Kansas City Chiefs fans still wait for definitive word on whether or not WR Rashee Rice has a season-ending ACL injury.

Rice, of course, suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was carted off the field and did not return to the game.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Chiefs HC Andy Reid said that Rice was still undergoing testing and that they’d have answers soon. There is still no word from the team on Rice’s status.

The latest updates on Rice’s situation come from NFL insiders from various outlets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report on the situation, appearing on “NFL Live.”

“Here’s what we know right now, we do know that Rashee Rice is going to miss an extended period of time,” Schefter said on ESPN. “We do not yet know that that ACL is torn. He’s continuing to go through testing and there has not yet been confirmation that it is torn, as the Chiefs feared in the postgame locker room after they beat the Chargers. Again, it’s going to be a bad knee injury, but they’re hoping that it’s not as bad as they feared. He’s still going through the testing.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport followed it up with a report on NFL Gameday Kickoff ahead of “Monday Night Football.”

“That is still where it stands,” Rapoport said on NFL Network. “Rashee Rice is feared to have torn his ACL which would knock him out for the balance of the 2024 season. He had an initial test yesterday, then had more tests today. My understanding is the Chiefs and Rashee Rice are still gathering materials. So no finite word, no definitive word today on the fact that it is a torn ACL. My understanding is it’s not like anyone is expecting good news here, he’s still out indefinitely. Just really need a couple more days to ascertain exactly what this is.”

Both reports seem to show optimism that Rice’s injury may not be as severe as initially feared, but they don’t expect some sort of miraculous news. It’s very possible the swelling in his knee needed to subside so medical experts could fully ascertain the injury and the best path forward.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to seek second opinion on knee injury

According to senior NFL insider Josina Anderson, Rice is actively seeking a second opinion on his knee injury to gather additional information. This might be why there simply hasn’t been a definitive answer on whether or not the injury is a season-ending ACL tear. Anderson does say that windows for surgery have been discussed, which suggests that Rice did suffer ligament damage or a broken bone.

The specifics of Rice’s injury still remain a mystery. However, given what has been reported by Schefter, Rapoport, and Anderson, it’s still reasonable to expect that Rice will at least miss a chunk of time this season alongside teammates Isiah Pacheco and Hollywood Brown.