The secret to slowing down the Kansas City Chiefs‘ wide receiver Xavier Worthy may have been cracked by a rival cornerback, setting off alarm bells in Kansas City. Post Week 9 game, Buffalo Bills’ rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston revealed that he had figured out Worthy’s tells during the game. Eventually, that helped him anticipate the WR’s moves to limit his production. This revelation on November 2 got everyone’s attention, including Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

At a press conference, when asked about Maxwell Hairston’s comments, Andy Reid did not lose his confidence.

“Listen, everybody’s got a tendency somewhere along the line – that’s how it works,” said Reid. “If you watch enough tape, you’re going to see certain things. The objective is to give them that against different looks. We look at all that and try to keep track of that, and we ask players to do the same thing.”

So, is it really a big deal? Andy Reid didn’t think so. 

“Xavier’s a smart kid – he gets all that,” the head coach further added. “But I’m not sure, you know, we’ll see.” 

Andy Reid’s calm tone suggested that the Chiefs weren’t hitting the panic button just yet. Still, Maxwell Hairston’s comments raised some concerns. While talking to Go Long’s Tyler Dunne, the Bills’ CB revealed that he could tell the exact moment when Worthy was getting the ball. Hairston suggested that it was simply by observing the difference in his posture pre-snap. 

That observation paid off for the Bills. Maxwell Hairston defended Xavier Worthy on 3 of his 7 targets, and that included a crucial interception late by Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter. Worthy did make an 18-yard grab on the final drive – but it wasn’t enough. He finished with just three catches for 23 yards, one of the lowest in his NFL career.

Now, this raises a bigger question for the Chiefs: Are the NFL defenses already catching up to Xavier Worthy’s speed? Andy Reid seems unfazed by this. In fact, the Chiefs’ quarterback also didn’t seem too worried about Worthy’s performance this season. 

Patrick Mahomes shrugs off Xavier Worthy’s tendencies  

While playing against the Bills, Patrick Mahomes often looked Xavier Worthy’s way. But Maxwell Hairston’s combination of anticipation and tight coverage kept the quarterback from finding rhythm through his speediest receiver. Therefore, Mahomes was then asked about Hairston’s comments related to reading Worthy’s tendencies. And the quarterback seemed almost perplexed, but he then shrugged it off with a grin. 

“I didn’t necessarily see it,” said the Chiefs quarterback. “Obviously, if he [Hairston] said it, he saw something. We’ll be better at looking at things like that… I appreciate the info, so we can be better at that as the season goes on.” 

That’s classic Patrick Mahomes – calm, confident, and ready to adjust. After all, both he and Andy Reid have seen defenses adapt before. The real question now is whether Xavier Worthy can adapt just as fast. Worthy, for his part, didn’t sound too bothered. 

“If you couldn’t point out the indicator, then you’ve really seen no indicator,” said Worthy. “It just happens. It’s part of the game. We’re going to bounce back. I’ll be all right.”

Xavier Worthy’s season started rough. He hurt his shoulder on the third play of the opener and missed two games. But when he returned in Week 4, the Chiefs’ offense instantly came alive. He caught five passes for 83 yards and added 38 rushing yards in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. 

After the Ravens game, Patrick Mahomes praised Xavier Worthy for making defenses adjust to him. Since then, Worthy has averaged 42.7 yards per game – slightly better than last year. Still, one touchdown in seven starts feels low. Could his early injury or predictable tendencies be holding him back?

The Chiefs, now 5-4, will face the 8-2 Denver Broncos next. With the bye week behind them, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will expect Worthy to step up. Cleaning up those pre-snap tells will be part of it. But knowing this Chiefs offense, don’t be surprised if they find a new way to unleash his explosive speed.