Rashee Rice is the rookie who can save the Chiefs‘ Hall of Fame trio from wasting a year of their careers.
Rashee Rice is the rookie who can save a Hall of Fame trio from wasting a year of their careers.
Any year that head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce are together and not competing for a Super Bowl ring is a dynasty destroyer — and the Chiefs have looked like just another playoff team for most of this season.
Except for when Rice plays like he did Saturday night in a 26-7 AFC wild-card victory against the Dolphins and at a few other points along the way.
“It’s hard to believe that he’s a rookie,” Reid said.
As good of a scouting job as general manager Brett Veach did in 2017 identifying Mahomes and convincing his predecessor to trade up and draft him … and as good of a job as he did hitting on pick after pick in the 2022 draft class to flip the Chiefs into a defensive force … is as bad of a job as Veach did assembling this Chiefs’ receiving corps.
Except for when Rice plays like he did with eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown — a second score was negated by penalty — in his playoff debut, smoothly catching the ball with his hands away from his body despite the frigid minus-7 degree temperatures.
All 12 of his targets were against off coverage, and he tallied 80 yards after the catch, according to NextGenStats.
“He just keeps working; he’s relentless with that,” Reid said.
