The Kansas City Chiefs will probably be without wide receiver Rashee Rice as they pursue their goal of a historic third straight Super Bowl title.

On Tuesday, Rice successfully had surgery to fix the LCL in his right knee. According to a source familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, he is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season and any potential playoff games.

After the Chiefs’ Week 4 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rice was placed on injured reserve.

The injury occurred when Rice attempted to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton following an interception made by Patrick Mahomes in the first quarter. As Rice made the tackle, Mahomes accidentally bumped into him while going for Fulton.

The Chiefs had been monitoring the swelling in Rice’s knee prior to the procedure performed by Dr. Dan Cooper. While they were preparing for the possibility that Rice might miss the entire season, there was still a glimmer of hope for a return at some point.

However, it now seems that Rice’s season is likely finished.

The good news is that he is expected to have a full recovery and return for the 2025 season.

“Rashee has had an excellent year. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of this league, and we have to keep moving forward. We always expect the next players to step up, and this situation is no different,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid last week. “Rashee is unique, but there are other talented players who can step in, so we’ll manage well.’

Kansas City is turning to wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Xavier Worthy to help fill the gap left by Rice. Additionally, expect to see more passes directed towards nine-time Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce. There’s potential for the team to bring in another wide receiver before the NFL trade deadline on November 5th.

The Chiefs are entering a bye week following their 5-0 start. Rice is the team’s leading receiver with 288 yards, and his 24 receptions share the top spot on the team.

The unbeaten Chiefs currently hold the best record in the AFC, standing alongside the Minnesota Vikings as the only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.