KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No doubt there were many reasons the Chiefs woke up the echoes and restored a certain sense of order on Sunday with a 37-20 clobbering of visiting Baltimore, a presumptive rival for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.

The trajectory of the game flipped on Leo Chenal’s interception of Lamar Jackson as the defense muzzled one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. Patrick Mahomes enjoyed his first four-touchdown pass game in two seasons behind an offensive line that actually gave him time to work as the Chiefs amassed their highest score in 42 overall games.

For all else that went better and suddenly makes everything appear reinvigorated, though, one factor in particular rebooted the dynamics of an offense that had been languishing and gave it flow and rhythm and, heck, even made it fun to watch for the first time in a while.

It wasn’t just what Xavier Worthy directly produced in his first game since suffering a shoulder injury in a miserable collision with Travis Kelce three plays into the opener.

The play was wince-inducing. For fans alone, that is, to say nothing of Worthy’s own pain.

In the worrisome moment, you could only guess how long he’d be out — and what the broader ripples would be with Rashee Rice already suspended for the first six games.

Sunday offered clarity. Not merely in the form of Worthy’s gritty fourth-and-2 catch for a first down and his 37-yard reception from Mahomes and his 35-yard end-around. But in the aggregate of his versatility — and in how it influences the entire offense.

With the return of Worthy, whose tremendous rookie year was punctuated with his eight-catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the otherwise abominable Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, everything else was both more in its place and expanded through his presence.

That included leading the Chiefs in receiving yards with 83 and in rushing yards with 38.

Nevermind that Worthy didn’t feel like he was quite in game shape, a point he made smiling and laughing repeatedly in his postgame news conference. “I ain’t going to lie,” he said. “I was cramping bad.”

His experience with Mahomes, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “just kind of brought it together (for the group). They fed off each other’s success.”

But on a day Hollywood Brown scored his first touchdown as a Chief and reborn Patriots castoff Tyquan Thornton scored his third of the season and Travis Kelce looked smooth with five catches for 48 yards, that all radiated from Worthy’s range.

It starts with his speed and the constant ambient threat of the Chiefs being able to go over the top to him … and the adjustments Mahomes can see it forcing on defenses.

“And when they adjust,” Mahomes said, “it’s like he gets so much attention on him, other guys can make plays happen.”

But if Worthy’s super-power is speed, his skill-set has expanded to plenty more, including routes of every variety and at any depth.

We saw plenty of examples of that last season, intensifying along the way as he learned the offense better and earned more and more of Mahomes’ trust.

“I think you saw at the end of last year (that) he’s not just like this fast receiver running down the field,” Mahomes said. “He’s gained weight, and he’s kept his speed and he’s showed that he can be a guy that can do everything.”

On Sunday, though, Worthy had to remind himself of that some after having sat out games with an injury for the first time he could remember.

While he said he’d tried to go back in the game against the Chargers in Brazil, well, … “I just couldn’t lift my arm,” he said. The Chiefs, he said, “probably held me back from myself more than anything,” and it wasn’t long before he felt assured he’d return soon.

If he wasn’t worried about that, though, absorbing contact was on the mind of Worthy — who is generously listed as 5-foot-11 and perhaps not all of the 165 pounds he’s said to be.

Luckily for him, he got that trepidation out of the way on the Chiefs’ first play from scrimmage when Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey was charged with facemasking after throwing him down on the sideline on a short pass from Mahomes.

After that, Worthy said, he “didn’t have to play scared.”

Just the same, he played it smart later in the half when he thought better of fighting for a couple extra yards at the end of that 35-yard run. Mahomes wondered if he might have been able to score and figured Baltimore ought to be glad he’s still got the shoulder on his mind some.

“I mean, it’s Roquan Smith,” Worthy said, laughing. “I’m definitely not challenging (him.).”

Especially not when it was another of those plays when his lagging game-shape showed up.

After he passed tackle Josh Simmons blocking for him downfield, Worthy said he didn’t see anything else.

He apparently meant that almost literally.

“Vision got blurry,” he said, laughing for a few seconds again. “I was super-tired.”

Meanwhile, things look clearer and brighter for the Chiefs with the return of Worthy, resetting to 2-2 after an 0-2 start and Rice set to rejoin the team after two more games.

Yes, Baltimore’s defense is wretched, so don’t count on this being a cure-all, exactly.

But it sure was a reminder of how a team can get gunked up with, say, its top two receivers out.

“Next man up” is all you can stress, but sure it’s all the tougher after it’s next man down first.

“This was the role that we expected him to be in,” Mahomes said, “and he showcased it.”

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