Patrick Mahomes initially didn’t even know it was him who sent Rashee Rice back on a stretcher

Patrick Mahomes accidentally hit Kansas City Chiefs teammate and leading WR Rashee Rice in the knee in game against Los Angeles Chargers.

Patrick Mahomes did not know how badly he injured teammate Rashee Rice in the knee (Image via Imago)

The Kansas City Chiefs are in a rough spot with who quarterback Patrick Mahomes will throw the ball to. First, it was Marquise Brown who couldn’t play a regular season game. Then Rashee Rice was placed on injured reserve after his knee buckled in their previous game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

But what caused his injury has been the talk of the town so far. Which is why as soon as Patrick Mahomes stepped onto the podium after practice on Thursday, reporters asked him about the injury and his hit.

I didn’t notice it in the moment. I was more worried about trying to get the ball. Obviously just trying to make a play, it happens whenever you make tackles. When I saw the replay, I felt like s**t that I hit Rashee. I was worried that it wasn’t as bad as it looked, cause I was the one that hit him.

Patrick Mahomes said

Mahomes was visibly still shaken that his hit caused his own teammate to probably miss the rest of the season. As he will be the one to miss the most when trying to throw the football.

Patrick Mahomes weighs approximately 230lb’s. Multiplying that by a few times will give an indication of the amount of force that hit Rashee Rice in the knee. Video replays from the incident show his knee buckling backwards, giving a small idea as to the impact of that hit.

Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice were growing to become the next big duo

Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs barely had a wide receiver room. Most of their wideouts struggled with drops throughout the regular season. That prompted many analysts to advocate for them to trade for a star receiver. But the Chiefs did not buckle as Rashee Rice continued to grow in his rookie season.

Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice developed a brilliant connection for the Kansas City Chiefs (Image via Imago)
As his 2023 season game logs show, Rice’s slow rise saw him first get comfortable with the ball. Then after their Week 10 bye, he became one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite targets. In his final six regular season games, his performances showed the star QB’s growing confidence in him. Just falling short of a 1000-yard rookie season further proves that point.

This season, he again became his QB’s favorite target as he led all receivers. It is safe to say that hadn’t he been injured, the trend would have continued. But now, the Chiefs as well as Mahomes wait to see how he recovers. Even if he resumes play in the offseason, it will be a big win, and a sigh of relief for Mahomes.