During a tense Week 4 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs lost top wideout Rashee Rice in the worst possible way: a collision with his own quarterback. Now, all eyes are on Rice’s recovery, so when will he make it back onto an NFL field?
What Is Rashee Rice’s Injury?
The collision with Mahomes led to an injury to Rice’s knee, and the immediate fear was that he had torn his ACL. Further testing proved this not to be the case, but the reality wasn’t much better.
Rice still required an injured reserve stint and surgery, which repaired his LCL and hamstring. Reportedly, all is well post-surgery, but Rice will not be making a return during the 2024 season as the Chiefs look to secure an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl.
This is the first time Rice has missed time with an injury in his NFL career; he sat out Week 18 of his rookie season, but most of the Chiefs offense did that as the team’s seeding was locked up heading into the game. Rice also largely stayed on the field consistently during his college career, playing 44 games in four seasons after establishing himself as a freshman contributor.
When Will Rice Return From Injury?
Unfortunately, the answer to this one is pretty clear-cut: Rice isn’t playing again this season. However, as surgery appears to have gone well, there’s no indication that this injury should cost him any time in 2025, as he should be able to prepare for the new season in a relatively normal fashion.
Rice was seen out and about at an after-party for the widely viewed Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match. He looked to be in good shape and in good spirits, generally, a good sign as he continues an arduous recovery journey.
How Has Rice’s Absence Impacted the Chiefs?
This has been a very strange Chiefs season. The offense, namely superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has looked terrible at almost all times, yet the team is 9-1 and was undefeated until very recently.
As such, the Chiefs had a perfect record with Rice on the field this season, and he produced very well. Rice put up 288 yards and three scores in three full games before an early-game injury in Week 4, much better production than anyone else on the Chiefs has managed since then.
The #Bills beat the #Chiefs 30-21, snapping Kansas City's 15-game win streak and unbeaten season record.
The Chiefs 15-game win streak was the sixth longest win streak in the NFL since 1950. 😳 pic.twitter.com/COVkitJJPd
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 18, 2024
With that being said, the offense has actually looked to be a bit more functional in recent weeks after the team made a move to trade for veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins in the wake of Rice’s injury. Mahomes has already developed a solid connection with Hopkins, but he’s still not close to his MVP-tier best form.
It’s hard to say that the Chiefs aren’t missing a player as talented as Rice, but it’s even harder to pinpoint much of a difference in their performances before and after his injury. They were winning then, but they’re still winning now. Conversely, the offense hasn’t looked great without Rice, but it also didn’t produce well with him on the field.