The Chiefs are leaning on two familiar faces to lead their revamped passing game

Sometimes the best friends are old ones. Such is the case with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Monday began the day with the grim news that star receiver Rashee Rice will likely miss the season due to a torn LCL. With Rice, along with fellow wideout Marquise Brown, sidelined for the foreseeable future, Kansas City desperately needs a boost.

Enter JuJu Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce.

In the Chiefs' 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints, Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 130 yards, while Kelce had a second straight strong game with nine receptions and 70 yards.

The duo helped Patrick Mahomes have his best game of the season, throwing for 331 yards on 8.5 yards per attempt.

Without Rice and Brown, the Chiefs changed their personnel layout. They consistently played with two and three tight ends and utilized backups Noah Gray and Jared Wiley. Occasionally running four tight end sets, Kansas City brought in newly signed Jody Fortson, another old friend who played with the Chiefs from 2019-23 before joining the Miami Dolphins as a free agent this offseason.

But it was Smith-Schuster who pulled off the biggest upset, despite missing a would-be touchdown that turned into an interception. The veteran was signed by Kansas City in 2022 to replace Tyreek Hill and recorded 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns. The end result was a victory in Super Bowl LVII over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Following that triumph, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots, but played just 11 games before being released earlier this spring. Then, in late August, he signed with Kansas City as a big-slot receiver, which was little more than an insurance policy.

Suddenly, Smith-Schuster was thrust into a much larger role, as much of Rice's production came from the broadcast slot.

As for Kelce, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer turned 35 on Saturday, drawing rumors of his demise in football. He had just eight receptions for 69 yards in three weeks. Over the last two games, he amassed 16 receptions for 159 yards, constantly finding gaps in zone coverage while beating man coverage against underlinebackers.

With Kansas City now having a bye, general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid will meet and discuss the future.

While they believe Smith-Schuster can be a significant part of the offense on a weekly basis, he isn't nearly enough from the outside. The only reliable weapon next to him is freshman Xavier Worthy. Worthy excelled with four touchdowns while stretching the defense, giving players like Kelce and Smith-Schuster room to operate in the short and intermediate areas.

At this point, the Chiefs should be scouring the league for a possible replacement for Brown's role rather than Rice.

Kansas City would be wise to call the Cleveland Browns about Amari Cooper. Cooper, 30, has seven 1,000-yard seasons to his name. He also has an expiring contract with Cleveland, going 1-4 in a year that appears doomed.

Barring a shocking turnaround, the Browns will likely deal Cooper before the November 5th trade deadline. The cost shouldn't be exaggerated considering the general consensus is that it's Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams purchased at the price of a second-round pick.

If Veach wants to go a different route, DeAndre Hopkins makes sense. Kansas City tried to acquire Hopkins after being released by the Arizona Cardinals before the Tennessee Titans signed him ahead of the 2023 campaign. Hopkins was good for Tennessee despite his subpar quarterback play, rushing for 1,057 yards and seven scores last season.

Either Cooper or Hopkins would give Mahomes an experienced, high-end weapon on the perimeter who can play against Worthy while also fitting well with the skillsets of Kelce and Smith-Schuster.

For now, the Chiefs enjoy the luxury of size and time. They are 5-0 and at least two games ahead of every team in the AFC except the Houston Texans, who only suffered one loss. The AFC West appears to be a foregone conclusion, a division title that would be Kansas City's ninth in a row.

That means while it's a week of rest for the players, it should be a week of activity for Veach.

The Chiefs are the favorites and rightly so. Smith-Schuster appears to be an asset. Kelce is back on track.

But while old friends may be the most reliable, a new friend never hurts.