Rashee Rice’s knee injury is still being assessed by the Kansas City Chiefs, but their most recent action provides some insight into the wide receiver’s future. Rice is in his second year of football.
Rice will miss at least four games after the Chiefs placed him on injured reserve on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In a 17-10 Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2), Rice collided with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was attempting to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton after he intercepted the QB. Rice was then carted off the field. Following the victory, Schefter reported that the Chiefs feared he tore his ACL.
Earlier this week, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed Rice will miss Monday’s home game vs. the New Orleans Saints (2-2). In his Thursday news conference, Reid said the Chiefs are in “wait-and-see mode” because they plan to do more testing when the swelling in Rice’s knee goes down.
For his sake, we’re really hoping things work out for the best, but let’s just see where it goes,” Reid said. “Leave it up to the doctors to see. I’m definitely not a doctor.”
If Rice misses the rest of the season, that would be a costly blow for K.C. (4-0) and its Super Bowl chances. Through four games, Rice leads the team in receptions (24), receiving yards (288) and touchdown catches (two). Per Pro Football Focus, he has 185 yards after the catch, the third-highest mark in the league.
With Rice out of the lineup against the Saints, the Chiefs may increase rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy’s workload. In the Week 4 win over L.A., he caught a 54-yard TD pass. According to ESPN’s Adam Teicher, the ball traveled 54 yards through the air, the longest distance in Mahomes’ career.”Leave it to the physicians to determine. I’m not a doctor at all.”
K.C. (4-0) and its chances of winning the Super Bowl would suffer a severe blow if Rice is sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. Rice leads the team in receiving yards (288), touchdown catches (2), and receptions (24) after four games. He has 185 yards after the catch, which is the third-highest total in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
In light of Rice’s absence from the starting lineup against the Saints, the Chiefs might put more pressure on rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Against Los Angeles in Week 4, he hauled in a 54-yard touchdown pass. The ball traveled 54 yards through the air, which is Mahomes’ longest aerial distance to date, according to ESPN’s Adam Teicher. If the Chiefs sign a wide receiver before the trade deadline on November 5—DeAndre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans or Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns—don’t be shocked.
K.C. traded for a wide receiver before the deadline in each of the previous two seasons (Mecole Hardman Jr. in 2023 and Kadarius Toney in 2022). To make sure they have enough depth at wide receiver, the Chiefs ought to think about doing it again.