The rookie rushed for a record 130 yards against the Dolphins.
With his 130-yard rush Saturday night against the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has become arguably the most important player on the team as it tries to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Going into the season, Kansas City knew it would need someone to fill the void left by JuJu Smith-Schuster's departure to the New England Patriots, and returning names like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were expected to fill the gap collective response would be.
But neither Toney nor Moore took the role. Rice has become quarterback Patrick Mahomes' guy, an unlikely fit considering rookies often need some time to shine in head coach Andy Reid's offense.
“We were hoping he would be as good as what we saw at SMU,” said Reid of Rice, whom the Chiefs selected in the second round of last year’s draft. “I would tell you the best thing about him is that he just keeps working. He is relentless in his approach and he has a good relationship. He has Pat's respect and wants to do it right. I know how many times I've stood up in front of you and said, 'We're so close to him.' He's getting better every week.' I think we’ve seen that in the last four or five games.”
In the final five games of the season, Rice averaged about 82 yards per game, which helped him achieve a playoff performance of 130 yards. Rice already held the regular season rookie touchdown record; He now holds the franchise's postseason rookie single-game record.
Mahomes started the game with a touchdown to Rice on the first drive, giving the Chiefs an early 7-0 lead.
“He’s doing great, man,” Mahomes said of Rice. “He’s getting better and better every week. Some of these guys have hit the rookie wall and it seems like he's broken right through it. And he's getting better and better. He is a great player. He has the right mentality. He comes to work every day and made a lot of great plays for us today that helped us win the football game.”
Miami's strategy throughout the game was to put extra pressure on Mahomes, which meant he had to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. Rice worked quickly against the Dolphins and the quarterback noticed.
Mahomes targeted Rice 12 times on the night and he caught eight passes.
“They were in zero [blitz] most of the time,” Rice said. “If they're in zero position we know Pat will get the ball out quickly, so it's best for us to take the lead as quickly as possible. Just knowing how to level up as quickly as possible on certain routes. That’s all we had to do.”
Rice believes he's made the most progress over the year in recognizing coverages, which gives him the ability to process the play as it happens and get open.
“I would say I’ve made a lot of progress,” Rice said. “A large part of our offense is based on man and zone defense. So if it’s zone or man at the start of a play, that can change and you can change your route in the middle of the game.”
He was thrilled to hear that his production put him in the record books once again.
“It feels great,” the recipient smiled. “I'm going out there to get a win first and foremost. But everything else is just part of it, and I look forward to continuing to excel in this program as much as possible and staying here.”
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