Patrick Mahomes Explains Rashee Rice Injury Play, Chiefs’ Mindset Without Star WR

With star WR Rashee Rice going down with a scary injury in a Week 4 win, Patrick Mahomes went through the play and how the Kansas City Chiefs can move forward.

Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws the ball in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The Kansas City Chiefs secured a close win over a bitter rival on Sunday, but Week 4’s triumph against the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t come without an unfortunate development along the way.

In the first quarter of play, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a bad pass intended for tight end Travis Kelce that got intercepted. On the ensuing return by Kristian Fulton (and some commotion regarding a potential fumble), Mahomes rolled up on star wideout Rashee Rice. The impact put Rice’s leg in a compromised position, ultimately forcing him to leave the game.

Not too long thereafter, Rice was ruled out with a knee injury. The Chiefs are reportedly fearing a possible ACL tear, and head coach Andy Reid wasn’t very optimistic about the ailment on Sunday evening.

Following Kansas City’s 17-10 win, Mahomes explained what happened on the play.

“Obviously, the corner made a good play,” Mahomes said. “I was trying to fire it to Trav on his body. I overthrew him a little bit and turned the ball over. I thought Rashee really made a good play. I was trying to tackle the guy and obviously rolled up on him. But if I just don’t turn the ball over, that never happens. You’ve just got to try to get better at that.”

The two-time NFL MVP added that he’s hoping for the best for Rice, who has been the club’s best weapon in the passing game this season.

“I mean, I didn’t know exactly what happened because obviously I was trying to make the tackle,” Mahomes said. “But I know Rashee and how tough he is, so him being down like that, I knew it wasn’t good. All you do is pray that the X-rays, MRIs and stuff like that are better than what it looked [like]. Next man up until he’s back.”

Prior to exiting Sunday’s game, Rice hadn’t caught a pass or been targeted by Mahomes. In Weeks 1-3, though, he was terrific. Hauling in 24 passes for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the former second-round pick established himself as one of football’s better young wide receivers. His absence leaves a massive hole in the Chiefs’ offense, which relied on Kelce and rookie receiver Xavier Worthy to get the job done in Week 4.

If Rice misses an extended period of time or has his season cut short, Kansas City will be in a position similar to last year. The wideout group will consist of a solid veteran in Justin Watson, a wild card in JuJu Smith-Schuster and not a ton of high-end talent elsewhere. Worthy fills the Rice role as a rookie who could be asked to step up, but he is far from the same type of player Rice was in 2023-24. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense helped seal Sunday’s win, much like it did for most of last season.

After one of the most challenging starts to a game in his career, Mahomes wants everyone to get back on track while the team awaits official news on Rice’s injury.

“I think more than anything, it’s just trying to get everybody settled back down, including myself,” Mahomes said. “At the beginning of the game in general, we were trying to do too much, and that’s why we had the fumble and the interception. I thought guys stepped up and filled, as good as they [could], the role that he has in our offense, which is a big one. All we can do now is try to go back to the basics and try to get guys opportunities to succeed. I thought Travis did a great job of stepping up and making plays [like] he always does. At the end of the day, we got the win. That’s what’s important.”