With seven consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game and three Super Bowl rings to show for it, the Kansas City Chiefs have established a modern dynasty in the NFL.
Since the departure of Tyreek Hill before the 2022 season, they have continued to dominate despite the absence of a clear No. 1 wide receiver — a testament to the unwavering brilliance of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and head coach Andy Reid on the sidelines.
By the end of his rookie season in 2023, Rashee Rice looked poised to become Mahomes’ top wideout. His seven receiving touchdowns led the team, and he tacked on 26 catches for 262 yards and a score during the Chiefs’ postseason march to a Super Bowl LVIII victory.
Rice’s trajectory was halted in 2024 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Last week, the 25-year-old accepted a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from a legal case dating back to the 2024 offseason.
By the time he is eligible to return on Oct. 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Rice will have missed 21 straight Chiefs games, including the playoffs — but that has not clouded Kelce’s perception of the young receiver as Kansas City heads into a Week 1 showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“He’s going to attack these weeks and make sure that he’s ready for when he’s allowed back in the building,” Kelce said of Rice. “I think it’s going to create that much more love and that much more fight out of him. I think he’s got a lot to prove still in this league.”
The Chiefs veteran told his brother, Jason Kelce, on their “New Heights” podcast that the team “had to prepare” for Rice’s possible suspension in the offseason, including a game plan for Week 1 without him.
“I can’t wait to get that guy back in the building, but we’re going to have to hold it down without him down in Brazil, man,” Travis Kelce said.
They adapted without Rice last season and finished the year 15-2 with a trip to the Super Bowl, despite a down year from Kelce. Rookie Xavier Worthy finished as the top wide receiver with 638 yards and six touchdowns.
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Kansas City has plenty of targets for Mahomes, including Kelce, Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown.
The Chiefs also have to play the Philadelphia Eagles (Week 2), Baltimore Ravens (Week 4) and Detroit Lions (Week 6) during the course of Rice’s suspension. If they can survive that first stretch, Kelce seems convinced Rice could pick up right where he left off.
