The Chiefs expected the worst when Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury in their win over the Chargers. However, his prognosis is not yet clear as he’s seen several doctors and is reportedly waiting to see more once the swelling goes down. The team officially placed him on IR Thursday, meaning he’ll miss the bare minimum of four weeks…and potentially much more.
Rice is the latest significant skill player the Chiefs have lost for a significant period of time. Hollywood Brown went down in the preseason, while star running back Isaiah Pacheco is out indefinitely but is reportedly expected back at some point this season.
Rice was Patrick Mahomes' top weapon through the first four games of the season, leading the team in receptions (24), targets (29), yards (288) and touchdown catches (two). He was particularly dangerous with the ball in his hands, as his 186 yards after the catch ranked third in the NFL. Meanwhile, his 15 first-down receptions tied for fourth in the league.
The big question now for the Chiefs is who’ll step up in his absence. Travis Kelce is the obvious choice, but he’s off to a slow start, catching just 15 passes for 158 and no touchdowns. Rookie wideout Xavier Worthy has been the team’s other top weapon, as the speedster caught nine passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The other wide receivers on the roster include Justin Watson (six catches for 87 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (two catches for 17 yards.) Backup tight end Noah Gray has also been involved in the offense, catching eight-of-nine passes thrown his way for 90 yards.
There’s also speculation the Chiefs will try to trade for a bona fide wide receiver. The top name out there is, of course, Davante Adams, but would the Raiders really trade the wideout to their division rival? Kansas City has sixth-best odds to acquire Adams at +1200 behind the Jets (-110), Saints (+275), Steelers (+450), Commanders (+800) and Cowboys (+800).
The Chiefs next take the field on Monday Night Football against the Saints. They’re 5.5-point favorites and -250 on the moneyline.
