Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Explains Play That Injured Xavier Worthy
The Kansas City Chiefs not only started the season 0-1, but injury was added to insult to begin the year. Star wide receiver Xavier Worthy went down with a shoulder ailment, resulting from friendly fire of all things.
In the aftermath of Kansas City’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, tight end Travis Kelce is taking accountability. He dove into the now-infamous play from the game on his “New Heights” podcast.
Travis Kelce Dives Into Play That Hurt Xavier Worthy
The sequence in question was a third-and-6 in the first quarter. On a mesh-style concept, Kelce collided with Worthy, leading to a dislocated shoulder for the former first-round pick.
Kelce admitted he’s at fault for the injury. Apparently, the future Hall of Fame man didn’t execute his route assignment correctly.
“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy,” Kelce said. “It’s frustrating for me. I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get in a position, and it all just happened pretty quick. I’ve just got to be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league. There’s no excuse for me running into my own guys like that. Being able to play fast and help him out — Worthy had his guy beat — we’re out the gate, and that game starts completely different. Instead, I’m not sure where he is exactly health-wise, but I’m hoping that we get him back as fast as possible because he means so much to this team.”
It’s still unclear how much time Worthy will miss. This doesn’t seem to be a day-to-day situation, though, which makes Kelce feel even worse.
“The biggest thing is that he’s one of our best players,” Kelce said. “He’s going to take that step into being one of the best wide receivers in the National Football League. I run into him and all of a sudden, one of the biggest pieces of the game plan is out of the game. One of the fastest guys in the league — and speed kills in this league. Now, they don’t have to worry about that.”
Kelce Grateful for Chiefs’ Game in Brazil but Bummed About Worthy Injury
The Worthy injury threw a wrench in the plans of the Chiefs’ offense. They punted on the opening drive, as well as their next two possessions. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did eventually adjust and lead five consecutive scoring series, but it wasn’t enough. Kansas City failed to slow down the Chargers’ passing attack.
A loss of both the game and a promising young wideout within the action overshadowed a massive opportunity. Kansas City, the NFL’s premier franchise right now, got a chance to expand the game in Week 1. The Friday contest took place in São Paulo, Brazil, where there are millions of football fans.
Kelce is appreciative of that stage, even if his excitement quickly turned into disappointment.
“It was a cool experience, outside of us just not getting off on the right foot,” Kelce said. “Again, I know it’s kind of sounding like a broken record from last year’s Super Bowl, but that’s on us as leaders. I’ll take the most accountability myself. I wasn’t ready [on] that first drive; I ran into one of my guys and offed him out of the game. I literally took one of my players out. That’s one of the most frustrating parts, and it’s hard to get your juices back going knowing you just hurt a guy. It’s a frustrating way to start off the season — a frustrating way to start off the game.”
In the defeat, Kelce recorded 2 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was the club’s leading receiver, logging 10 catches for 99 yards. Veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster also stepped up, going 5-for-5 on targets and adding 55 receiving yards of his own.
Kelce, in addition to the rest of the Chiefs, will now look ahead to Worthy’s hopeful return.
Seahawks might let no-brainer free agent target sign with NFC failure
The Seattle Seahawks might be a good team, but 12s simply don't know for sure. Week 1 is a lie every season, but watching the San Francisco 49ers leave Lumen Field with a victory is tough. Seattle was competitive, but not quite good enough.
The defense wasn't a real issue, except for Riq Woolen, who played the 49ers' final drive as if he had money on San Francisco for the game, but all aspects of the Seahawks could have been more efficient. Seattle got a lot of pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy, but it could have been better.
One player who could improve Seattle is edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. He might be 32 years old, and possibly he has always had a talent level that his sack numbers never matched, but he proved to be a great fit in Mike Macdonald's system when both were with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
The Dallas Cowboys are visiting with former Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney, however, might be on the verge of signing with the Dallas Cowboys, a franchise that gets talked about but hasn't been a true contender in three decades. That probably won't be as long as owner Jerry Jones keeps trying to make football decisions as the general manager.
After all, Jones was the owner/GM who couldn't quite remember the name of his best player, edge rusher Micah Parsons, and then traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the season. Will that move prove to backfire? Of course, because Jones will then be in charge of making the draft picks the team received from the Parsons trade.
Dallas needs to add someone now to help partly replace Parsons' production, as much for stopping the run as pressuring opposing passers, and Clowney can do that. As inconsistent as he has been at QB pressures, he has always been fantastic against the run.
The free agent edge rusher is reportedly visiting the Cowboys on Wednesday, according to Josina Anderson, and if the Cowboys are smart, they will sign Jadeveon Clowney. He will make the Cowboys' defense better, and they were fairly close to stealing their Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seattle Seahawks had all offseason to make a move for Clowney, but didn't. This is the case even though he played for Seattle in 2017, so he has a previous working relationship with general manager John Schneider. He knows he can produce in Mike Macdonald's system. Now, though. Seattle might not have any chance to sign Clowney, even if they still had any hopes to.
