The Kansas City Chiefs have had horrible injury luck this season, and perhaps the most devastating loss was Rashee Rice. The star wide receiver suffered a knee injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
What happened to Rice, and what is the latest update on his status? Is there any chance that he can return this season?
What Is Rashee Rice’s Injury?
Rice was injured following a Patrick Mahomes’ interception in Week 4. The sophomore wide receiver forced Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton to fumble, but Mahomes appeared to take out Rice’s right knee while trying to make a tackle. (To add insult to injury, Fulton’s fumble and the Chiefs’ ensuing recovery were eventually overturned.)
Rashee Rice gets injured trying to make a tackle after this Patrick Mahomes INT pic.twitter.com/wgn05fsvt8
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 29, 2024
After allowing the swelling in his knee to abate, Rice underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure on Oct. 7. That operation yielded positive news, indicating that it wasn’t as severe as it could have been.
The following day, Rice had surgery on his LCL and hamstring tendon, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Fortunately, Rice avoided tears or damage to his ACL and meniscus. Schultz called Rice’s operation “the best-case scenario.”
When Will Rice Return?
While Rice’s ACL is fine, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted after the surgery that the wide receiver’s recovery timeline is similar to that of a torn ACL.
“His surgery was not his ACL, it was the posterolateral corner, there was damage there,” Reid explained to reporters. “It’s probably the same result, though, as you’d get time-wise for an ACL. It takes a while for that to come back. He’ll get into his rehab and get rolling on that as we go here.”
This would mean Rice should be back on the field sometime around the beginning of the 2025 season.
However, Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown recently posted a photo on Instagram showing Rice rehabbing in a pool with the caption: “Dang how you shake back that quick gang.”
“Dang how you shake back that quick gang.”
— Hollywood Brown taking about Rashee Rice on Instagram. 👀@FourGuysInABar @TalkPrimeTime @BowTieSports_18 @ChiefsInsider pic.twitter.com/ObgntzKX3b
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) November 7, 2024
Chiefs fans were understandably excited, with many holding out hope that Rice might be able to return for the Super Bowl if Kansas City advances that far. However, it seems unlikely that he’ll play again this season.
Even if Rice gets healthy for the start of next year, he may have to miss some time early in the 2025 season since the NFL is expected to suspend him for his role in a high-speed hit-and-run that occurred in March 2024. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that Rice may try to serve his potential suspension while injured.
What Is the Impact of Rice’s Injury on the Chiefs?
The Chiefs desperately miss Rice. While Kansas City is undefeated, their offense is significantly worse without him on the field.
Even though Rice hasn’t caught a pass since the team’s Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, he still leads all Chiefs wide receivers in receiving yards (288) and receptions (24).
First-round pick Xavier Worthy hasn’t stepped up and filled the void left by Rice’s absence, as he’s turned 43 targets into just 20 receptions for 246 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs recently acquired veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans in an effort to replace Rice’s production. Through three games, he’s been solid, catching 14 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahomes clearly misses Rice (and his WR2, Brown, for that matter). He’s currently posting career lows in touchdown percentage, yards per game, and net yards gained per pass attempt while tying his career high in interception percentage.
In addition, Mahomes is throwing the shortest average pass of any quarterback in the league, with an average depth of target of 3.4 air yards per attempt.
Travis Kelce has largely shouldered much of the passing-game workload. He leads the Chiefs in targets (76), receptions (60), and receiving yards (499), while no other player has more than 20 receptions or 250 receiving yards.
However, the biggest impact has been on Reid’s play-calling. The Chiefs have always leaned into Mahomes as their greatest strength, being one of the most pass-happy offenses in the league.
But this season, Kansas City has leaned more into the run game significantly more than usual, even with Isiah Pacheco sidelined. The Chiefs have dropped back to pass just 58.7% of the time, which ranks 15th in the NFL. From 2018-2023, Kansas City was tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the highest dropback rate in the NFL (65.4%).
Rice’s absence has left an irreplaceable hole that won’t be patched until he returns in 2025.