Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy left the team’s Week 1 game due to a shoulder injury he sustained by colliding with teammate Travis Kelce, and Kelce has since explained what happened on the unfortunate play.
Worthy suffered a dislocated shoulder on the Chiefs’ third offensive play in their 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday night at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. The speedy wideout was running a crossing pattern over the middle of the field when he and Kelce ran directly into one another.
Worthy, who is a much smaller player, took the brunt of the collision. He exited the game and did not return.
Travis Kelce killed Xavier Worthy pic.twitter.com/BmuBNeTVWY
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 6, 2025
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has described Worthy as day-to-day. The former first-round pick’s status for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles is not yet clear.
Kelce discussed the play during the latest episode of his and his brother Jason’s “New Heights” podcast, which was released on Wednesday. The tight end took the blame for what happened.
“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy. So, it’s frustrating for me. I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get into position, and it all just happened pretty quick,” Kelce said. “I just gotta be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league. There is no excuse for me running into my own guys like that.”
Travis Kelce on Xavier Worthy and his injury: "I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy. So, it’s frustrating for me. I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get into position, and it all just happened pretty quick. I just gotta be better, man. I’m 13… https://t.co/rS3zZfJEO7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2025
The Chiefs have had some terrible luck with friendly fire over the past two seasons. When Kansas City faced the Chargers in Week 4 last year, Patrick Mahomes blew out Rashee Rice’s knee while the quarterback was trying to make a tackle after he threw an interception. You can see that play here.
Rice is currently serving a six-game suspension, so the Chiefs are already shorthanded at wide receiver. Fortunately, the injury to Worthy does not sound nearly as serious.
Worthy made a significant impact as a rookie last season with 59 catches for 638 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was widely viewed as a breakout candidate for 2025, but he will need to get back on the field to have a chance to live up to that hype.
