The Kansas City Chiefs opened the season with a nightmare scenario against the Los Angeles Chargers. The team watched rookie wideout Xavier Worthy go down just minutes into his debut. Even worse, the injury came from friendly fire, a collision with Travis Kelce.

The star tight end took full responsibility afterward, admitting on his New Heights podcast that he ran the wrong route on the mesh concept that led to the crash.

Kelce called the mistake ”inexcusable,” saying, ”I'm 13 years in the league. There is no excuse for me running into my own guys like that.”

Despite the painful outcome, there is optimism about Worthy's recovery. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, via X, formerly Twitter, Worthy is already trending toward returning with the help of a shoulder harness designed to stabilize his torn labrum.

Rapoport noted that while the rookie is sidelined for now, his availability could come sooner than expected. The update provides a boost of hope for a Chiefs team desperate for receiving options behind a few top-tier players.

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Worthy's injury itself was confirmed as a Grade 2 AC joint sprain. Testing suggested a two-to-four-week recovery window, but Worthy's progress has given the coaching staff reason to believe he might shorten that timeline.

His explosiveness and ability to stretch the field were big reasons Kansas City invested a first-round pick in him, and losing him so early has significantly altered the offense's rhythm. Because of this, Kansas will need to lean more on Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquise Brown, and others to cover the gap.

Without Worthy, the Chiefs face a major early-season test. The Eagles' defense won't have to account for Kansas City's fastest receiver, shifting the dynamic of the matchup. Avoiding a 0-2 start in the Mahomes era will require sharp execution and adjustments from an offense missing one of its most exciting weapons.