Despite making it 4-0 with a win against the Chargers, all was not well for the Chiefs. In the first quarter of their 17-10 road win, Patrick Mahomes was intercepted and during the return, when the Chiefs QB tried to tackle Chargers’ Kristian Fulton, but accidentally hit his teammate Rashee Rice’s knee with his shoulder. WR Rice had to be carried off to the locker room leaving the Chiefs fanbase worried.

Initial reports suggested that Rice may have suffered an ACL tear that would end his season a significant blow to the franchise’s hopes of a 3-peat. However, after he underwent an MRI on Monday, October 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that there remains uncertainty over the extent of his injury and further tests are required. Top Notch Sports then offered some good news for the Chiefs fans

They reported that the team believes that Rice will avoid surgery this season and be able to return to the field later in the season. Meanwhile, HC Andy Reid also offered an update on Rice’s status, hinting that they will have to tread with caution.

During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd podcast on October 2, the host asked Reid whether he had any information on Rice’s injury. The 66-year-old replied, “Yeah he’s gonna have a couple more tests done this next week, so we’ll see exactly where it’s at and I’m gonna leave it up to the doctors.” Even though Reid didn’t know exactly when Rice would be back he made sure to let the fans know what games he is slated to miss as of right now.

The coach said, “I just know he’s not going to be there this week and probably the next week. So we’ve got a bunch of guys that we’ve got to get ready to go and that’s what we’re doing.” It looks likely Rice may not return to the gridiron for at least the next two weeks, but there is some hope for him to make a comeback by Week 7 or Week 8. For the Chiefs fans, they will hope that he doesn’t miss the entire season, given his performances so far in the season.

Before his injury, Rice was second in the NFL in receiving yards with 288 and first in receptions with 24. He has been able to gel with Mahomes, having 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and has had two 100-yard games. Thus his absence could impact the Chiefs’ offense, which has struggled for consistency.

They are currently 11th in the NFL with 215.8 passing yards per game, with Travis Kelce having an uncharacteristically poor start to the season. However, after Rice went off against the Chargers, Kelce put up his season’s best effort with 89 yards on seven catches.

They have rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman in line to fill in, but it will be hard for them to replicate what Rice has done so far. Rookie Worthy is expected to fill in the position until Rice returns, but according to Reid, the responsibility will be shared.

Talking to media on Monday, Reid said about Worthy, “We’ll see how he does. We’ve got guys here that have experience of playing in the game. It’s not that he’s the only one. He doesn’t have to be the only one. We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize.” 

Notably, his injury adds to the woes of Andy Reid, who lost offseason free-agent signing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, after he underwent surgery to repair a dislocated sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder. It is possible that Brown may miss the entire season for the Chiefs. They also have first-choice running back Isiah Pacheco on the injured reserve list with a fractured fibula and his return is also in doubt.

Meanwhile, Rice shared a cryptic post on October 2 on his Instagram, with hopes of a quick comeback. Sharing a meme of SpongeBob SquarePants on his Instagram story, Rice highlighted an important message, which reads, “When people ask me where my strength comes from – The Lord.”

The recent updates do suggest that the injury may not be as severe as first feared. While Rice could miss some games in the next few weeks, the Chiefs could have him back for the last leg of the regular season or more importantly the postseason. Another piece of good news for the Chiefs fandom came from the medical professionals following the injury status of the WR.

What do doctors have to say about Rashee Rice’s injury status?

While Andy Reid couldn’t offer clarity on Rice’s injury due to pending tests, Dr. Edwin Porras, a doctor of physical therapy, who has worked with the Minnesota Twins, tweeted, “I’ll be damned. Rice likely avoided an ACL tear. This is why we confirm with imaging. If the MRI doesn’t confirm the ACL the next day, the likelihood of it being completely ruptured is low. This is a general sports-med rule of thumb.”

Furthermore, Porras explained on his YouTube channel, “What I don’t want you to take away is that it’s not a serious injury, because it is. He could still have a partial ACL (tear). He could still have a PCL issue, he could still have a hamstring issue.” Porras stressed that while he could still be out for an extended period of time, there is a chance he could be back in action for the playoffs.

On the other hand, sports doctor Jesse Morse, a sports medicine physician who covers NFL injuries for Injury Expertz, pointed out that Rice’s knee might still be too swollen to get a full assessment. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t hear any specifics until after Week 5, the Chiefs already know he’s out likely through their bye at the minimum,” Morse wrote on X on September 30.

Hence, he suggested that fans might not hear more specific details until after Week 5 when the Chiefs will likely sit Rice out through their bye week. Despite that, Morse, too, encouraged fantasy football players to hold on to Rice, as his season isn’t necessarily over yet.

So, this means that both experts seem to agree that while the injury is significant, it might not be season-ending for Rashee Rice. And it is surely a boost for the Chiefs’ 3-peat hopes.