Patrick Mahomes Declares Rashee Rice a 'Complete Receiver' Following TD vs. Bengals

Rashee Rice made a huge play in the Chiefs' Week 2 win over the Bengals, and Patrick Mahomes had high praise for his top wideout on Sunday.

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) catches a pass as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) misses the tackle during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

For roughly a decade, there's been little uncertainty regarding who the Kansas City Chiefs' top trusted option was in the passing game. Even in the Tyreek Hill era when he broke out and became a full-fledged star at the receiver position, Travis Kelce remained the most consistent choice for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. As the future Hall of Fame tight end battled injuries last season, then-rookie wideout Rashee Rice flashed the ability to lead the offense in targets and production.

Two weeks into the 2024-25 campaign, there's no denying who the go-to man is for Mahomes right now. Rice leads the team in targets (15), receptions (12) and receiving yards (178), leaving others like Kelce and first-round pick Xavier Worthy in the dust. Aside from Mahomes, no one else has been as important to Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's operation on offense.

Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals was a bit more of a quiet effort for Rice, yet he still hauled in five passes for 75 yards. He also scored his first touchdown of the year on a play that isn't synonymous with what the league has grown to expect from him: a deep shot from Mahomes.

44-YARD TD FOR NO. 4 🍚 pic.twitter.com/bi81MMgSYq

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 15, 2024

Following the Week 2 triumph, Mahomes broke down the play.

"It was a play where I was actually going to look at the right side first," Mahomes said. "They gave me kind of a two-high type look. Like I said, I was going to shoot it to Trav (Kelce) down the middle of the field. The backside safety kind of closed in, and that's what got my eyes to Rashee and then he won against a great corner. That's what you want to see – I told y'all, man, he can do a lot of different things. I'm going to keep giving him opportunities, and he's going to keep making plays."

The evolution of Rice's profile and role has been extremely intriguing since getting drafted. Coming out of SMU, many projected him as a vertical threat or weapon for contested catches. Not known for his ability to separate, Rice instead got praise for being a ball-winner and an alpha type of wideout for an offense.

Some of those traits have translated to the NFL, but the Chiefs force-fed him short and intermediate targets as a rookie. According to Pro Football Focus, a staggering 78% of his targets were either behind the line of scrimmage or within nine yards of it last regular season. Another 16% was divvied up for medium-range work, and just 6% of his targets were 20-plus yards downfield.

Don't get it twisted: Rice is at his best when he can get the ball in space and rack up yards after the catch. Week 1's win over the Baltimore Ravens was yet another example of that. This weekend's rep on a go route, though, is a nice change of pace. According to Mahomes, it's something Rice continues to flash.

Plays like that make Rice a complete wideout, in Mahomes's eyes, even if the football world is still catching up.

"People obviously saw last week, so they're not going to let him have those free releases and the short stuff," Mahomes said. "He has to be able to show that he can beat people deep. He was able to do that today and then we had the holding, but he did it again later at the end of the game. He's a complete receiver, man. He's getting better and better, and he can do it all. I think people see the short stuff and they get enamored by it. It's so special when he catches the ball, but he can catch the ball down the field, he can block, he can do everything it takes to be a great receiver in this league."

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