Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice was carted off the field due to a knee injury on Sunday after an unusual play where he was struck by quarterback Patrick Mahomes while both were chasing Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton during an interception return.
Rice was ruled out for the remainder of the game after the first quarter, with the Chiefs down 10-0.
During the Chiefs’ second drive, Mahomes overthrew Travis Kelce at midfield, allowing Fulton to return his interception for 29 yards with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter. Rice managed to catch Fulton from behind at the Chiefs’ 20-yard line, forcing a fumble. However, he collided with Mahomes, who was trying to tackle Fulton, leading to the knee injury.
Although Chiefs center Creed Humphrey recovered the fumble, a video review showed that Rice was out of bounds when he forced the fumble, resulting in the Chargers keeping possession.
Both of Rice’s knees were impacted during the collision, with his right knee appearing to hyperextend.
Currently, Rice leads the defending Super Bowl champions with 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns, placing him third in the NFL in receptions going into Week 4. No other receiver on the Chiefs has more than nine catches this season.
Additionally, Rice is facing charges related to a high-speed crash involving several vehicles that he allegedly caused last March on a Texas freeway.