Speed Reloaded: Mahomes and the Chiefs Reignite Their Downfield Attack

Kansas City, MO – June 2, 2025

After a 2024 campaign defined by cautious passes and dink-and-dunk efficiency, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially revving up their vertical engine once again. With new speed injected into the wide receiver room — and Patrick Mahomes determined to return to his deep-ball roots — the Chiefs are signaling one thing loud and clear: they’re going downfield in 2025.

This shift became apparent in the closing weeks of last season. Rookie wideout Xavier Worthy exploded onto the scene, culminating in a breakout performance during Super Bowl LIX with eight catches, 157 yards, and two touchdowns — including a late-game 50-yard bomb. While the play came against backups, it wasn’t meaningless. It was a message.

“It kind of just showed what’s here to come,” Worthy said after the game, flashing the quiet confidence of a future star.

For Mahomes, this resurgence isn't just nostalgia — it’s necessity. His yards per attempt fell to 6.8 in 2024, the lowest mark of his career and a far cry from the 8.0+ averages during his early MVP seasons. “Our job is to test the defenses down the field,” Mahomes said. “We have to get back to doing that if we want to open other guys underneath.”

That mission is already underway. In private passing sessions in Texas and during the first week of OTAs, Mahomes was buzzing about the team’s speed: “We’re fast. We’ve got guys that can roll.” He’s referring not just to Worthy — who set a Combine record — but also to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Rashee Rice, rookie Jalen Royals, and even former Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton, whose 4.28 speed has begun to turn heads at camp.

Worthy, now entering his second season on a $13.8 million rookie deal, has drawn rave reviews for his one-handed catches and late-season consistency. He recorded at least four receptions in every non-rest game down the stretch and played his best football in the playoffs.

“The end of last year was kind of a steppingstone for me,” he said — and that step might become a leap in 2025.

Andy Reid, never one to abandon explosive offense, is now fully embracing the challenge to stretch the field again. Mahomes confirmed: “Coach Reid is challenging me this offseason to push the ball down the field, let guys have a chance to make plays.”

With a receiver room rebuilt for speed and a quarterback eager to launch, the Chiefs are shedding the methodical offense of last season and returning to the formula that once terrified every secondary in football.

The Legion of Zoom may be gone — but something new, and just as fast, is on the rise.