The Chiefs placed Rashee Rice on injured reserve Thursday, meaning he will be out for at least four weeks and possibly longer. He injured his knee when quarterback Patrick Mahomes accidentally collided with him while trying to make a tackle during last weekend’s game against the Chargers.
Mahomes had just thrown an interception to Kristian Fulton of the Chargers. Both players were trying to catch Mahomes, and Rice reached Fulton first, managing to take the ball away. Just then, Mahomes dove into the pile and hit Rice above his right knee.
On Thursday, Mahomes said he didn’t realize he had caused the injury until he saw the replay on the big screen. He expressed regret about what happened.
“I wasn’t really worried about myself. I was worried about his injury and hoping that it wasn’t as bad as it looked,” he said before the upcoming Monday night game against the Saints.
Initially, the Chiefs were worried that Rice might have torn his ACL, which would require season-ending surgery. However, there hasn’t been an official diagnosis yet. Coach Andy Reid mentioned that the medical staff is waiting for the swelling to go down before doing another round of imaging next week to assess the damage more accurately.
Despite leaving the game early, Rice still leads the team with 28 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re really hoping that things work out for the best, but let’s just see where it goes and leave it up to the doctors to see,” Reid said. “Rashee’s had a phenomenal year. Unfortunately, in this league, injuries happen, and life goes on, so we always expect the next guys to step up and roll, and it’s no different now.”
