Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kansas City Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy had some extra motivation in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills.
While relishing in the Chiefs’ 32-29 win, Worthy took a shot at the Bills for their trade out of the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft that opened the door for Kansas City to select him.
“I said it once, they skipped on me, that’s their loss,” Worthy told Marleah Campbell of KCTV5.
The Bills traded the No. 28 pick to the Chiefs for the No. 32 pick and then sent that pick to the Carolina Panthers to move out of the first round entirely to the No. 33 pick, which they used to select wide receiver Keon Coleman. While Coleman is a bigger receiver who was more of a fit for Buffalo than the speedy Worthy, the sting of being passed over still remained heading into Sunday’s game.
“I take it as a blessing. I feel like it’s a sign that they didn’t want me. I’m going to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Worthy told reporters on Friday. “This game means a little bit more. Obviously it’s the AFC championship game, but this is a team that traded their pick away to get somebody else.”
Worthy used the extra fuel to propel him to a strong performance on Sunday, as he led Kansas City with six catches for 85 yards and caught the lone touchdown pass from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Coleman was limited to one catch for 12 yards.
The Chiefs will now be playing for the chance to win their third straight championship when they meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. Worthy will need to remain motivated if he hopes to earn his first career championship ring, but for now, he got the last laugh against the Bills.
