Xavier Worthy is a fast playmaker. He’s coming along quickly at the end of his rookie season for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He’s also not the type to wrestle away a jump ball from a defender in traffic. He’s just 165 pounds.
But Worthy had one of the strongest plays of the playoffs in the AFC championship game. Patrick Mahomes somehow got free to deliver a reckless pass downfield into traffic. Bills safety Cole Bishop had it when he went up, and by the time he went down Worthy had possession. If there was a question about whether both players had control, the tie goes to the receiver.
There was controversy. The ball might have hit the ground as Worthy was taking it back, as Tony Romo pointed out on the CBS broadcast. As with any call that happens to go the Chiefs’ way, that brought out the conspiracy theorists. The Bills challenged, but the call stood.
It wouldn’t have been an interception anyway. There was a holding by Bills safety Damar Hamlin on the play, which would have negated the interception and brought even more rage on social media over the officials. But the play did give the Chiefs the ball at Buffalo’s 3-yard line.
Patrick Mahomes ran into the end zone on third-and-goal after Worthy’s big catch. For those waiting to complain about the officiating, it was finally their chance to let loose.
