After leaving the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday with an apparent knee injury, the second-year wide receiver’s status for the rest of the season remains unclear.
What is known, however, is that Rice will miss at least the next four games, with the Chiefs placing the SMU product on injured reserve on Thursday.
Rice suffered the injury in the first quarter of Kansas City’s Week 4 victory, as his knee collided with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ while the two attempted to recover a fumble following an interception.
While some had previously reported that the 24-year-old suffered a season-ending torn ACL, that has yet to be confirmed, with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid telling reporters on Thursday that the team won’t know the full extent of Rice’s injury until next week.
“We’re really hoping that things work out for the best, but let’s just see where it goes and leave it up to the doctors to see,” Reid said, per ESPN. “Rashee’s had a phenomenal year. Unfortunately, in this league injuries happen, and life goes on, so we always expected the next guys to step up and roll, and it’s no different now. There’s not another Rashee. There [are] other guys, though, that are very, very good, so we’ll be fine.”
Losing Rice for the season would be a significant blow to the Chiefs’ attempt to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls in NFL history. After tallying 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie season, he led Kansas City with 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns through the first four games of the 2024 campaign.
[ESPN]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.