KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie Xavier Worthy’s growth as a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs can be measured by his stat line, which — except for a two-game dip in the middle of the season — has gone consistently up.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes measures it in a different way. He looks at how Worthy is running his routes and setting up defenders. He looks at how Worthy is getting open at all three levels. And how Mahomes is now comfortable throwing to Worthy instead of just deep down the field.

Mahomes sees a more mature receiver than the Chiefs had early in the season, and to him, it’s no matter that the stats agree.

“It’s more than just … how fast he is,” Mahomes said. “It’s just the confidence that you can feel in the route. As a quarterback you can feel how he’s running a route, how he’s setting it up and getting himself open and stuff like that, and that gives you confidence to make the throws.

“He’s getting really, really good at it and we’ll continue to work at it. He’s still a young kid and his talent is through the roof and he has the chance to be a really special football player.”

Worthy had his highest catch total of the season in the win over the Houston Texans on Saturday, when he caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. That continued a season-long pattern for Worthy, who had two catches in each of the season’s first three games, then three catches in each of the next three.

With the exception of a couple games, Worthy’s reception totals have risen incrementally since, with four catches each in Weeks 11 and 12, five in Weeks 13 and 14 and six in Week 15.

“There were even a couple more where I maybe got flushed where he was winning down field,” Mahomes said after the Houston game. “Hopefully, I can hit some of those. I think that would take his game to a whole other level.”

The Chiefs got a similar late-season jump in production last year from another rookie wide receiver, Rashee Rice. He, like Worthy, started the season slowly but was a big part of their passing game by late in the season.

Rice had two eight-reception games in the playoffs last season and six catches in the Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“It was a little slow for the first four or five, six weeks and then weeks 7, 8, 9, 10, you could sense it,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “You might not see it in the stat book, but you could sense it as a coach. You could sense it from watching tape, and now all of a sudden, you naturally see more targets, you see more touches, you see more production.

“It’s exactly what happened with Rashee and I’m telling you, it’s crazy how similar it is and it’s exciting because you see how Rashee came into this year, what he did early on, and I think that’s the path for [Worthy].”

Nagy said he saw Worthy start to consistently line up without making mistakes around the middle of the season. That’s when he also started to see Worthy running his routes quicker and more precisely.

“Staying on time, playing fast and then making the play when the play is given to you,” Nagy said of the recent changes in Worthy. “He’s done a phenomenal job at that, and I think that’s the biggest thing that we feel is just that. Now, just continue to keep doing it here as the speed of the game, as we move forward in the playoffs, everything’s faster, so it’s even going to pick up from what he’s been seeing.”

Worthy ran a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL’s scouting combine, the fastest time in the event’s history. It took him no time to establish himself as a deep threat. He caught a 35-yard touchdown in his first NFL game in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens and had a 54-yard score three weeks later against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Being able to get open at the short and intermediate levels took some time to establish, though Worthy said that ability has been there.

“I feel like I had that nuance in my game and it’s just me showing everybody that I can do it,” he said.

Mahomes hasn’t ignored Worthy’s statistical contributions. Worthy leads the Chiefs’ wide receivers and is second on the team behind tight end Travis Kelce in catches (51) and yards (559). He leads the Chiefs with eight touchdowns, including three on rushing plays.

But Mahomes, mindful of the looming playoffs, is focused more on the process and seeing Worthy continue to develop. That’s why his favorite Worthy catch from the Texans game is one that didn’t count.

Worthy got behind cornerback Derek Stingley late in the first half to catch a deep pass, though he wasn’t able to get both feet in bounds and the throw was ruled incomplete.

“That’s one of the best corners in the league and for him to go up and make a catch on a guy like that,” Mahomes said. “I know he ended up out of bounds, but that’s what you want to see. He’s obviously fast [and] can make plays downfield but making contested catches, he’s getting more and more comfortable.”