Patrick Mahomes reveals his first reaction to Rashee Rice’s injury after the collision

The Kansas City Chiefs went 4-0 with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but it came at a high price: Top receiver Rashee Rice suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury after colliding with Patrick Mahomes both players tried to make a tackle after a Mahomes interception.

We’re still waiting for an official diagnosis, but the early signs aren’t good: Andy Reid sounded extremely concerned in his postgame press conference, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs fear Rice has torn his ACL. Mahomes was closer to the game than anyone else and his reaction should make any Chiefs fan nervous.

Mahomes’ first step was to take responsibility for the game: the collision itself was a fluke, but it was his interception that ultimately got things rolling.

“Rashee made a really good play,” Mahomes said, h/t ProFootballTalk. “I tried to tackle the guy but obviously ran into him. ‘If I don’t turn the ball over, that never happens.’

Mahomes then expressed his own perspective on what happened, adding that Rice is a tough player and it’s always a cause for concern when a teammate is sent off.

“I didn’t know exactly what happened because I tried to make the tackle,” Mahomes said. “I knew it wasn’t good.”

Of course, if Rice’s injury were to turn into a worst-case scenario, it would be a huge blow to him and his team.

Kansas City remains undefeated, but its 4-0 start is just a few steps away from 2-2 or even 1-3. The offense has shown increasingly worrying performances in recent weeks; The much-anticipated return of the vertical passing game was cut short by Hollywood Brown’s injury, and the loss of Rice would eliminate the primary source of the tough throws Mahomes has increasingly come to rely on. Travis Kelce looked a little more like himself in Sunday’s win, but with Brown and Rice on the roster (not to mention running back Isiah Pacheco), the Chiefs’ margin for error becomes dangerously low.

The Chiefs will receive an official prognosis for Rice after an MRI scan on Monday.