Xavier Worthy scores 2 TDs in NFL debut, giving the Chiefs' offense another dangerous dimension

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs selected Xavier Worthy in the first round of the NFL draft in April with the expectation that the speedy wide receiver out of Texas would give their offense some much-needed pop.

It took Worthy five plays in a season-opening 27-20 win over Baltimore on Thursday night to prove it was a wise decision. And to show the rest of the league that they were fools for letting him land with the Chiefs.

On their first possession, trying to match the Ravens' opening touchdown, Patrick Mahomes found second-year pro Rashee Rice for a couple of nice gains. Isiah Pacheco added a carry. The Chiefs were helped along by a personal foul penalty. And it all set up Worthy, who sprinted behind Mahomes, grabbed his flip and followed a red escort 21 yards to the end zone.

“It was crazy. We ran that in the preseason and I fumbled,” Worthy explained. “For them to have that trust in me, I told (offensive coordinator Matt) Nagy that I think this play is going to score and it happened. It was an amazing moment.”

Worthy made an even more important play at another crucial juncture later in the game.

Lamar Jackson had just hit Isaiah Likely on a broken play for a 49-yard touchdown pass that had drawn the Ravens to within 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Mahomes again answered by finding Rice for a nice gain, and then tight end Noah Gray, who earlier in the day had agreed to a contract extension. Finally, on second down at the Baltimore 35, the Super Bowl MVP spotted Worthy as he ran right past Marlon Humphrey, hitting him in stride with the touchdown strike.

“He’s so cool, calm and collected, like, all the time,” said Mahomes, who earlier in the night passed Len Dawson for the franchise record for career passing yardage. “You never even see the excitement on him, but he goes up there and makes plays.”

Worthy wound up with three touches for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

Not a bad NFL debut.

“This is everything I’ve dreamed of,” Worthy said afterward. “Like I said before, I didn’t want to go anywhere else but the Chiefs. Having this moment and it showing up the way it is, is just an amazing feeling.”

Mahomes completed 20 passes to eight different targets, and the Chiefs offense was humming despite Travis Kelce catching just three balls for 37 yards. Just imagine what it could do when Marquise Brown, one of their premier free-agent acquisitions, is back in the next couple of weeks from his shoulder injury.

"It was good to get the whole offense going and kind of see where everybody’s at,” Mahomes said.

The Chiefs did a nice job of bottling up new Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who tormented him during his time with the Titans; he had just 46 yards rushing. But they failed to contain Jackson on both scrambles and designed runs, and the two-time and reigning league MVP made them pay with 122 yards rushing on the night.

“We were able to hold on,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We were inches away from going into overtime in the first game of the year. We knew it was going to be a battle. It was an exciting game that came down to literally the end.”

Defensive backs Jaylen Watson and Josh Williams played well alongside Trent McDuffie, showing the Chiefs' secondary should be just fine after L'Jarius Sneed was traded to Tennessee. Chamarri Conner also made a couple of nice plays at safety.

Nick Bolton, who is hoping for a long-term contract extension after the season, had a shaky performance against Baltimore. The usually assignment-sound linebacker failed to mark Justice Hill out of the backfield for what became two long completions, and Bolton also had the coverage on Likely when the tight end caught his long touchdown pass.

The Chiefs made it through unscathed. Now, the question is whether Brown can play next week against Cincinnati. He hurt his shoulder in the Chiefs' preseason opener against Jacksonville but has so far avoided injured reserve.

28,715 — The career passing yardage total for Mahomes, who had 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Ravens. That broke the Chiefs record of 28,507 yards set by Dawson from 1962-75.

The Chiefs go for their third straight win over the Bengals on Sept. 15.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy heads for the end zone after catching a 35-yard pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh watches from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Taylor Swift watches from a suite during the second half of an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates as he heads off the field following an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-20. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, left, catches a pass out of bounds as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) and linebacker Drue Tranquill (23) defend as time time expires in the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-20. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) catches a pass with his toe out of bounds as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and linebacker Drue Tranquill, left, defend as time time expires in the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-20.(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died at age 70.

Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being,” his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday.

The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s including "ABC," “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”

The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest names in music under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player who supported his wife and nine children in Gary, Indiana. As the family’s music careers took off, they relocated to California.

Born on Oct. 15, 1953, Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was the least-heard member of the group as a background singer who played guitar. His brothers launched solo careers, including Michael, who became one of the world's biggest performers known as The King of Pop.

Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.

Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Jackson said his younger brother's death pulled the family closer together.

“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,” he said, adding he would personally never “be at peace with it.”

“There’s still moments when I just can’t believe it. So I think that’s never going to go away,” he said.

In 2014, Jackson said he and his brothers still felt Michael Jackson's absence in their shows, which continued with international tours.

“I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed," he said, noting that Michael's spirit "is with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces."

Days before his death, Jackson posted a message on his Facebook page from Germany on Sept. 11, where he visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers.

“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson. We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive," he wrote.

Tito Jackson was the last of the nine Jackson siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, “Tito Time.” He released a song in 2017, “One Way Street,” and told the AP in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.

Jackson said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons, TJ, Taj and Taryll, who formed their own music group, 3T. Jackson's website offers a link to a single featuring 3T and Stevie Wonder titled, “Love One Another.”

Tito Jackson also is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya and their mother, Katherine. Their father died in 2018.

Jackson's death was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.

FILE - Pop star Michael Jackson, center, his mother Katherine Jackson, right, and brother Tito Jackson, left, leave Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, Calif., April 7, 2005, after another day of testimony in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

FILE - From left, brothers Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson pose for a portrait together in Beverly Hills, Calif., Dec. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - Singer Tito Jackson arrives at the opening night of, "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," in Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

FILE - The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, front right; Marlon Jackson, front left; Tito Jackson, back left; Jackie Jackson, back center; and Jermaine Jackson, back right; pose for this undated photo together in Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Tito Jackson, a member of the famed Jackson 5, poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, July 24, 2019, to promote his solo project, a new version of his 2017 song "One Way Street." (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)