Bengals CB gives Xavier Worthy, Chiefs bulletin board material ahead of Week 2 clash

The Cincinnati Bengals stumbled out of the gate to start the 2024 season. The Bengals suffered a disappointing 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1.

Injuries and ailments hampered Cincinnati’s offense during their Week 1 loss. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow still appeared to be bothered by his wrist injury, star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase appeared on the injury report with an illness, and wide receiver Tee Higgins was ruled out with a hamstring injury before the game. 

Cincinnati will attempt to get back on track after the shocking upset in their home stadium, but their next opponent won’t make things easy. The Bengals are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2. Overcoming the defensing Super Bowl champions will be a daunting task, particularly after their offseason improvements.

Cincinnati will need to score points to keep up with Kansas City, and Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt didn’t make things any easier with his comments on Wednesday. 

Bengals CB offers the Chiefs even more motivation

When Taylor-Britt was asked about what rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy brings to the Chiefs offense, he bluntly offered a dismissive assessment.

“Speed,” Taylor-Britt said. “That’s about it. He can run straight. Run jet sweeps and just run straight. He can't do too much else, though, that's about it. I feel like you put your hands on him, he's only 100-something pounds. So if you put hands on him, you'll stop his speed. So basically get hands on him.”

Those comments are certainly going to be disseminated throughout Kansas City’s locker room, and the Bengals defense will have to back up the cornerback’s words. If they can’t, Cincinnati’s offense will have the burden of keeping pace with a vastly improved Chiefs offense. 

Worthy skyrocketed up draft boards after he clocked a record-setting 40-yard dash of 4.21 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, and he was the perfect fit for a Kansas City offense that desperately needed his help.

Kansas City’s offense sputtered during the 2023 season. After falling to a 9-6 record with just two regular season games remaining, The Chiefs finally came to terms with the reality that their offense was no longer capable of carrying them to victory. Head coach Andy Reid’s creativity was stymied and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was relegated to mere managerial duties as the Chiefs leaned on their defense to win Super Bowl LVIII.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach entered the 2024 offseason with a need for speed. After signing veteran wide receiver Marquise Brown in free agency, Kansas City selected Worthy with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It didn’t take long for Worthy to show his worth during the team’s regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. 

On the team’s fifth offensive snap of the season, Kansas City handed the ball to Worthy on a jet sweep and the rookie accelerated through traffic to score a 21-yard touchdown. Worthy’s first career touch resulted in his first career touchdown and the team’s first offensive touchdown of the 2024 season. He also added a 35-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter. 

The Bengals secondary will have their hands full with Worthy stretching the field to create space for wide receiver Rashee Rice, tight end Travis Kelce and running back Isiah Pacheco on short and intermediate routes.