The Kansas City Chiefs placed leading wide receiver Rashee Rice on injured reserve Thursday, sidelining him for at least four weeks.
Rice hurt his knee last weekend when quarterback Patrick Mahomes collided with him while trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception.
Mahomes said he didn’t realize he caused the injury until seeing the replay on the scoreboard.
“I wasn’t really worried about myself. I was worried about his injury and hopefully that it wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Mahomes said.
The Chiefs initially feared Rice tore his ACL, but the medical staff is waiting for swelling to subside before conducting further imaging.
Coach Andy Reid said, “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.”
Rice leads the team with 28 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
The Chiefs will rely on JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce to fill the offensive void.
The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5, giving the Chiefs time to explore external options if Rice’s injury is long-term.
In other news, the Chiefs opened the three-week practice window for running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to return from the non-football injury list.
