Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles offers a chance for revenge after the Super Bowl in February. However, Andy Reid’s team won’t be at full strength. Xavier Worthy suffered an injury that will sideline him for three weeks.
Rookie Jalen Royals will also miss the game due to a knee injury. This leaves the Chiefs at a major disadvantage, forcing their head coach to reorganize the roster and design new strategies.
A tough situation for Andy Reid
According to Essentiallysports, Xavier Worthy showed health problems early during the season opener in Brazil. In one play, he collided with Travis Kelce and injured his shoulder.
#NFL Injury Updates#49ers Brock Purdy – Suspect shoulder = mild (1st half injury). Toe TBD, often played thru w/plate in shoe. 2 listings = high risk to sit#49ers George Kittle – 3-5 wks. Implies moderate grade. Age + soft tissue history raises re-injury risk to 20-25%
1/10 pic.twitter.com/HyMJCmHQID— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) September 9, 2025
Analyst Deepak Chona explained that Worthy is “day-to-day” but carries a 50% risk of reinjury. “Most new injuries happen within the first month of return,” he noted. Rushing him back could be counterproductive for the Chiefs.
As for Jalen Royals, he suffers from knee tendinitis that may keep him off the field for weeks. Protecting him is the best decision for the team, which cannot afford to lose both players so early in the NFL season.
On top of that, Rashee Rice will also miss Sunday’s game. He is serving the second of his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. This means the Chiefs will face the Eagles with only a fraction of their top receiving power.
The Chiefs had relied on Xavier Worthy’s speed to make up for Rice’s absence. But with both Worthy and Royals out, Andy Reid must face upcoming games without three key players.
