How Rashee Rice's injury affects Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were backed up on their own eight-yard line. On third-and-6, the Chiefs needed a first down late in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice. Xavier Worthy ran a low cross down the middle and Mahomes hit the speedy wide receiver on the run for 15 yards to secure a 17-10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The game-winning first-down catch is exactly what Kansas City needs from its now-depleted Chiefs wide receiver corps going forward.

Kansas City improved to 4-0 on Sunday. But the back-to-back Super Bowl winners were dealt a major blow.

“Rashee Rice will have an MRI on his knee (Monday),” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. “I’m sure it’s not as good as we want it to be.”

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Rice injured his right knee while trying to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton after Patrick Mahomes intercepted him in the first quarter. As Rice went to tackle, Mahomes accidentally collided with the wideout as he tried to tackle Fulton.

After the game, Rice was taken to the sidelines and eventually carried to the locker room. The Chiefs ruled Rice out of the game in the first half.

“I tried to fire it at Travis (Kelce) to his body. I rushed him a little. I turned the ball over,” Mahomes said of the play that injured Rice. “I thought Rashee played really well. I tried to tackle the guy and obviously rolled on him, but if I just don’t turn the ball over, that never happens.”

The Chiefs do not expect positive MRI results on Rice’s knee.

“Guys, everyone stuck together. “I feel terrible for Rashee,” Reid said. “He’s having a fantastic year.”

Rice entered Week 4 with an NFL-high 24 catches. He was the team leader in both catches and receiving yards (288). He was the team’s best pass catcher early this year, ahead of veteran tight end Travis Kelce. Rice’s absence could deal a major blow to Kansas City’s quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl victory.

But the Chiefs have won four straight games by one point each to start the regular season and have won 10 in a row since last year. They find ways to win with Reid’s depth, the best quarterback in the NFL and the only tight end in NFL history to post seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (2016-22) in Kelce.

The Mahomes-Kelce connection was rekindled on Sunday. Kelce, who had a quiet start to the year by his standards, was targeted nine times and the tight end accounted for seven catches for 89 yards, a season-high when the Rice-less Chiefs’ offense needed a target.

“With Rashee going out early, you have to get Kelce back in a situation where he’s making big catches,” Mahomes said. “The whole Kelce thing generally hasn’t worried me. I know whenever we need him, he’ll play.”

Kelce will likely continue to hit “big-ticket” targets in Rice’s absence. However, Worthy could emerge as the wide receiver of choice. Worthy had three catches, 73 yards and a touchdown, including a 54-yard touchdown reception, in the win. The speedster told USA TODAY Sports that the Chiefs are a perfect fit for him. Now is the time to demonstrate this.

“It’s next man up in our reception room,” Worthy said. “We pray for our brother. But I feel like we have a lot of people who are capable of playing in the crucial moment.”

Without Rice, the next man in the receiving room seems worthy.

Kansas City’s passing attack will need its veteran tight end and rookie first-round pick wide receiver to continue making plays if they hope to have a chance at being the first NFL team ever to do so scored three goals as Super Bowl champions.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

How Rashee Rice’s injury affects Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy

ByJasper

By Jasper

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