Patrick Mahomes Sees Escape From Travis Kelce Dependency After Andy Reid’s Latest Move

The Kansas City Chiefs have had a shaky season till now. With 1-2, their offense is under scrutiny. Even though they squeaked out a difficult Week 3 victory against the New York Giants, concerns about Patrick Mahomes and his offense keep raising questions. The normally effective passing attack is out of whack.

On Wednesday,

Andy Reid provided fans and the media with a glimmer of hope. ESPN’s Adam Schefter took to Instagram, noting, ”Chiefs listed WR Xavier Worthy as a full participant in today’s practice, putting him on track to play Sunday against Baltimore.” The dynamic wideout is on track to play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

This will be Worthy’s first game action since Week 1, when he injured his shoulder. Worthy’s return could be the spark that releases Mahomes from his overreliance on his experienced tight end. And the need is very much there. In Week 2, against the Eagles, the Chiefs fell 20-17 in Arrowhead Stadium. It was a night of torture for both Mahomes and Kelce.

In the fourth quarter, when Kansas City had an opportunity to score, Mahomes threw a pass to Kelce in the end zone — only to have it bounce off his hands into the arms of an Eagles defender. Philadelphia did the opposite and scored, reversing the game for good. Moments like those have made sharp the reality of Kansas City’s current offense: Mahomes has been forced to throw so many big throws to Kelce that when the chemistry falters, the entire attack falters. Having Worthy back gives them an escape, a receiver who can loosen up the middle of the field and back off safeties, giving Mahomes multiple high-end options.

And troubles for Travis do not just end there.

The NFL has fined the veteran tight end $14,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after he made an obscene gesture during the game against the Eagles. While Kelce remains the focal point of the Chiefs’ offense, he too must deal with the pressures of aging. All of that makes it all the more crucial for Kansas City to diversify its passing attack and protect its franchise QB from the opposition. And they seem to be working in that direction.

Xavier Worthy’s return could revive Kansas City’s season

Worthy’s return is more than just a personnel upgrade — it could very well change the nature of how the Chiefs are playing. Kansas City, which had been middle-of-the-pack in passing yards and near the bottom in touchdowns since his departure, had only six total scores (three rushing, three receiving) in three games.

That lack of big-play explosiveness is a jolting change for a team that had long ruled the league in offensive boom. With Worthy onboard, Mahomes gains a burner who can stretch defenses vertically, draw coverages away from other pass-catchers to create intermediate routes, and enable Kelce to take advantage of softer coverages.

In Week 1, Worthy played just three snaps

before he got injured due to a collision with tight end Travis Kelce, which further restricted him from playing.

In college, Worthy made a reputation as a game-changing playmaker; now he’ll get his chance to do the same in the NFL. Their best offensive performance for this season came against the Giants. However, even in that game, they had only  306 yards against a defense that has struggled this season.