hasn’t gone unrecognized, however. Lauren Gray of Pro Football Focus rated Worthy’s big game as the third-best in Super Bowl history, so it’s well worth a breakdown to review what the receiver did in that game.
The stats tell part of the story. Worthy was just 21 entering that game, and he caught all eight of the passes thrown his way by quarterback Patrick Mahomes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
The game started quietly for Worthy, however. He had just one catch in the first half, but early in the third quarter he lit up Eagles cornerback Cooper D Jean for a 50-yard gain. Worthy closed out that drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass, and he had yet another 50 yarder and his second touchdown with the clock winding down and the game long out of reach.
Worthy finished the game by allowing Mahomes to post a 158.3 passer rating when he was targeted, and the Chiefs sure could have used more of that kind of production.
The receiver was the Chiefs number one draft choice that year, and it’s easy to forget just how good he was given his struggles in 2025. He led the Chiefs with 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns, and each of those numbers ranked in the top six for rookie wide receivers that year, according to Gray.
Getting Worthy back to that level in 2026 is a top priority for the Chiefs. Fellow receiver Rashee Rice is a playmaker, but he’s simply not on Worthy’s level when it comes to stretching the field. Having him back would make Mahomes’ job easier, and that’s going to be just as important given that the quarterback will almost certainly have limited mobility next season.