The Kansas City Chiefs held on to Rashee Rice despite the consistent distractions and frustrations off the field, mainly due to Rice's on-field ability. Throughout his first three seasons, when Rice is healthy and clicking, there is a level of chemistry he has with Patrick Mahomes that no other receiver has been able to build since the departure of Tyreek Hill.
However, Week 1 was a disappointment for Rice as he hauled in just two catches, albeit one for a touchdown, on just as many targets. While he was matched up with arguably the best cover corner in the league, Patrick Surtain, you'd expect a guy like Rice to win a rep every now and then.
Even backup running back Emmett Johnson had just as many targets as Rice, making it clear there is a bit of concern as to what the Chiefs are going to get from him moving forward. It could be easy to say that the passing game was a bit of an afterthought the moment Kansas City started feeding Kenneth Walker III. He turned the game into a ground-and-pound offensive attack by KC.
Walker announced his presence in a way that is going to cause opposing defensive units to focus heavily on stopping the run. This is going to allow Mahomes to pile up numbers, and no player is going to benefit more from this than Rice.
Expectations for a big Rashee Rice season should still hold true for Chiefs fans
The receiver still has the on-field trust of Andy Reid and Mahomes, leaving no reason to believe the slow start is a sign of things to come. Rice offered 938 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie campaign, the only season of his career where he played double-digit games. The expectation should be exceeding these numbers as long as Rice stays healthy and out of trouble.
He also needs to produce because, without Rice supplying big numbers, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton have not yet proven they can, or ever will, be volume receivers. And while we are all excited about rookie Cyrus Allen's ascent, Reid has been clear about easing him along.
Kansas City is going to need to rely heavily on Rice this season, and Week 1 didn't change this fact. The focus remains on whether or not the receiver can stay healthy and how long he can stay out of trouble off the field. As long as these issues fall KC's way, a big season is still incoming.
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