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Xavier Worthy injury: Travis Kelce takes blame for Kansas City Chiefs WR being sidelined

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko09/10/25nickkosko59
USATSI_27011359 (1)
Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images

Travis Kelce took the blame for teammate Xavier Worthy’s injury in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The collision between the two pass catchers occurred in the first quarter with Kelce and Worthy running routes in opposite directions.

Worthy headed to the Chiefs’ locker room shortly after reaching the sideline. The team initially ruled him as questionable to return before announcing he wouldn’t be returning due to a shoulder injury.

Kelce cited being in the league for so long that he’s got to be better in that situation. It’s unclear how long Worthy will be out and the future Hall of Fame tight end put the onus on himself.

“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy,” Kelce said on New Heights. “So, it’s frustrating for me. I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get into position, and it all just happened pretty quick. I just gotta be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league. There is no excuse for me running into my own guys like that.”

In the 27-21 loss, Kelce had two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Worthy left the game before recording a catch. QB Patrick Mahomes found Hollywood Brown 10 times for 99 yards and JuJu Smith-Schuster five times for 55 yards.

But there’s no doubt Worthy not being on the field altered the Chiefs’ offensive game plan against the Chargers. The team couldn’t rally in the end, trading scores with their AFC West foes.

It’s a considerable loss, team-wise and individually, for the Chiefs. Worthy was excellent in his debut NFL campaign last season, recording 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns.

Worthy’s 638 receiving yards were the second-most for the Chiefs, only trailing Travis Kelce. Worthy is a dangerous down-field receiver. The Chiefs selected him with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after he set the NFL Combine record in the 40-yard dash with a 4.21-second time.

Before entering the professional scene, Worthy spent three seasons at Texas. In 39 career appearances for the Longhorns, Worthy amassed 197 catches for 2,755 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.