KC Chiefs Have ‘Only Scratched the Surface’ With Rookie WR Rashee Rice

After Rice's first career 100-yard game, the Chiefs gave the rookie his flowers for an awesome performance.

The Kansas City Chiefs' offense got off to an alarmingly slow start on Sunday, getting shut out in the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders. A whopping 31 points ensued over the next three frames, however, as the unit looked much more like a formidable one.

Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice played a major role in that process, stepping up and leading the team in Week 12.

Among all Chiefs players to catch a pass on Sunday, Rice finished first in targets (10), receptions (8), yards (107) and longest catch (39 yards). Yes, that group includes tight end Travis Kelce. The figures were also season- and career-best marks for the second-round pick, serving as a coming-out party for the SMU product. Five of those receptions and 87 of the yards came in the second half alone, driving a dagger into the hearts of the Raiders and their fans in attendance down in Las Vegas.

What's the secret for Rice? Head coach Andy Reid describes the rookie as a "smart kid" who "works tremendously hard" at becoming a reliable contributor. Running back Isiah Pacheco, someone who came on strong as a rookie just one year ago, draws some parallels from what Rice is doing to the things he tried to emulate in 2022. 

"He's doing the little things," Pacheco said. "Staying in the building later, asking questions and just following the leaders. That's what I did. For me, just having that mindset of you want to get better every day, that's what we need. We need guys like that, and Rashee's definitely one of them."

According to Next Gen Stats, Rice finished with 37 receiving yards over expected on Sunday. That made him the first Kansas City wideout to go over the 30-yard mark in that category this season. He was also the first Chiefs receiver to have 100 or more yards in a game... 12 weeks into the year. Regardless of the statistic, it's pretty easy to come away from the game and conclude that it was arguably the most effective recent receiver performances the Chiefs have had. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has repeatedly said that Rice has the talent to deliver big-time games, adding on Sunday evening that he thinks the team has plenty more in store for its standout rookie. 

"I think we've only scratched the surface, honestly," Mahomes said. "I think you've seen us hitting him kind of around the line of scrimmage, you saw the one around the sideline. I think he can do some of the vertical threat stuff. He has speed and he has burst, you can see it when he has the football in his hands. So let's start working him in and getting him more opportunities. It's hard when defenses play us like this — we've put some kind of deep-crossers and stuff in where defenses are settling back and I can go underneath. But I think he has a chance to be a great receiver in this league, and we're going to continue to push him to be that receiver every single week." 

Just last week, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy confirmed that Rice had shed the "package player" label. The proof also shows up in the snap counts, as Rice logged between 57-68% of available reps in the four games leading up to his Week 12 breakout. It's clear that the first-year man is handling a greater focus within the offense, and it's beginning to pay off on the field. 

When asked about what's led to his rise, Rice said that Reid and Mahomes's increase in confidence in him stems from practice. As he puts forth more and more "game reps" at full speed, the Chiefs gain a better understanding of what he can do. With his blend of size and athleticism, the franchise is beginning to hint at there not being much that he can't do. If a fourth-quarter trust pass from Mahomes down the sideline for 19 yards is any indication, Rice is on a solid path to having continued success. 

That doesn't surprise Mahomes or anyone else in the building, though, because Rice is confident in himself.

"He'll tell you," Mahomes said. "For young dudes to do that, that speaks to the type of player he is. He just wants to win. He wants to go out there and he wants to win. And when I say that, he doesn't do it in a bad way. He just will say, 'Hey, I'm going to be there. I'm going to do what I need to do to get myself open. If you give me a chance and it comes to you, then I'm going to make something happen with it.' That's the type of guy you want, and I think we have a lot of guys like that on the team. Obviously, we've had a few games where we haven't played to our level, but we're going to continue to work at it and keep winning football games and try to be our best at the end of the season."

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