Patrick Mahomes immediately knew Rashee Rice injury was devastating
When Patrick Mahomes saw Chiefs teammate Rashee Rice down on the ground in pain after a collision with the quarterback on Sunday, he had a sinking feeling the wide receiver had a serious injury.
After Mahomes threw an interception to Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton in the first quarter, Rice punched the ball out just as Mahomes was trying to tackle Fulton, and Mahomes’ right arm sent Rice’s right knee bending the wrong way, resulting in what the Chiefs reportedly fear is a torn ACL.
“I didn’t know exactly what happened because obviously I was trying to make the tackle, but I know Rashee and how tough he is. So him being down like that, I knew it wasn’t good,” Mahomes said after the Chiefs’ 17-10 win on Sunday.
Rice, 24, was carted off and his season could be over if tests confirm he tore his ACL.
Mahomes expressed regret about the injury after throwing the interception.
“Rashee really made a good play. I was trying to tackle the guy and obviously rolled up on him. If I just don’t turn the ball over that never happens,” Mahomes said.
The second-year wide receiver was off to a strong start for Kansas City after a rookie year in which he had 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
Over his first three games, Rice had 24 catches, 288 yards and two touchdowns, emerging as the Chiefs’ top option in the passing game with teams scheming to limit Travis Kelce’s impact.
Rice’s injury is the latest blow for a Chiefs offense that is already without fellow wideout Hollywood Brown, likely out for the season with a sternoclavicular injury, and running Isiah Pacheco suffered a leg injury in Week 2 that could keep him out for at least two months.
The Chiefs found enough offense to improve to 4-0 on Sunday, with Kelce catching seven passes for 89 yards in his best game of the season.
Kareem Hunt, whom the Chiefs recently brought back after Pacheco’s injury, ran 14 times for 69 yards, and rookie receiver Xavier Worthy scored a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
