The Kansas City Chiefs are sweating on the fitness of second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy, after the player exited the team’s Week 1 matchup early through injury. Worthy suffered a dislocated shoulder in a collision with teammate Travis Kelce on only his third snap of the season.
Question marks surround the planned treatment of the injury, with both surgical and non-surgical options available. The Chiefs face the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 2, but will Worthy be available for the game?
Will Chiefs Receiver Xavier Worthy Play Against the Eagles in Week 2?
The Chiefs opened their season on Friday night, in the second regular-season NFL game to ever be played in Brazil. The Eagles opened the season with a victory over their fierce rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, having taken part in the Brazil game last season.
The Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo last year, but the Chiefs couldn’t match that, falling to an 0-1 start with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The two now face each other in Week 2, in a repeat of February’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, which the Eagles won convincingly.
Worthy produced a phenomenal receiving display that day, despite the loss, catching all eight of his targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns. However, it’s looking unlikely that he’ll be able to repeat that performance this weekend.
Right at the end of Super Bowl LIX, a 🚀 from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy! pic.twitter.com/tHrjwix1Ny
— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) February 16, 2025
Worthy didn’t practice on Wednesday, but head coach Andy Reid has ruled out surgery as a current consideration. Surprisingly, Worthy returned to practice on Thursday, providing a big boost for the Chiefs. Even if the star receiver doesn’t suit up in Week 2, it appears he won’t be sidelined for long.
The team also hasn’t placed the player on IR, suggesting there is hope he’ll be back within four weeks.
Here’s your video of Xavier Worthy, who does have some extra padding on his right arm. pic.twitter.com/qn197Dgd7a
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 11, 2025
Other than surgery, Worthy’s treatment options included rehabbing with the Chiefs and wearing a protective brace, which appears to have been the preferred option.
Worthy also practiced on Friday, and he is not entirely ruled out to play against the Eagles on Sunday. Andy Reid confirmed that the star receiver has a “slim” chance to feature in Week 2.
“He did a little bit of team work (Friday), but that was it,” said the Chiefs HC about Worthy. “He’s doing very well.”
Worthy is still listed as doubtful for the game against the Eagles.
Wide Receiver Depth Being Tested Early in Kansas City
The Chiefs are already without their top receiver, Rashee Rice, who is serving a six-game suspension stemming from a 2024 hit-and-run incident. That puts added pressure on Worthy and veteran wideout Hollywood Brown to anchor Kansas City’s passing attack.
With Worthy sidelined, Brown carried the load in Kansas City’s passing attack, drawing 16 targets — 11 more than JuJu Smith-Schuster, who ranked second. Travis Kelce is bound to see an uptick, though the future Hall of Famer finished just third in targets during the opener in Brazil.
Rookie Jalen Royals looked like the natural replacement for Worthy thanks to his yards-after-catch skillset, but he’s also unavailable after missing Wednesday’s practice. That leaves the Chiefs battling brutal injury misfortune ahead of a daunting five-week stretch against the Eagles, Ravens, and Lions.
Still, if any head coach-quarterback tandem can keep Kansas City afloat, it’s Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Even so, going into Week 2, the edge belongs to Philadelphia.
