Worthy shows off staggering speed in opener. How fast was he going?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Heading into the 2024 season, NFL fans already knew Xavier Worthy had some extreme speed . He broke the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.21-second sprint after making a name for himself at the University of Texas as a speedster.

However, like any other first-round pick, fans speculated how well his speed would translate to the next level. Last night, in the NFL season opener, Worthy wasted no time putting this speculation to rest.

On the fifth offensive play of the game for the Chiefs, Worthy took an end-around handoff from Mahomes and took it 21 yards, showing off his wheels en route to a touchdown. This was the first time Worthy had ever touched the ball in an NFL regular season game.

But just how fast was the Chiefs rookie going?

According to NFL Next Gen Stats , Worthy was clocked at 18.45 miles per hour on his touchdown run. While this doesn’t necessarily compare to other high-speed Next Gen numbers put up by players like Tyreek Hill (23.24 mph), it’s a good sign for the Chiefs as they begin the quest for a three-peat.

It should also be noted that Worthy’s run was for just over 20 yards. Hill’s 23+ mph run was on a kickoff, and other staggering numbers like DK Metcalf hitting 22.23 mph came on a 70+ yard reception.

That being said, Worthy getting to nearly 20 mph on a play that required him to not only get down the field but move horizontally as well is quite impressive.

Worthy had another touchdown in the second half, on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes. Worthy had one other catch in the game, a 12-yard reception where he hit practically the same speed (18.43 mph).

While Worthy will surely join the 20 mph club at some point during the season, another Chiefs player is knocking on the door as well.

Isiah Pacheco, despite being visibly sick during the first game of the NFL season, hit 19.23 mph on a 23-yard reception in the first quarter.

Pacheco, Rashee Rice and Worthy all played tremendous games, a great sign for Chiefs fans wishing to forget about last season’s offensive struggles .

“Just having him (Worthy) out there, it just opens up stuff,” said Patrick Mahomes after the game.

“I mean, you saw when he’s out there, they’re playing shell coverages, getting guys like Trav (Travis Kelce), getting guys like Rashee (Rice) open underneath and that’s what’s so great about this offense is that were able to do all of that. That’s when we’re at our best and so, like I said, when we get Hollywood (Brown) out there too, it’s going to be tough for defenses to decide who they want to cover.”

The Chiefs will hopefully be adding even more speed to the offense next week, with a healthy Hollywood Brown set to return against the Bengals. Brown has the second most 20+ mph routes since 2020, just behind Tyreek Hill.

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