Rashee Rice of the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a brutal blow to his knee on Sunday, Sept. 29, leading him to be carted off the field for the rest of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers—and K.C. fans and brass are bracing themselves for the worst in terms of his recovery time.
The specific nature of Rice's injury hasn't yet been made public, but sources told ESPN that Rice may have torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), though further tests need to be done to confirm his diagnosis.
The Chiefs haven't announced anything yet regarding Rice's condition, but the team's head coach Andy Reid told press that the situation is "not good."
While everything is still murky, we spoke with orthopedic surgeons who gave their expert opinions on what could be happening and when Rashee Rice may be back from the bench.
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What Injury Did Rashee Rice Suffer?
"There are many different types of injuries that may have been sustained as seen on the injury video," Dr. Clint Soppe, MD , board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and orthopedic consultant for the LA Galaxy, told Parade . "An MRI will be critical in defining the exact injuries or more commonly multiple injuries. The most worrisome is ligament tearing involving the cruciate ligaments (ACL and PCL) and/or the collateral ligaments (MCL and LCL). Other associated injuries could involve the meniscus as well as bone bruising."
According to Dr. Soppe, the best case scenario may be bone bruising. "The recovery depends on the extent of injury seen on the MRI. The range of recovery is broad until the specific diagnosis is obtained," he explained. "A bone bruise may be two to four weeks of recovery, but if surgery is needed for a ligament injury, such as an ACL tear, then recovery will be likely eight to 12 months."
Unfortunately, Dr. Soppe thinks the two-to-four-week recovery isn't a probable scenario given the video footage of Rice's tumble.
"Having watched the video, I fear that Rashee may need ligament surgery which would keep him off the field for eight to 12 months depending on the exact procedure required," he explained.
Dr. Timothy Gibson, MD , board-certified orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, concurred with Dr. Soppe.
"There is a high probability that he has a torn ACL," Dr. Gibson said. "He would need surgical reconstruction of the ACL and recovery is typically six to nine months. This is one of the best-case possibilities."
The good news in this case? Dr. Gibson says, "Prognosis for a full return is excellent."
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When Is Rashee Rice Coming Back?
Rice's return date will depend on the nature of his injury, and if Coach Reid said the situation is "not good," then it's likely he may have a torn ACL, similar to the one that benched Aaron Rodgers for the New York Jets' entire 2023-2024 season. Dr. Gibson also provided a few potential scenarios for Rice's injury, recovery and return, ranked from best- to worst-case.
1. Hyperextension injury with strain of posterior/posterolateral capsule
"MRI may also show some bone bruising," Dr. Gibson says. "This injury would be treated without surgery, and with aggressive rehab, recovery could be as soon as six weeks. Based on the video, I think this is an extremely optimistic possibility."
2. Hyperextension injury with isolated meniscus tear(s)
"This is more serious and would require arthroscopic surgery to either clean up the torn, loose meniscus fragments (six-week recovery) or repair the meniscus (six-month recovery)," he said. "The prognosis for full recovery from an isolated meniscus tear is excellent. I also think this injury is unlikely, although it would not be surprising if he sustained a meniscus tear in combination with one of the next few injuries."
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3. Hyperextension injury with torn ACL
"Knee hyperextension is a common mechanism for ACL tears," Dr. Gibson says, noting that this was the most likely case (discussed previously above).
4. Hyperextension injury with torn ACL and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament)
"A high-energy hyperextension injury can cause a combined ACL/PCL tear. This is a much more serious injury," Dr. Gibson advised. "Reconstruction of both ligaments would be required. Recuperation/rebab takes up to a year. Prognosis for complete recovery is more guarded."
5. Hyperextension/varus injury with torn ACL/PCL and LCL (lateral collateral ligament) and posterolateral corner structures of the knee
"This injury is just short of a complete knee dislocation. It would be the worst-case scenario but is certainly a possibility," Dr. Gibson warned. "Associated vascular injuries are common, so further testing including Doppler and/or angiogram should be considered. It requires a much more extensive surgery, and the final recovery is at least a year. This injury can be career-threatening, but professional athletes are unique physically and mentally. They also have access to the best medical teams and rehab programs, so a high functional recovery is possible."
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