Chiefs keep winning games, but losing key players

The loss of Rashee Rice to a knee injury is the latest blow to the Kansas City Chiefs. Even so, the team continues to stay unbeaten.

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October 1, 2024 - 2:05 PM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) congratulates wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) after Rice ran in a touchdown on a reception in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/TNS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs keep winning close games.

They also keep losing important players.

The Chiefs’ latest escape job came Sunday in Los Angeles, when they weathered more first-half problems t o rally for a 17-10 win over the Chargers.

But it came at the expense of budding star Rashee Rice, who sustained a severe knee injury when he was hit by Patrick Mahomes while making a tackle following an interception early in the game.

Two weeks ago, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula just before Harrison Butker kicked the field goal that gave them a 26-25 win over Cincinnati. And when the injuries to Rice and Pacheco are added to the potentially season-ending surgery on wide receiver Marquise Brown’s shoulder, the Chiefs are suddenly without three of their biggest offensive stars.

That’s a tough way for any team to operate, even one coming off back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

“We have guys here that have experience playing in games,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “We have a good group of guys here that we can utilize. We normally spread the ball around and that is what we’ll continue to strive to do.”

Still, while the Chiefs’ defense was the star against the Chargers, the offense did show signs of life. Mahomes hit first-round pick Xavier Worthy with a long touchdown pass, Travis Kelce finally got going with seven catches for 89 yards, and Kareem Hunt ran 14 times for 69 yards in his first game since the Chiefs signed him to help replace Pacheco’s production.

More than anything else, though, the Chiefs need Mahomes to play better to overcome so many injuries on that side of the ball.

The two-time league MVP struggled for the fourth straight game, going 19 of 29 for 245 yards with a TD pass and a pick made more costly by Rice’s injury on the play. Mahomes also was sacked three times as the offensive line struggled to protect him.

“I think it’s a matter of cleaning it up,” Mahomes said. “We scored 17 and we scored in the 20s these last few weeks, and I feel like it’s just a play here and there. It’s the interception I throw to Travis — if I put it on his body that gets the drive going. We have a fumble in the red zone on the first drive where we got some momentum going. In this league if you’re scoring upper 20s to lower 30s, that’s good football. That’s good offense. We’re close. Coach Reid said it. We keep preaching it.”

What’s working

The Chiefs defensive line once again shut down an opposing running game. JK Dobbins had been averaging 103.3 yards through the Chargers’ first three games, but he was held to 32 yards on 14 carries on Sunday. That came after the Chiefs shut down the Ravens’ Derrick Henry (14 for 46), the Bengals Zack Moss (12 for 34) and the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson (16 for 31).

What needs help

Turnovers continue to be a problem for the Chiefs, just as they were last year, when they were minus-11 on the season. Mahomes threw an interception while Carson Steele lost a fumble for the second time in three games.

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