At this point in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII, the big picture is pretty well established when it comes to injuries.
The San Francisco 49ers have a collectively clean bill of health, with only six names on Thursday's official report; five of those men took part in practice in a limited capacity, and the sixth (Trent Williams) was simply given some time to rest. On the Kansas City Chiefs side, though, things are a bit different.
On Thursday, KC's injury report listed 10 names. The biggest absence, Joe Thuney, still didn't practice with a pectoral problem. Everyone else, including Jerick McKinnon, who's now in his window to return from injured reserve, was at least a limited participant.
But within those "LP" listings, there was an unexpected name: wide receiver Rashee Rice.
Rice Appeared on the Injury Report, But He's 'All Right'
When you think of the Kansas City Chiefs offense, which is led by Andy Reid and boasts the talents of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, it's easy to think that the unit can absorb any challenge. When in doubt, just let No. 15 work his magic, right?
The 2023 regular season proved that's not exactly the case. The Chiefs began the year without a second pass-catcher behind Kelce—drops and general inconsistency plagued the wide receivers' room—and the offense paid the price. With opposing teams bracketing Kelce, Mahomes had to look elsewhere; when those options couldn't deliver, the drive would stall.
But over the course of the season, Rice, a rookie out of SMU, found his stride. While there were still some growing pains along the way, he proved to be a reliable pass-catcher in traffic and someone who could turn a short pass into a big play. That proved to be a vital antidote to the club's offensive woes. Between Kelce, Rice and running back Isiah Pacheco, defenses can't key in too heavily on one player.
If you prefer numerical proof of Rice's importance, the stats stand tall. During the regular season, he pulled in 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Things are a bit more muted in the postseason (20 catches for 223 yards and one touchdown), but he's still made an impact.
In that context, seeing the rookie land on Thursday's injury report as a limited participant in practice looked bad. No Chiefs fan wants to revisit the early part of the season when the club's offense hinged on some combination of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney stepping up. It was also concerning that Rice had an ankle issue; even if he played through a potential problem, his mobility could be compromised.
But with all of that worrying out of the way, the reports that emerged from practice didn't sound too awful.
According to pool reporter Peter King, the receiver simply got stepped on during the workout; while that's painful, it doesn't seem like a longer-term issue. Reid agreed, saying he wasn't concerned.
"No," the head coach said. "He got stepped on. He's all right."
And while those words prompted a major sigh of relief from within Chiefs Kingdom, this could still be something to keep an eye on as the Big Game approaches. Even if Rice is able to play—cutting, jumping and other sharp movements are a key part of playing wide receiver. Given their early-season struggles, Kansas City wouldn't want him to be at anything less than 100 percent.
But, with that being said, Mahomes did battle through an ankle injury en route to last year's Super Bowl win. No one in red, white and gold would complain if Rice played a role in history repeating itself.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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