Kansas City Chiefs

Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown are unlocking the Chiefs’ offense

Posted on by newssite

The return of the veteran and the progression of the rookie are combining to make life easy on the offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs want to feature speed in the passing attack. That has always been the philosophy under head coach Andy Reid, and it was certainly the plan heading into the 2024 season.

The excitement for wide receiver Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy streaking through opposing secondaries was put on hold after Brown’s injury in the preseason. The wait was extended until Week 16, when Brown debuted against the Houston Texans.

His return coincided with Worthy’s progression, and it is no coincidence that the Chiefs’ offense looked its best over the last two games. The 571 passing yards are the most the Chiefs have gained over a two-game stretch this season, helping them win over teams with defenses ranked in the top 10 in total yards.

Worthy and Brown combined for 235 of those yards, 171 coming after the catch. The game-breaking speed of both players is making life easier on the offense. Here are the ways the Chiefs are utilizing the explosive duo:

Run-pass options

Brown and Worthy are threats to turn quick passes into big gains on the perimeter. The Chiefs have been testing defenses’ willingness to spread out and protect the secondary from those plays by calling more run-pass options. This gives quarterback Patrick Mahomes the ability to decide whether to hand off or throw based on the leverage of certain defenders.

These play calls also help the in-flux offensive line, simplifying looks and setting them up to block a light box when the ball is handed off.

To pair with the run action, the Chiefs can use simple route concepts that quickly get the ball to playmakers in space. The offense has found success with slant-bubble combinations recently. On these plays, the outside receiver runs a slant into a window opening up between two defenders: the inside linebacker respecting the run and the flat defender respecting the bubble route.

Worthy and Brown each have an explosive completion on this concept over the last two weeks, along with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The paired route can also be as simple as a swing pass with blockers out in front. Smith-Schuster and wide receiver Justin Watson have been the primary lead blockers and have shown strong reps.

These plays can be executed by anyone on the depth chart, but using Worthy as the primary option maximizes the potential each time it runs. Over the last two weeks, Worthy has averaged 7.5 yards per catch over six screen passes, with two resulting in a first down.

The effectiveness of completions on run-pass options leads to more room for the run game to operate. The Chiefs should continue helping the run game by threatening with these quick-hitting passes.

Spreading out coverage

With Brown in the mix, the Chiefs can throw a lot of downfield speed at a defense at once, with Brown, Worthy and Watson sharing the field. That is especially true against a blitz when there is more space for the speed threats to find.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mahomes diced up the blitz: he completed 11 passes over 17 dropbacks against an additional rusher. He gained 186 yards on those plays, moving the chains nine times.

The biggest blitz-beating throw gains 49 yards to Watson, who takes advantage of Pittsburgh by leaving him isolated. The Steelers’ deep safety has his attention on the other side of the field, where Brown starts from, and Worthy finds himself.

It is important to see Mahomes connect on a deep pass like this, but there are possible completions to Brown and Worthy in this play as well. It speaks to the separation both players can earn quickly and how difficult it is for defenses to take all options away on any given snap.

Direct play designs

Worthy is currently the team’s best playmaker and Brown’s reliability as a receiver allows Worthy to be more available for creative designs by the Chiefs’ offensive coaching staff.

To score the first touchdown in Pittsburgh, the Chiefs try to catch the defense off guard by breaking the huddle and lining up quickly in a unique formation: Worthy aligned in the backfield and running back Isiah Pacheco in a traditional receiver position. That forces hurried communication by the Steelers, who elect to counter with zone coverage.

At the snap, the zone defenders take a step to respect the routes released to Worthy’s side, giving him enough of an angle to reach the pylon. The great design would lead to a first down from many players, but Worthy’s elite acceleration turns it into six points.

On this play-action play, Worthy aligns in the right slot with Mahomes under center. At the snap, he works across the formation, maneuvering through traffic into the opposite flat. Pittsburgh rushes Mahomes as he turns, but Worthy’s speed makes him available in time.

He has a step on the linebacker to the sideline and turns upfield so fast that the chasing defender comes up empty on his attempt to grab Worthy. It shows how difficult it is for defenses to manage the speed, especially when it’s deployed in unique ways.

The bottom line

The Chiefs’ offense benefits from the play speed it now has with both Brown and Worthy in the lineup. We are seeing the unit operating the way it planned to be all offseason and training camp.

The unit’s best performances may still be coming, with plenty of time for head coach Andy Reid to design more ways to take advantage of his talent.

That said, it’s worth emphasizing that Worthy is progressing individually as a wide receiver, regardless of how well he is schemed open. It’s a similar trajectory as wide receiver Rashee Rice’s rookie campaign last year, becoming the centerpiece of the pass offense just in time for the postseason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posts in same category: