The Kansas City Chiefs handled business Sunday afternoon, coming away with a 24-10 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins. While parts of the game, particularly the second and third quarters, were not all that pretty or disciplined, a win counts the same as any other in the NFL. With that said, an exciting offensive takeaway for the Chiefs was the continued emergence of Rashee Rice.
The fourth-year receiver out of SMU looked closer to the best version of himself, the guy we watched be Mahomes' go-to guy throughout the 2024 playoff run. Rice finished the game as KC's leading receiver with 88 receiving yards on seven catches. According to NextGen Stats, 55 of Rice's yards came after the catch, further strengthening the belief that his YAC superpower is returning in full form after knee surgery.
What made this performance even more exciting than the numbers might suggest was seeing the trust in Rice from Patrick Mahomes appear once again. There was reason to wonder whether or not things had devolved to the point that Mahomes was going to lean on Travis Kelce and other targets, based on the unknowns and question marks always swirling around Rice and his unavailability.
Instead, this was a great showing for the duo that go them back on the same page, re-establish a level of chemistry that will be needed in big moments. Kelce cannot be the team's primary target for a full season based on his age and the need to save the bulk of his workload for when it matters most.
Chiefs celebrate third straight win powered by big Rashee Rice game that suggests he may be back in full form
Rice is more than capable of surpassing 1,000 yards, and through three games, he is on pace for nearly 1,100. His unique skill set allows him to be an explosive source of offense that takes away clear concerns around the Kansas City receiver room. Tyquan Thornton has been a limited contributor, not due to his own faults but because the team is inexplicably not providing the proven veteran more opportunities.
Xavier Worthy also continues to be a complete source of frustration for the Chiefs and their fans. No question, this was a needed sign in a week when the Chiefs could afford to attempt to figure things out that will be needed when the games are more difficult. Miami legitimately might be the worst team in the league, and it would stand to reason that they may win just one or two games the entire season.
Still, Rice put up an impressive performance, and one that perhaps will begin to build on itself, alongside Kenneth Walker III continuing to be this team's top playmaker. He helped ease concerns over the receiver room to some extent and put his season and career back on track after a bumpy start.
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