Rashee Rice is growing into a WR1 in front of our eyes
Looking at how the Chiefs' 2nd-year WR is becoming the focal point of the offense.
I have to tell you, I’m not a big fan of how interesting the Chiefs have made every single game this season. Even if the results are technically… well, perfect.
For the third straight week, Mahomes and company went down to the wire in a game that should not have been as close as it was. Steve Spagnuolo and the defense had to close the door on the Atlanta Falcons not once, but twice late in the 4th quarter when the offense couldn’t sustain a drive to end the game. The defense had some incredible moments but also gave up a few big plays. And the offense, for the third straight week, moved the ball well for much of the game but struggled to close drives and be consistent.
And despite that, the Chiefs are 3-0 and on top of the AFC West with a chance to put an early stranglehold on the division. And a big reason why (perhaps even the biggest reason) is the emergence of Rashee Rice as not just the “best WR” option, but as a legitimate WR1 and arguably the focal point of the offense.
(Rice is lined up off the RT below)
The Chiefs’ second-year receiver has been thriving while the rest of the offense has struggled, with 29 catches (on 24 targets) for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns to start the season. His 9.93 yards per target is elite, and especially impressive when you consider how relatively grounded the Chiefs’ offense has been overall.
But even more interesting to me than Rice’s statistical output has been his increased role within the offense, both in frequency of treating him as the first option (making him the focal point) AND in terms of what he’s been asked to do more often down the field. He was productive last year, to be sure. But this season, Andy Reid has made it a point to build around the young WR’s skillset, and it’s paying dividends as he’s showing his development into a complete WR… maybe even a WR1.
Let’s talk about Rice, how the Chiefs are utilizing him as a “go-to” guy more often, and how his expanded skillset has led to him being a legitimate centerpiece to the offense rather than a complementary one.