The Kansas City Chiefs have placed wide receiver Rashee Rice on the injured reserve list, with Patrick Mahomes still left feeling guilty for injuring his teammate .
Rice was carted off in the Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers , as Mahomes collided with his knee in a desperate attempt to gather a fumble after throwing an interception. Initially, it was feared that Rice had torn his ACL, although there is optimism that the injury isn't season-ending.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has already ruled Rice out of the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints , and now the receiver has officially been placed on IR. The Chiefs are still waiting for swelling to reduce in Rice's knee before undergoing further tests, but he will at least miss the next four weeks.
"We're really hoping that things work out for the best, but let's just see where it goes and leave it up to the doctors to see,'' Reid said on Thursday. "Rashee's had a phenomenal year.
"Unfortunately, in this league injuries happen, and life goes on, so we always expected the next guys to step up and roll, and it's no different now. There's not another Rashee. There [are] other guys, though, that are very, very good, so we'll be fine.''
Through the opening four games until Rice's injury in the first quarter on Sunday, the receiver had 24 receptions and 288 yards. Rice is the leading receiver for the Chiefs this season and has two touchdowns, but now Kansas City must dig deep again.
The Chiefs have already lost running back Isiah Pacheco through injury, prompting the organization to re-sign veteran Kareem Hunt who was a free agent. Now Mahomes is without his top receiver and still feels terrible about the situation.
"When I saw the replay, I felt like s--- that I hit Rashee," Mahomes said. "I think that's pretty much all ... I mean, I wasn't really worried about myself. I was worried about, hopefully, his injury, and hopefully that it wasn't as bad as it looked because I was the one that hit him."
While Mahomes accidentally injured Rice, he also escaped injury to himself as the collision could have easily impacted both players. Mahomes was asked if he was concerned about his well-being, and said: "No I didn't notice in the moment, I was more worried about trying to get the ball.
"But yeah, obviously, just trying to make a play. It happens when you're trying to make tackles." The Chiefs have made it clear that it's "next man up" without Rice, placing the spotlight on two main targets in the offense.
Rookie Xavier Worthy is expected to be more involved after scoring a vital touchdown in the win over the Chargers, and tight end Travis Kelce is yet to hit top gear this season. Kelce has 158 yards this season and no touchdowns, a 50 percent decline from his averages last year.
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