KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rashee Rice hadn’t played in a meaningful game since Week 4 of last season. So when he took the field against the Raiders, he had a little extra incentive.
Rice caught seven passes for 42 yards and two touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs routed their rivals 31-0 Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
On the Chiefs’ first drive of the game, Rice capped the 92-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes then he punted the ball into the stands.
“Just a lot of passion,” Rice said. “I had to get the first one out of the way. I probably won’t be punting the ball anymore. I had to bring the juice. I had to bring the spark to the offense. First play, first touchdown of the game. However we needed to get our energy going, that’s how we needed to do it.”
Rice wasn’t flagged for kicking the ball into the stands, and said coach Andy Reid didn’t have an issue with it.
“He don’t mind if we’re having fun out there,” Rice said.
In the second quarter, Rice rewarded another lucky fan with a football after he scored another touchdown on a perfect back-shoulder throw from Mahomes. This time Rice ran out the back of the end zone and handed the ball to a fan in the front row.
Rice also caught a no-look pass from Mahomes for a first down and it gave a glimpse of a blast from the past and what the future might be as Mahomes finally has his top wide receivers on the field at the same time.
Rice missed the first six games because of a suspension for his involvement in a high-speed, multiple car crash in March 2024 on a Dallas interstate. Rice then played in only four games last season as he tore an ACL. Rice was able to take part in the team’s offseason program and training camp this year and played in the preseason before the league handed down his suspension.
But with Rice back in the lineup, Mahomes said it seemed like old times.
“When it comes to the way he moves, and the way he runs routes, I have a good feel for when he wants the football and where I need to throw it to,” said Mahomes, who threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of work. “He’s been working. He kept himself in shape, and you saw that today.”
