The Kansas City Chiefs came out with a late victory over their AFC West foe Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, 17-10, but they suffered a huge loss in the game that could potentially be very serious moving forward.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice, the NFL’s leading receiver through the first three weeks of the season, was carted off the field after a Patrick Mahomes interception led to the quarterback accidentally plowing into his favorite target’s knee as he tried to tackle the Chargers’ defender who picked him off.
Rice was down on the field and in considerable pain. As he was taken away on a cart, he had a towel over his face and his hands on his head, which is never a good sign when it comes to knee injuries.
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Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton, left, fumbles the ball out of bounds after intercepting a pass as Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sept. 29, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Head coach Andy Reid said after the win that the team will wait to see what Rice’s MRI says, but it doesn’t appear they’re expecting anything good. Multiple reports say the Chiefs fear Rice has a torn ACL, which would be a massive blow for the offense the rest of the way.
“I feel terrible for Rashee,” he told reporters. “… We will hope for the best.”
If a season-ending injury is the case, the Chiefs would be without Rice, Hollywood Brown, who was lost for the season before even taking a snap with Kansas City, and Isiah Pacheco, who is rehabbing from a fractured fibula.
It’s a tough break for the Chiefs, but just like this game, they simply need the next guy to step up to find wins.
The Chargers, a team that was severely banged up heading into this contest, saw the Chiefs driving in the fourth quarter in a 10-10 game after they forced a three-and-out on Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense. Herbert battled through his ankle injury to play on Sunday, though he did appear limited in his range of movement.
After a 29-yard reception from tight end Noah Gray, the Chiefs found themselves a few plays later on first-and-goal from the two-yard line with 6:04 to play in the quarter. That’s when Samaje Perine, one of the three running backs Reid deployed on Sunday, busted into the end zone to give the Chiefs the lead late.
There was more than enough time for the Chargers to operate, but Herbert, having trouble sustaining drives all game, wasn’t able to get the job done. Los Angeles was forced to punt, and they would never get the ball back. The Chiefs ran out the clock after Xavier Worthy, the team’s rookie speedster, picked up 15 yards on 3rd-and-6 to get the first down needed to kneel it out.
With Rice down, Mahomes relied on Worthy’s blazing speed to capture the team’s first touchdown of the game, and it was a highlight-reel play as the quarterback used all of his arm to launch a 54-yard strike to Worthy in the end zone.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) celebrates with linebacker Leo Chenal after catching a 54-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
That made it a 10-7 game in favor of Los Angeles, whose only touchdown came on their opening possession after a fumble by the Chiefs four plays into the game. Herbert went 10 plays and 74 yards to find his rookie receiver, Ladd McConkey, in the back of the end zone on an absolute dot that only his guy could snag from seven yards out.
But while the Chiefs battled turnovers, the Chargers simply couldn’t get things going as Herbert was pressured in the pocket with his two starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt, both out.
Herbert completed 16 of his 27 attempts for 179 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and Mahomes had 245 yards on 19 of 29 with one touchdown and one interception.
Seven of those completed passes by Mahomes went to tight end Travis Kelce, who finally had a get-right game after totaling just 69 yards in his first three games. He led the game with 89 yards on those catches and Worthy had three for 73 yards.
Also, the return of Kareem Hunt in a Chiefs uniform was great to see if you’re a Kansas City fan, as he amassed 85 yards from scrimmage and appeared to cement his role as the team’s leading running back with Pacheco out. He had 14 carries for 69 yards, while Perine and Steele combined for seven on the day.
It wasn’t pretty by either team, but once again, it was the Chiefs doing the right things in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
They remain undefeated, but the Chiefs will need to see contributions from everyone with Rice not expected to be back this season.
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Meanwhile, the Chargers want to get healthy themselves as they’re 2-2 after a 2-0 start to the new season.
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