As they head into their most important game of the season so far â and arguably the most important regular season game of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ Hall of Fame-bound career â the Kansas City Chiefs are hoping for just one thing. Health.
As they get ready to travel to the Mile High City where they’ll face the 8-2 Denver Broncos Sunday, the Chiefs received if not a red flag then definitely a yellow one on Thursday when a key member of their offense â which ranks only 11th this year in terms of yards gained (3,331) â was unexpectedly listed as “limited” in practice, a designation that reduces the changes that a player will be available for that week’s game.
And this game is a big one, to say the least.
Division Title Streak in Danger
After nine straight AFC West division championships, going back to 2016 when Alex Smith was still the Chiefs’ starting quarterback and Mahomes was busy leading all of college football in passing yards with 5,052 as the quarterback for Texas Tech, the Chiefs are in serious danger of seeing that streak come to an end â and face at least the possibility that they could be shut out from the postseason completely.
At 5-4, and coming off a pre-bye, demoralizing 28-21 loss to their archrival Buffalo Bills, the Bills face a de facto must-win situation. A loss sets them 3 1/2 games behind Denver and in all likelihood needing to win out over their final seven games.
Even if they did win seven straight after losing in Denver, they would also need the Broncos to lose at least four of their final six games for Kansas City to keep its division title streak alive.
Worthy ‘Limited’ Thursday With Ankle Injury
That’s why Thursday’s news was nerve-wracking for the Chiefs and their fans, when the team announced that second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy was listed as “limited” in practice due to what the team said at the time was an ankle injury.
Worthy has already missed two games, and three quarters if another, this year with a shoulder injury suffered when he collided on the field with tight end Travis Kelce during the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, a game played in São Paulo, Brazil.
The receiver exited that game after the bizarre friendly-fire incident in the first quarter. Counting the Chargers game, which Kansas City lost 27-21, the Chiefs are 1-2 without Worthy, but 4-3 with the 2024 first-round draft pick available for a full game.
Chances Worthy Plays Sunday Revealed
If Worthy had been listed as “limited” for a second straight day on Friday, his probability of playing the game in Denver would fall to just 70.4 percent, according to 2025 study of 2,300 NFL injuries. Had he been forced to sit out Friday’s session, that probability drops to 28.3 percent, according to data from the study.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, they got good news on Friday. When the team issued its official injury report for Sunday’s game, the 22-year-old Worthy was listed as a full participant in practice.
According to the data, that gives Worthy an 86.3 percent chance of playing in Denver.
Kansas City Star Chiefs beat writer Pete Sweeney, writing early Friday afternoon, reported that, “Worthy simply tweaked his ankle on Thursday. He did everything at practice on Friday and will play against the Broncos on Sunday. Good to go.”
Mahomes will need all the help he can get. Denver’s pass rush is easily the most dangerous in the NFL, with 46 sacks already. At their current pace, the Broncos would set a record for sacking opposing QBs with 78.
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