NFL Preseason Blitz: Chiefs already featuring WR Xavier Worthy in a big role

It’s not easy for a rookie to pick up Andy Reid’s offense and play a big role right away. Even as the Kansas City Chiefs struggled to find any consistent receiver play last season, Rashee Rice didn’t really take off until the second half of the season.

Xavier Worthy could be an exception.

Worthy, the first-round draft pick who got acclaim for setting a 40-yard dash record at the NFL scouting combine, made some big plays Saturday in the Chiefs’ second preseason game. His speed and playmaking ability is an instant fit with Patrick Mahomes and might force his way into a major role right away.

On Kansas City‘s first drive against the Detroit Lions, Worthy got wide open and Mahomes hit him for a 39-yard gain. Later in the first quarter, Worthy got behind the defense and was again wide open for a 22-yard score.

In one quarter against the Lions — a game the Lions won 24-23 on a field goal as time expired — Worthy had three catches for 62 yards and an 11-yard run. That came against Lions’ backups, but it showed that the Chiefs might not be afraid to feature Worthy right away. There might not be any easing him in.

Worthy was more than just a speed receiver at Texas, as he’ll tell you. He has the ability to be an impact receiver right away, and having Reid designing plays to take advantage of his talent and Mahomes throwing him the ball is a plus for any receiver.

The Chiefs haven’t heard yet about Rice’s potential suspension, though he could miss some time this season. Marquise Brown is out four to six weeks after suffering a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in the Chiefs’ preseason opener. The Chiefs might need Worthy to be a big part of the offense right away. He’s already showing his potential.

The Commanders opened things up a bit for Jayden Daniels in his second preseason start. The results were positive.

Daniels, who passed just three times in his preseason debut last week, started well in what ended up being a 13-6 win for the Miami Dolphins. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 46 yards on Washington’s first drive, which ended with a missed field goal. Daniels got the ball out fast, which he might have to do often this season behind a poor offensive line.

On the second drive, Daniels used his speed, getting to the edge on a read-option play and running for 13 yards and a first down. That will be a big part of Washington’s offense all season. The Commanders will leverage Daniels’ fantastic ability to run the ball on most plays.

Daniels was efficient. He completed 10 of 12 passes for 78 yards, playing a single play into the second quarter. There were no splash plays like last week’s 42-yard pass, but rather a rookie quarterback who looked under control the whole time he was in the game.

The Commanders have a completely new look with Daniels at quarterback and Dan Quinn at head coach. There was a lot of roster turnover. The Commanders have to get healthy before the season starts and answer some questions like their offensive line, but Daniels could give them a shot to be more competitive than expected this season.

Standout player: New York Giants WR Malik Nabers

Nabers’ day started poorly. A pass to him was almost picked off by Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who outmaneuvered him on his route. The second target to Nabers was incomplete as he failed to haul in a deep pass that he probably should have caught.

Then Nabers, the sixth pick of the NFL Draft, settled in. He caught his next four targets for 54 yards, all in the first half. He also had a run for 5 yards. Among his catches was a highlight grab down the sideline.

As seen on “Hard Knocks,” the Giants were excited to draft Nabers. What we saw in the first half of the Giants’ 28-10 loss to the Texans is practically what can be expected from him this season. While six targets in each half is a bit much, he will get all the offensive attention he can handle. He’s going to be the focal point of a talent-poor offense, and can make big plays like the one in the second quarter on Saturday.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first receiver taken and rightfully so, but Nabers has the chance to put up a monster season as a rookie. There was a preview of it against Houston.

Other games

Baltimore Ravens 13, Atlanta Falcons 12: The Ravens and Falcons sat starters, and Atlanta rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sat too. That meant a battle between Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke and Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson. It’s surprising the Falcons didn’t play Penix, the eighth pick of the NFL Draft, but Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Penix did enough in the opener that the team doesn’t need to play him the rest of the preseason. Johnson went 11-of-11 for 120 yards, giving the Ravens some confidence in the backup QB position heading into the season.

Chicago Bears 27, Cincinnati Bengals 3: A pair of Caleb Williams highlights will be what stands out from this game, but Khalil Herbert had another strong performance. The Bears’ No. 2 running back got most of the action with D’Andre Swift sitting out, and he looked sharp gaining 31 yards on five first-half carries. He’s going to be a big factor in Chicago’s backfield.

Minnesota Vikings 27, Cleveland Browns 12: The Vikings lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a knee injury after last week’s preseason game, so they weren’t risking playing Sam Darnold this week. Nick Mullens got the start for the Vikings at quarterback. The Browns didn’t start their quarterback either, giving Deshaun Watson another week before his preseason debut. Watson might play in next week’s preseason finale. The Browns sat practically everyone of note on Saturday, listing 39 players as inactive.

