Chiefs downgrade Rashee Rice to doubtful with hamstring injury

Rashee Rice suffered a hamstring injury during Kansas City's game at Las Vegas on Sunday, and the Chiefs downgraded him to doubtful after initially listing him as questionable to return. The team's announcement did not include a recovery timetable.

Rice pulled up while trying to turn upfield after a short Patrick Mahomes pass in the first quarter. NFL on CBS posted the sequence, showing Rice slow down and leave the field. The Chiefs later identified the injury as a hamstring issue.

The play was wiped out by a penalty. Sean Barnard reported for DraftKings Network that Rice therefore did not record an official statistic on the reception before leaving. Barnard also described him limping to the sideline and being evaluated by trainers.

Nate Taylor's ESPN report said Rice tried to remain in the game before heading to the locker room after speaking with head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder. Taylor identified the injury as involving Rice's right hamstring and reported the doubtful designation after halftime.

The injury interrupted a growing role in Kansas City's passing offense. Rice had 13 receptions for 190 yards and one touchdown through the first three games, according to the Chiefs' own player statistics. Seven of those catches and 88 of the yards came in the previous week's win at Miami.

The doubtful designation was an assessment of his chances of returning against Las Vegas. It did not establish the severity of the injury, a missed-game estimate or clearance for his next appearance.

Kansas City has other receiving options, including Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton and Travis Kelce, but the injury announcement did not assign Rice's routes or targets to anyone else. A specific replacement workload will depend on how the Chiefs use those players and what they learn about Rice's availability.