Rashee Rice entered the 2024 NFL season as a rising star in the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense, building on a standout rookie campaign. However, a knee injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers abruptly derailed his promising sophomore year.
The Chiefs still finished the regular season with a 15-2 record, and are now eyeing a historic third consecutive Super Bowl title. Although the team has persevered without him, speculation about a potential return has sparked hope among fans.
As Kansas City prepares to face the Philadelphia Eagles on football’s biggest stage, let’s revisit how Rice got hurt and examine whether a Super Bowl comeback is even possible.
Revisiting How Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Got Hurt
Rice’s injury came during a chaotic play in Week 4. After Patrick Mahomes threw an interception, Rice chased down Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton in an effort to force a fumble. While Rice successfully jarred the ball loose, Mahomes collided with Rice’s right knee during the play, causing significant damage.
To make matters worse, Fulton’s fumble was overturned, leaving the Chiefs without a turnover and Rice with a serious injury.
Patrick Mahomes just injured Rashee Rice attempting to tackle the Chargers defender who just picked him off 😬😬 pic.twitter.com/O8ssG6V5KW
— Last Take™ (@TheRealLastTake) September 29, 2024
After allowing the initial swelling to subside, Rice underwent arthroscopic surgery on October 7. The procedure revealed a torn LCL but no damage to his ACL or meniscus, making the situation less severe than initially feared. He also required surgery to repair his hamstring tendon, further complicating his recovery.
MORE: Latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft!
The Chiefs placed Rice on injured reserve, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Despite being officially ruled out for the playoffs, rumors of Rice’s potential return have gained traction in recent weeks.
Much of this speculation stems from a video Rice posted on social media, showing him performing single-leg squats as part of his rehabilitation routine. While the video highlighted Rice’s progress, experts were quick to temper expectations.
It looks like rehab is going great for Rashee Rice. I thought he wasn’t coming back for the playoffs? He looks way ahead of schedule. Reid never said Super Bowl just playoffs. He couldn’t be back if the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl, right?
🎥: IG | doub11e_r pic.twitter.com/aehbe0ZbjS
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) January 13, 2025
Former Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz dismissed the idea that Rice could return for the Super Bowl, pointing out that rehab milestones like single-leg squats are far removed from the physical demands of NFL action.
“Yes, single-leg squats mean he’s four weeks away from being able to do everything a WR needs to do on the field and also get hit by defenders,” Schwartz wrote sarcastically on X.
Could Rice Return for the Super Bowl?
On Dec. 30, Andy Reid said that Rice would not be able to return during the postseason. The team also hasn’t opened his 21-day practice window, and Jan. 19 was the deadline to do so for him to be eligible to play in the Super Bowl.
Without this key procedural step, Rice’s return this season is officially off the table, despite his rehabilitation progress.
Kansas City remains on the brink of history, with a chance to secure an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. Rice, meanwhile, is focused on returning stronger in 2025, ready to help the Chiefs extend their dominance.
Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl Preview
Based on PFN’s win probability model, which ran 10,000 simulations via the PFN Playoff Predictor, the Eagles have a 52.8% chance of defeating the Chiefs.
The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Kansas City has won three of the last five Super Bowls and will be the first NFL team to play in five Super Bowls over a six-season span.
This is Philadelphia’s third Super Bowl appearance in the last eight seasons. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII and lost to the Chiefs two seasons ago in Super Bowl LVII.
Kansas City Chiefs Trends and Insights
- The Chiefs have 17 straight one-score wins (12-0 this season, their last three playoff games last year, and their last two regular season games). Twelve one-score wins is the most in a single season all-time, tied with the 2022 Vikings, 2019 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos.
- Patrick Mahomes passed Joe Montana for the second-most playoff wins by a starting quarterback (17) and John Elway for the second-most playoff game-winning drives by a quarterback (seven).
- From 2019-24, the Chiefs have made six Super Bowl appearances, are chasing a fourth title, and have won 78% of their regular season games. For reference, the Splash Brother Golden State Warriors (2015-19, 2022) made six NBA Finals appearances with four titles and won 76.2% of their regular season games.
- The Chiefs have averaged over 2.5 points per offensive drive in four straight games when playing their regulars – that’s a good formula, as NFL teams have won 78.9% of their games this season when clearing 2.50 PPD.
- During his career, Mahomes has averaged 3.9 carries for 20 yards and 0.13 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season. In the postseason, those rates elevated to 5.4 attempts, 29.1 yards, and 0.35 touchdowns per game.
- Since Week 5, Mahomes ranks second in pass attempts (511, even including the playoffs, Joe Burrow still has more). There are 33 QBs with more deep TD passes over that stretch (including Cooper Rush, Daniel Jones, and Michael Penix Jr.).
Philadelphia Eagles Trends and Insights
- The Eagles peaked early last season and scored 155 points over a five-game win streak (Weeks 7-12). Over their past five games, they’ve scored 166 points.
- Jalen Hurts ran for three scores in his prior Super Bowl experience, joining Terrell Davis as the only player to do that in The Big Game. With his three rushing scores on Sunday, Hurts joined LeGarrette Blount as the only players in NFL history with multiple playoff games in which they ran for three-plus touchdowns.
- Philadelphia has forced 19 turnovers in their past six games, a run that includes four games with three-plus.
- The Eagles became the sixth team to have multiple players rush for multiple scores in a playoff game, the first since Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel did it for the 2018 Patriots.
- Since 2022, the Eagles are 18-8 ATS (69.2%) when facing a team that enters play with at least as many wins as losses (second best, trailing only the 20-6-1 Lions).
- Hurts will become the eighth quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls within his first eight seasons. Of the previous seven, only Elway failed to secure a ring within his first five seasons—though Elway would famously cap off his career with Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons.
- There are similarities between the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2017 and this season. Both teams won it all after…
– A 28-point win in November in Dallas
– Falling behind on the first drive of a blowout Championship win
– Going undefeated in October and November