New York Jets 15, Carolina Panthers 12: The Panthers and Jets had joint practices so they sat starters for Saturday’s game. The Panthers listed 38 players, including quarterback Bryce Young, as inactive. For the Jets it was disappointing to see rookie running back Braelon Allen follow up an impressive debut with just 27 yards on eight carries, with a long run of 4 yards.

Indianapolis Colts 21, Arizona Cardinals 13: This was another game that featured no starters from either side. The two teams got in their work during joint practices through the week so starters like quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson sat. The Cardinals got a good game out of Trey Benson, the rookie running back who is likely to be James Conner‘s backup. Benson had 43 yards on nine carries.

Tennessee Titans 16, Seattle Seahawks 15: The Seahawks and Titans gave most of their starters the night off. Sam Howell played a lot again and had a good game, completing 11 of 14 passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and a 136 passer rating. He’ll begin the season as Geno Smith‘s backup. Tennessee won on a field goal as time expired.

Buffalo Bills 9, Pittsburgh Steelers 3: The Bills pulled a surprise. Josh Allen was supposed to play but the team changed its mind because Mitchell Trubisky got the start at Pittsburgh. Steelers fans booed Trubisky, who played for Pittsburgh in 2022 and 2023, when he was announced. The Steelers held some players out too, most notably T.J. Watt. There was a rainstorm in Pittsburgh hours before the game and the conditions probably were a reason both teams held out key players. Russell Wilson did start for the Steelers, and did not have a positive outing.

Los Angeles Rams 13, Los Angeles Chargers 9: No surprise that the Rams and Chargers didn’t play anyone of note. Sean McVay never takes the preseason seriously (he let assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant run the team on Saturday) and it appears new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will take the same approach. Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston, a 2023 first-round draft pick coming off a disappointing season, did play. He had one catch for 19 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7: The Buccaneers and Jaguars sat starters, which gave the Jaguars a look at former Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones. He got the start and was productive. He was 16-of-23 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He’s battling C.J. Beathard for the team’s No. 2 quarterback job.

Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders: The Cowboys said before the game they would sit starters but the Raiders had incentive to play theirs. The Raiders have a quarterback battle, and Gardner Minshew II got the start this week over Aidan O’Connell.

Final thoughts

• Early this season, the sunlight through the broken panel in the Texans’ roof will be distracting. The roof was damaged during Hurricane Beryl and during day games early in the season there will be a patch of light shining on the field. It’s visible during this Nico Collins highlight.

A report from the NBC affiliate in Houston said the panels are expected to be fixed within a month of the regular season starting.

• Speaking of the Texans, the starters played some and Stefon Diggs made his first catch wearing No. 1 for Houston. Diggs came over to the Texans in a huge offseason trade with the Buffalo Bills.

• Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is in midseason form. He made a nice play to start Saturday’s game, almost picking off Daniel Jones‘ first pass, then had a fantastic interception later in the first quarter on a deep pass. The focus will be on Jones and his two bad picks in the first quarter, but give credit to Stingley for having a big day. The former third overall pick of the NFL Draft is emerging as one of the NFL’s best corners.

• Receiver Trishton Jackson is making a case to be on the field for the Vikings this season. Last week he had 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches. On Saturday he caught another touchdown on a nice catch near the sideline in the end zone. Minnesota’s depth chart at receiver is unsettled after Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and Jackson — who was undrafted in 2020 and has appeared in just seven NFL games, all for Minnesota last season — is making a case to get some playing time.

• With Nick Chubb still coming back from a major knee injury, D’Onta Foreman could factor into the Browns’ running back mix early in the season. Foreman made some plays on Saturday, including a touchdown run and five catches for 46 yards. He looked fresh on a 22-yard gain on a short catch. Jerome Ford should lead the backfield before Chubb returns but the Browns need Foreman for some depth.

• The Steelers had what could be a damaging injury. Jaylen Warren suffered a hamstring injury early in the game. For a team that wants to run the ball a lot, and might need to if Russell Wilson’s struggles from his preseason debut carry over to the regular season, Warren’s status for Week 1 is a big story in Pittsburgh.

• Jets first-round pick Olu Fashanu continues to impress. He played left tackle last week and did well, and he switched to play right tackle in the team’s second preseason game. He had a holding penalty but is quickly becoming a valuable asset for the Jets as they figure out his role behind a couple of veteran tackles.

• The Colts have an unexpected issue. Kicker Matt Gay has been off this preseason. He missed field goals from 53 and 44 yards on Saturday. Last week he missed a 54-yard attempt. Missing from beyond 50 yards isn’t alarming, but the Colts can’t be happy to see Gay missing three kicks already. He’s usually a reliable veteran so Indianapolis will hope it’s just a preseason blip.