Why one of the Chiefs’ best developments this season came in win vs. Texans

The best pass defense in the NFL flourishes with man-to-man press coverage — the kind of combination that tends to make the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator blush.

Except this isn’t about his defense. That pass coverage, that stingy man-to-man look, belongs to the Houston Texans, the team occupying the other sideline Saturday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

So naturally, when the Chiefs lined up at the Houston 8-yard-line late in a one-point game they’d eventually win 27-19, quarterback Patrick Mahomes relayed a play specifically designed to beat man-to-man coverage. Makes sense, right? Sometimes the game is as logical as it seems.

Like this too: When he left the huddle, Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy figured he might have a shot to score. His whip route, he knew, could win one-on-one against man. He’d been doing it all day.

But when he reached the line of scrimmage, Worthy realized Houston had instead thrown a change-up. They were in zone. How’d he recognize it?

“When they yelled out, ‘Zone it; zone it,’” Worthy said.

Ah, OK then.

All the sophistication of an organization that protects its computer entry points with the password “1234.”

So maybe it’s a bit much to give Worthy credit for recognizing the coverage. But how about what came next? Worthy adjusted his route on the fly, never a false step, and without any communication from the quarterback. He deepened his cut and found a soft opening in the zone, placing him near the pylon.

Mahomes stared at him most of the way. Trusted he’d see it.

Touchdown.

“When they start making the little subtle adjustments on the routes and not just running lines,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “that’s when you know they’re headed in the right direction.”

“He’s getting really, really good at it,” Mahomes said.

The Chiefs won yet again Saturday. Probably played their most complete game of the season against a team that will be in the postseason. The record is 14-1 for just the second time in franchise history.

They will finish the regular season undefeated at Arrowhead. They’re now one step closer to ensuring the only time they would have to leave home again this season would be for a flight to the Super Bowl.

But nothing from the last two paragraphs represents the best development the Chiefs had on Saturday afternoon.

Which is? They were flush — Patrick Mahomes was flush — with options at wide receiver.

When is the last time that sentence rang true?

The Chiefs got Hollywood Brown back, and, even in limited playing time, he offered a glimpse of the potential he showed in training camp. In the first half, the Chiefs elected to go for it on fourth down, uncharacteristic for Andy Reid, and they designed the play specifically for Brown. His speed converted it.

In the second half, Mahomes threw a back-shoulder fade to DeAndre Hopkins, who toe-tapped the sideline for the catch. It’s a route rarely called in this playbook because they’ve rarely had the receiver for whom to call it.

Those are two players — Brown and Hopkins — the Chiefs didn’t plan to employ just a few months ago.

It’s the other guy who occupies the most encouraging part of the equation. The guy they did plan to have.

Worthy.

He flat-out cooked some of the best cornerbacks in football — over and over and over again. He won against man. He adjusted to zone. He was the most impactful player in a game against the No. 1 DVOA defense in the NFL.

And, gasp, he did it without simply running wind sprints up and down the field. In fact, each of Worthy’s seven receptions came on passes thrown less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, the most thus far in this, his rookie season.

To reach 65 yards, therefore, Worthy needed to gain 61 of them after the ball was already in his hands.

“X,” as Reid called him, “had his best day.”

The stat line didn’t even include what was probably Worthy’s best work. He toasted his guy off the line of scrimmage on a third-down whip, but Mahomes turned his attention elsewhere and missed him. Worthy later came within an eyelash of turning a slant pattern — that’s right, a slant pattern — into a deep touchdown but settled for a first down. And he barely miss a contested catch in the end zone over one of the best cornerbacks in the game — actually, he made the catch, but just about a foot out of bounds.

Those final two examples are more telling than meets the eye. They aren’t throws Mahomes tends to make absent trust.

The timing of when that started — when the trust began to grow — might sound a bit hard to believe.

A trip to Buffalo.

You know, the only game the Chiefs lost this season.

You know, the game in which the most talked-about play was a deep corner in which Worthy and Mahomes didn’t connect.

But Mahomes picked up on something that day. Worthy was playing fast off the line of scrimmage, and faster yet in the secondary. He felt comfortable enough to adjust his routes in real time. We saw it a few weeks later during a game-winning drive against the Chargers.

Mahomes saw it in Buffalo.

“You can tell when a guy’s not thinking, and he’s just playing at letting his natural ability work,” Mahomes said. “... That’s something that gave me confidence to give him more opportunities. He’s kind of ran with it.”

It’s not a 2023 Rashee Rice-level breakout, certainly not yet.

It’s gradual.

But on Saturday, it was obvious. Worthy was open repeatedly. His yards per route run is nearly double over the last five weeks what it was over the initial 10.

This has left us with a long-awaited promising sign about a Chiefs position group usually reserved for scrutiny.

Reid actually uttered these two sentences after the game: “We just have one ball. I try to explain that to them.”

As though it might cause some drama.

Good. Bring it on. Because that’s indicative of something the Chiefs haven’t had.

Options.

Including No. 1.