Travis Kelce says Kansas City Chiefs three-peat Super Bowl blow is 'dagger to me'

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce has admitted that the leg injury suffered by Rashee Rice in his team's most recent outing felt like a "huge dagger" to him as he expressed his concern for his teammate.

The reigning Super Bowl champions have recorded four wins in their opening weeks of the new NFL season as they chase an unprecedented "Three-peat". While the latest victory over the Los Angeles Chargers represented another resounding result, the potentially season-ending injury to Rice could prove a seminal moment in their campaign.

The 24-year-old was carted off in the win after an unexpected collision with colleague Patrick Mahomes left him writhing in pain on the ground. Subsequently, Rice has been placed on the team's injured reserve list, meaning that he will miss at least four of KC's upcoming games.

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The wide receiver has impressed so far during this campaign and is second among the league's stars in terms of receiving yards with 288, while leading the way with 24 receptions. The player's importance to the Chiefs' offense is not lost on stalwart Kelce either, who admitted his concerns for his teammate on his podcast.

Speaking with brother Jason Kelce on their "New Heights" show, he explained why the ace is pivotal in the Chiefs' offensive set-up, saying: On the offensive side of the ball, we've got to get rolling, man and it's not going to be any easier seeing Rashee (Rice) go down during the game.

"I just love the way that guy was playing the game of football, how he was attacking every single day in practice," he continued. "Sometimes you just root so hard for the guys that do it the right way, and Rashee had been doing that, man. It was a huge dagger to me when I saw him go down.'

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"Outside of that, found a way to get the ball in the end zone late, running the hell out of the ball. Our offensive line is our biggest weapon right now, those guys up front are [...] paving the way, tight ends included with Noah Gray and my guy J (Jared) Wiley coming in, wide receivers doing their job, and the run game.'

Kelce added: "You've gotta find a way to win ball games, and sometimes it takes those little things that don't get the highlight all the time. Wide receivers going in and digging out safeties for an extra four, five yards. Running backs running their tails off, getting those extra two, three yards."

In the coming weeks, the Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers , before clashes with the Las Vegas Raiders , the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos . The extent of the injury to Rice has not yet been disclosed but he will play no part in any of those games.