Chiefs' Rival on Rashee Rice, WR Injuries: 'Don't Think It's a Big Deal' for Mahomes

Despite the injuries to Rashee Rice as well as other members of the Kansas City Chiefs' receiving corps, one rival coach isn't worried about Patrick Mahomes' ability to remain effective without them.

"I don't think it's a big deal," the coach said, per Mike Sando of The Athletic. "What was Mahomes' average air yards when targeting him?"

Rice was carted off the field with a leg injury during the Chiefs' 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Head coach Andy Reid said that his outlook moving forward was "not good."

The 24-year-old was off to a strong start to the season, recording 24 catches for 288 yards through four games. It's worth noting that he averaged just 4.6 targeted air yards, the 13th-lowest mark among all qualified players (via Next Gen Stats).

The coach also expected the Chiefs to utilize their tight ends moving forward.

"They will incorporate the tight ends and go back to what they were doing last year," the coach said, per Sando. "I don't think it's going to impact their trajectory much. They were going to have a natural regression this year, in my opinion, based on how many games they have played in recent years, but they are 4-0, so obviously they are in good shape."

With Marquise Brown potentially missing the remainder of the regular season after undergoing surgery for a sternoclavicular injury, Kansas City's offense heavily featured the team's tight ends once Rice exited Sunday's contest.

After a slow start to the year, Travis Kelce hauled in seven of his nine targets for 89 yards. Backup Noah Gray finished as the team's third-leading receiver, catching four passes for 40 yards.

With the Chiefs attempting to build upon their 4-0 record to open the season, expect Mahomes to target Kelce and Gray more often moving forward.