Following another strong performance from rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Worthy’s most noteworthy play was one that didn’t quite count.

In the Chiefs’ 27-19 win over the Houston Texans, Worthy led the Chiefs in receptions and receiving yards, recording seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, adding three carries for 10 yards on the ground. Despite briefly being ruled questionable to return due to an ankle injury, Worthy finished the day as Kansas City’s most productive weapon. After the game, however, quarterback Patrick Mahomes highlighted one of the duo’s missed connections when asked if any of Worthy’s plays stood out to him from the rookie’s high-usage day.

“I think the one that stood out to me in particular was the catch that was out of bounds,” Mahomes said. “I mean, that’s one of the best corners in the league [Derek Stingley Jr.], and for him to go up and make a catch on a guy like that, and I know he ended up out of bounds, but that’s what you want to see, is a guy that can — I mean, he’s obviously fast, can make plays downfield, but making contested catches. He’s getting more and more comfortable. I think, since the Bills game, you can see that. Now, we’ve got to continue to work him and give him more opportunities downfield. You saw even when he was out of bounds, he made a big-time catch that was close.”

Asked to expand on what he’s seen from Worthy since the Chiefs’ loss to Buffalo, Mahomes explained how Worthy’s comfort level with the game has allowed him to play freely in the second half of his rookie season.

“I think it was just the speed he was playing at,” Mahomes said. “You can tell when a guy’s not thinking and when he’s just playing and letting his natural ability kind of work, and that BIlls game, he was playing fast, and I think that’s something that gave me confidence to give him more and more opportunities, and, I mean, he’s kind of ran with it.”

Extending beyond Worthy’s literal on-field speed, what has Mahomes seen to prove that Worthy has continued to grow throughout his first year in the league?

“It’s more than just the speed of how fast he is, it’s the confidence that you can feel in the route,” Mahomes said. “As a quarterback, you can feel how he’s running a route. He’s setting it up, he’s running it and getting himself open and stuff like that, and that gives you confidence to make the throws. I think there was even a couple more where I kind of maybe got flushed where he was winning downfield, and hopefully I can hit some of those, and I think that would just take his game to a whole nother level.”

While Worthy’s touchdown was a quick eight-yard reception in the red zone, Mahomes confirmed that Worthy’s route on the play was an example of the rookie’s development.

“It was something that we talked about,” Mahomes said. “We wanted him to set it up to let the guy get depth and then hit it to the front pylon, and he did that. Stuff like that, he’s getting really, really good at, and we’ll continue to work at it. He’s still a young kid, man, and I think his talent is through the roof and he has a chance to be a really special football player.”