Chiefs have one major reason to believe Xavier Worthy breakout is coming

In the first round of last April's draft, it was easy to lament the Buffalo Bills trading out of the first round so the Kansas City Chiefs could draft wide receiver Xavier Worthy from Texas. Worthy's overall polish as a wide receiver could be questioned, but his sheer speed (a record 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine) was undeniable. And now he'd be catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.

Worthy had two touchdowns in Week 1, one through the air and one on the ground. After that stellar start, it's been up and down for him, as is common for rookie receivers. Week 11 against the Bills was a promising step, despite the Chiefs' loss, with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. But there was also a notable miss, as Worthy stepped out of bounds on a deep pass that would have gone for a touchdown.

Mahomes took his share of the blame for that play, regarding his placement of the throw. But ideally his connection with Worthy would be in a better place than it seems to be right now, 10 games into the season.

Chiefs have reason to believe Xavier Worthy's full breakout is coming

Worthy has 24 receptions for 307 yards and six total touchdowns (four receiving, two rushing), so far this season. There's definitely an argument for getting him more involved, especially in light of him not getting the ball at all in the second half of last week's game.

The Chiefs have been here before with a rookie wide receiver. Last season, in fact. Over his first 10 games last season, Rashee Rice had 36 receptions for 420 yards and four touchdowns (4.6 targets per game). Over his final six games of the regular season (Week 12-17; the Chiefs rested starters in Week 18), he had 43 catches for 518 yards and three touchdowns (9.3 targets per game). Then in the playoffs (four games), Rice had 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown with at least six catches three times (8.3 targets per game).

It just so happens that was an equal 10-game split for Rice, counting the playoffs. Over his final 10 games as a rookie, he had 69 receptions for 780 yards and four touchdowns.

It obviously took time for Mahomes and Rice to build a connection last year. Time will tell if the same thing unfolds this year, but the timing of Rice's breakthrough as a rookie aligns exactly with where Worthy's rookie season is right now.