— In their first blowout victory of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs made sure to get Rashee Rice, their No.
Known for his route running, strength and quickness, Rice led the Chiefs with seven receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
“Honestly, I kept telling him that he threw me off with that,” Rice said of Mahomes, smiling.
Sunday’s game was the first time that Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown — the Chiefs’ top trio of receivers — played together.
Based on the Chiefs’ formations, all of Rice’s production was generated with the ball traveling less than 10 air yards.
Missouri’s Kansas City. The Kansas City Chiefs made sure to get Rashee Rice, their No. 1 pick, in their first loping win of the season. In the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, one receiver was involved as soon as possible.
After completing his six-game suspension for breaking the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Rice recorded two receptions behind the line of scrimmage once the Chiefs reached the red zone on their first possession. The latter of these ended in a 2-yard touchdown, which was his first touchdown of the season. Prior to receiving congrats from his teammates, Rice celebrated by repeatedly pounding his chest and punting the ball into the stands with his right foot.
“Just a lot of passion,” Rice said of his emotions at that moment. “I needed to finish the first one first. I had to provide the offense with the spark and juice for the game’s first touchdown, even though I probably won’t be punting the ball anymore. “..”.
After missing more than a year of action due to suspension and a season-ending injury sustained in late September 2024 when he tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, Rice finally made his comeback. This season, he provided the Chiefs with their entire roster of skill-position players for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The outcomes shocked everyone. The Chiefs were able to rest Mahomes and many of the other starters for the entire fourth quarter because they scored on each of their first five possessions.
Regarding his suspension and injury, Rice remarked, “You don’t really know how much you love something until it’s gone — or possibly could be gone.”. “I was given a sneak peek at that. I want to never experience that again. The most love I’ve experienced in a long time is simply being able to spend time with my brothers out here. “.
Rice, who is well-known for his strength, speed, and route running, led the Chiefs with seven receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
Coach Andy Reid, speaking of Rice, stated, “You saw the trust that Pat has in him, which is so important.”. The entire receiving crew did a good job, in my opinion, but it was wonderful to have him back. His energy is simply amazing. “.”.
One of Mahomes’ best completions was also Rice’s longest reception, a 12-yard gain.
Rice had plenty of room to run after the catch thanks to a no-look throw that Mahomes executed just before the two-minute mark in the second quarter, deceiving linebacker Devin White and cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly.
Regarding Mahomes, Rice grinned and remarked, “To be honest, I kept telling him that he threw me off with that.”. To be honest, he ignored the entire team. Fortunately, I was just getting ready for the ball. “,”.
Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, and Rice—the Chiefs’ top three receivers—played together for the first time on Sunday. Once Worthy returned to the lineup following his recovery from a dislocated right shoulder, the Chiefs entered Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday having averaged 31 points per game in the three games prior, even without Rice.
NFL Next Gen Stats reports that even with the trio available, the Chiefs played fewer 11 players—three receivers on the field—against the Raiders (48.1 percent) than they did at the start of Week 7 (50.4 percent).
In order to avoid overworking the receiver, Reid decided that Rice should only run 16 routes against the Raiders. Additionally, Rice’s 16 routes were effective. His ten targets put him ahead of the Chiefs. Rice’s entire output, according to the Chiefs’ formations, was produced with the ball traveling fewer than ten air yards. Seven times, Rice faced either White or linebacker Elandon Roberts.
In a one-on-one with Kelly, Rice caught a 3-yard pass for his second touchdown, demonstrating how well the back-shoulder fade move was timed.
Travis Kelce, the tight end, remarked, “Everyone in this building loves Rashee, man.”. To get him back out there, we used the entire gambit, and Pat had a fantastic chance to distribute the ball widely.
“I believe this is only a preview of what lies ahead. We’re going to align ourselves even more with the complete arsenal. The possibilities for this group are endless as long as we continue to play selflessly and get excited for one another. “.
