The reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs aren’t exactly steamrolling through the NFL, but they have climbed to 3-0 after beating the Atlanta Falcons 22-17 in Week 3.
While superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes acknowledged their offensive struggles, he also had several compliments to wide receiver Rashee Rice. He had a game-high 12 receptions with 110 receiving yards, along with a touchdown.
“[Rice is] a guy who’s going to make plays happen,” Mahomes said, via a report from Ricko Mendoza for SB Nation. “He’s done a great job of when they’re putting all that attention on Travis [Kelce], he’s making stuff happen underneath.”
The Chiefs might also be thankful that the NFL deferred its decision to suspend Rice until after the 2024 season, due to his involvement in a six-car crash in Dallas during the offseason.
Week 3: Chiefs vs. Falcons
Patrick Mahomes also had more to say about Rashee Rice.
“I’m sure defenses are going to start adjusting to try to put more coverage toward him,” the star QB said. “That’s when Travis will make plays, that’s when [Xavier] Worthy will make plays, or Juju [Smith-Schuster] or whoever. [Rice’s] a legit, number one receiver. You see that every single week, he’s making more and more plays. I’m just super proud of what he’s done already, but I think he has another level he can even unlock.”
For his part, though, despite their star’s confidence, Rice remained focused on his own development. He remains unsatisfied with his current play, and vowed to continue working to achieve his full potential.
“I love that just because he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever played with, so whenever he feels like he hasn’t had a great game, I feel the same way. So, we just got to get back to practice so we can do better together,” Rice said.
Mahomes admitted his struggles to meet his own high standards against the Falcons. His 26 of 39 passing with 217 yards and two touchdowns look solid, but he still threw an interception, continuing his ongoing pattern of throwing one interception per game.
“I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws,” he said. “Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it off balance and didn’t hit Rashee [Rice] going down the seam there. I got to get back to my fundamentals. That’s just stuff that I go through sometimes.”
On the Falcons
After signing Kirk Cousins, the Falcons fell to 1-2, a disappointing showing for a team that upgraded its quarterback position. Meanwhile, their lone win came down to a Saquon Barkley drop, meaning even that game could have easily gone the other way.
The Falcons have faced a tough schedule, but the NFL won’t give any struggling team any breaks. Look for them to try bouncing back against the New Orleans Saints, who lost their Week 3 matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
