The Kansas City Chiefs not only started the season 0-1, but injury was added to insult to begin the year. Star wide receiver Xavier Worthy went down with a shoulder ailment, resulting from friendly fire of all things.
In the aftermath of Kansas City’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, tight end Travis Kelce is taking accountability. He dove into the now-infamous play from the game on his “New Heights” podcast.
Travis Kelce Dives Into Play That Hurt Xavier Worthy
The sequence in question was a third-and-6 in the first quarter. On a mesh-style concept, Kelce collided with Worthy, leading to a dislocated shoulder for the former first-round pick.
Kelce admitted he’s at fault for the injury. Apparently, the future Hall of Fame man didn’t execute his route assignment correctly.
“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy,” Kelce said. “It’s frustrating for me. I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get in a position, and it all just happened pretty quick. I’ve just got to be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league. There’s no excuse for me running into my own guys like that. Being able to play fast and help him out — Worthy had his guy beat — we’re out the gate, and that game starts completely different. Instead, I’m not sure where he is exactly health-wise, but I’m hoping that we get him back as fast as possible because he means so much to this team.”
It’s still unclear how much time Worthy will miss. This doesn’t seem to be a day-to-day situation, though, which makes Kelce feel even worse.
“The biggest thing is that he’s one of our best players,” Kelce said. “He’s going to take that step into being one of the best wide receivers in the National Football League. I run into him and all of a sudden, one of the biggest pieces of the game plan is out of the game. One of the fastest guys in the league — and speed kills in this league. Now, they don’t have to worry about that.”
Kelce Grateful for Chiefs’ Game in Brazil but Bummed About Worthy Injury
The Worthy injury threw a wrench in the plans of the Chiefs’ offense. They punted on the opening drive, as well as their next two possessions. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did eventually adjust and lead five consecutive scoring series, but it wasn’t enough. Kansas City failed to slow down the Chargers’ passing attack.
A loss of both the game and a promising young wideout within the action overshadowed a massive opportunity. Kansas City, the NFL’s premier franchise right now, got a chance to expand the game in Week 1. The Friday contest took place in São Paulo, Brazil, where there are millions of football fans.
Kelce is appreciative of that stage, even if his excitement quickly turned into disappointment.
“It was a cool experience, outside of us just not getting off on the right foot,” Kelce said. “Again, I know it’s kind of sounding like a broken record from last year’s Super Bowl, but that’s on us as leaders. I’ll take the most accountability myself. I wasn’t ready [on] that first drive; I ran into one of my guys and offed him out of the game. I literally took one of my players out. That’s one of the most frustrating parts, and it’s hard to get your juices back going knowing you just hurt a guy. It’s a frustrating way to start off the season — a frustrating way to start off the game.”
In the defeat, Kelce recorded 2 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was the club’s leading receiver, logging 10 catches for 99 yards. Veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster also stepped up, going 5-for-5 on targets and adding 55 receiving yards of his own.
Kelce, in addition to the rest of the Chiefs, will now look ahead to Worthy’s hopeful return.
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