How Rashee Rice’s Return Unleashed Brashard Smith

“He’s catching the ball well, and I like where he’s at now,” Reid said after reviewing film. “He’s in a good frame of mind and he’s picking things up. So, we just keep coming with him.”

Pair of big plays on Sunday

Smith kept coming on a second-quarter reception Sunday, showing his tantalizing potential . Lined up split left, he took a few steps back to allow blockers to get in front of them, then took Patrick Mahomes’ quick pass for 17 yards. He broke three tackles and picked up 14 yards after first contact.

Early in the second half, Smith caught a third-and-long pass and weaved his way through the defense for 13 yards and a first down. Each of those two catches came on touchdown drives.

Officially listed as a running back, Smith has always been so much more . He began his college career at Miami as a wide receiver, then transitioned to the RB position after transfering to SMU. But Reid said the Chiefs aren’t in a hurry to make Smith an every-down back, and they like how Smith complements Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.

“I’ve always believed that you need three guys,” the head coach added Monday. “We’ve normally used all three when we’ve had them. I’ve done that for a lot of years now. They’re all contributing in their own way.”

Season-high in carries

Sunday also provided the Chiefs an opportunity to give Smith a season-high 14 carries. He had only eight in the six prior games combined. And while he averaged just 2.8 yards per attempt, those 39 yards will serve as a good catapult, Reid said.

“His ability to catch the ball on screens and those type of things is good, and he’s got the protections down now so he can stand back there and still protect. He’s not quite as strong as the other guys.

“If you had to pick something where he can get better at, he’s going to need an offseason to get him even stronger than what he is, to tote it every play. But he’ll work on that. He’s a pretty diligent kid.”

A 5-10, 196-pound athlete who like Rice finished his college career at SMU, Smith was selected in the seventh round (228th overall). A former wide receiver, Smith routinely goes through pregame warmups with Chiefs wide receivers.

He also gets plenty of touches on kickoff returns, although Sunday marked his first game without one. The Raiders’ only kickoff of the game, to begin the second half, went through the end zone for a touchback. Smith has 322 yards on 12 returns this year (26.8 avg.).

Top five

Also consider, when weighing how much Rice’s return meant to the Chiefs, that none of the Kansas City’s five most explosive plays on Sunday went to a player named Rice, Hollywood Brown or Xavier Worthy: