Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs are fearing the worst with injured WR Rashee Rice

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Sep 29, 2024 8:53 PM ET

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice left Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers after taking a brutal hit to his knee from teammate Patrick Mahomes while attempting to make a tackle after an interception.

Rice, who entered Week 4 as the team’s leading receiver, may now be in danger of missing the rest of the season as the Chiefs reportedly believe the second-year wideout has a torn ACL, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The injury occurred on a freak play in the first quarter. Mahomes was intercepted by Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton and on the return the star quarterback tried to make a touchdown-saving tackle and accidentally took out Rice’s knee in the process.

Video replay showed Mahomes went low to try and slow Fulton down and as he hit the turf, his shoulder collided with Rice’s right knee, which was hyperextended as he crumpled to the ground.

Patrick mahomes ending rashee rice season because he threw a pick is nasty work pic.twitter.com/dFuenOrqXN
— John (@iam_johnw) September 29, 2024

Rice was the only Chiefs pass-catcher this season with double-digit grabs (24) and targets (29) and 100 or more yards receiving (288). The 24-year-old had five or more receptions and 75 or more yards in all three of his games this season.

If Rice does miss a significant amount of time, 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy will likely assume the role of K.C.’s No. 1 receiver. Worthy had a 54-yard touchdown in Sunday’s win and ranked second on the team in receiving yards (81) entering Week 4.

Receivers Justin Watson and Juju Smith-Schuster will likely see a bigger role in the offense moving forward as well. If the Chiefs were to sign a free agent to add depth at the position, Hunter Renfrow, Michael Thomas, Corey Davis and Richie James are among the best players still available.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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