The Chiefs overcome the loss of Rashee Rice with a late touchdown to defeat the Chargers

The Kansas City Chiefs earned a late victory over their AFC West opponent Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 on Sunday, but suffered a major loss in the game that could potentially be very serious going forward.

Wide receiver Rashee Rice, the NFL's leading receiver through the first three weeks of the season, was carted off the field after a Patrick Mahomes interception led to the quarterback accidentally hitting the knee of his favorite target as he tried to hit the Chargers' defender to attack who had chosen him away.

Rice was on the ground and in considerable pain. As he was taken away on a cart, he had a towel over his face and his hands on his head, which is never a good sign with knee injuries.

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Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton, left, fumbles the ball out of bounds after intercepting a pass as Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the first half of an NFL football game, April 29. Defended in Inglewood in September 2024. Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Head coach Andy Reid said after the win that the team will wait to see what Rice's MRI says, but it doesn't look like they're expecting anything good. According to multiple reports, the Chiefs fear Rice has a torn ACL, which would be a major blow to the rest of the offense.

“I feel terrible for Rashee,” he told reporters. “…We'll hope for the best.”

Should a season-ending injury occur, the Chiefs would be without Rice, Hollywood Brown, who missed the season before even playing with Kansas City, and Isiah Pacheco, who is rehabbing a broken fibula.

PATRICK MAHOMES NEVER MISSES RASHEE RICE AFTER THE INTERCEPTION; CHIEFS WIDE RECEIVER OFF FOR THE GAME

It's a tough break for the Chiefs, but just like this game, they just need the next man up to get wins.

The Chargers, a team that was struggling early in this contest, saw the Chiefs outnumber the Chiefs in a 10-10 game in the fourth quarter after forcing a three-and-out from Justin Herbert and the Chargers' offense. Herbert battled his ankle injury to play on Sunday but appeared to be limited in his range of motion.

After a 29-yard reception from tight end Noah Gray, the Chiefs found themselves on first-and-goal from the two-yard line a few plays later with 6:04 left in the quarter. That's when Samaje Perine, one of three running backs Reid used on Sunday, burst into the end zone and gave the Chiefs a late lead.

The Chargers had more than enough time to act, but Herbert, who struggled to sustain drives all game, failed to get the job done. Los Angeles had to punt and never got the ball back. The Chiefs ran out the clock after Xavier Worthy, the team's rookie speedster, gained 15 yards on 3rd-and-6 for the first down needed to tie the game.

With Rice on the ground, Mahomes relied on Worthy's blistering speed to score the team's first touchdown of the game, and it was a highlight play when the quarterback used his entire arm to score a 54-yard strike to Worthy to fire in the end zone.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) celebrates with linebacker Leo Chenal after catching a 54-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

That made it 10-7 in favor of Los Angeles, whose only touchdown came on the first possession after a Chiefs fumble after four plays. Herbert completed 10 plays and 74 yards to find his rookie receiver, Ladd McConkey, in the back of the end zone on an absolute point that only his man could get from seven yards out.

But while the Chiefs struggled with turnovers, the Chargers just couldn't get going as Herbert came under pressure in the pocket and his two starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt, were both out.

Herbert completed 16 of his 27 attempts for 179 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and Mahomes had 245 yards on 19 of 29 with one touchdown and one interception.

Seven of Mahomes' completed passes went to tight end Travis Kelce, who finally made the right play after running for just 69 total yards in his first three games. He led the game with 89 yards on those catches and Worthy had three for 73 yards.

The return of Kareem Hunt in a Chiefs jersey was also great to see for Kansas City fans, as he rushed for 85 yards from the line of scrimmage and appeared to solidify his role as the team's leading running back following the departure of Pacheco. He had 14 carries for 69 yards, while Perine and Steele combined for seven carries on the day.

It wasn't pretty for either team, but once again it was the Chiefs who did the right things in the fourth quarter to get the win.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

They remain undefeated, but the Chiefs will need everyone's contributions as Rice is unlikely to be back this season.

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In the meantime, the Chargers themselves are looking to get healthy, as they are 2-2 after a 2-0 start to the season.

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