KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs were encouraged by the preseason play of rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who set the Scouting Combine record of 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash. In his limited playing time, Worthy caught a 39-yard pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a 22-yard touchdown from backup Carson Wentz in a game against the Detroit Lions.

The Chiefs were equally excited about another play by Worthy from that game that drew less attention. Worthy ran a long route and, to accommodate his speed, the Lions sent three defenders to cover him, leaving the middle of the field open.

There, another Chiefs wide receiver, Justin Watson, caught a pass for a 20-yard gain. Worthy not only managed to catch his own pass, but also set it up for others.

“Xavier used all his speed to outplay three guys, and I found the right spot right under him,” Watson said. “Usually I’m the one who covers (the defense’s) back. It was nice to be the one who gets to catch.”

The Chiefs secured another speedy wide receiver in the offseason in free agent Marquise Brown, who will not play in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) because he dislocated his shoulder in the preseason. They also kept another receiver on defense in Mecole Hardman, giving the Chiefs and Mahomes three exceptionally fast options.

“We have three guys who are all fast and can attack the defense from the front. So you don’t know who’s going to be on every play,” Watson said. “And you have to respect any of those guys that come on the field. If they’re not, we’ll bring them up.”

The Chiefs have emphasized speed at wide receiver since Andy Reid arrived as head coach in 2013, but especially since Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. They drafted Tyreek Hill in 2016, signed Sammy Watkins in 2018 and drafted Hardman the following year.

The Chiefs called this receiving group the Legion of Zoom. But Hardman said this year’s group is faster.

“Then it was really just Tyreek and me,” Hardman said. “Sammy was pretty explosive, too. But speed-wise, I think this group is probably a little faster. We have a little more, like three or four guys that can actually run.”

The Chiefs lacked speed last year. Hill and Watkins were gone, and Hardman began the season with the New York Jets. He returned midseason and played in six regular season games for the Chiefs.

Opponents believed the Chiefs had no one to challenge them deep, which is one reason they struggled more than ever to make big passes with Mahomes at quarterback. The Chiefs knew that had to change, so they not only signed Brown and drafted Worthy, but also re-signed Hardman, who was a free agent.

Worthy and Brown should be in the lineup for most snaps after his return. Hardman should also get some playing time and serve as a speed backup.

“It’s a quarterback league and a fast-paced game,” said general manager Brett Veach. “The faster you are on the field, the harder it is for the defense to stop different elements of the game.”

“We have a few guys now that I think can keep the defense guessing.”

That’s great in theory, but the Chiefs were happy to get the same result as they did against the Lions. Mahomes made it a point in training camp to throw passes in Worthy’s direction as often as possible.

They had their share of finishes, but it didn’t always work as well as it did against the Lions.

“When you hit him over the top with that speed, it helps open up the whole football field,” Mahomes said. “It’s going to help everybody in the whole offense that he, (Brown) and Rashee (Rice) can get loose. It opens up the whole offense, and I think that’s going to be huge for us this year.”

The Chiefs were so determined to get the ball to Worthy that they threw him a deep post in their first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars put pressure on Mahomes and he had to get going early. On the play where he sustained the injury, he threw the ball to Brown.

But it was still part of the pattern established by the Chiefs to give their opponents the impression that they had this major threat, and they were not afraid to use him.

“Pat just wants to test me and see if I’m ready,” Worthy said of his training camp and preseason activities.

Worthy didn’t play much in the preseason, just 23 snaps. He, like Mahomes and most offensive starters, was largely rested for the regular season.

But the things he was able to accomplish in his limited playing time, including adjusting his route on the touchdown against the Lions, make the Chiefs believe they will see more of the same against the Ravens and beyond.

“He’s lightning quick and it was just cool to see him process the game so quickly and be able to play with a lot of that speed,” Watson said. “It was just great to see him make smart decisions on that touchdown, realize there was no safety at midfield, sputter a little bit and then go to the turf.”