KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs put Rashee Rice on injured reserve Thursday, sidelining him for at least four weeks and likely longer, after their leading wide receiver hurt his knee when quarterback Patrick Mahomes collided with him trying to make a tackle last weekend.
Mahomes had just thrown an interception to the Chargers' Kristian Fulton and both players were trying to chase him down. Rice got there first and stripped Fulton of the ball, just as Mahomes dived toward the pile and hit his teammate just above his right knee.
Mahomes said Thursday that he didn't know he was the one who caused the injury until he saw the replay on the scoreboard. He said he felt bad about what happened.
“I wasn’t really worried about myself. I was worried about his injury and hopefully that it wasn’t as bad as it looked," he said ahead of Monday night’s game against the Saints.
The Chiefs initially were concerned that Rice tore his ACL, which would mean season-ending surgery. But there has been no official diagnosis, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that the medical staff was waiting for the swelling to subside before they do another round of imaging next week to get a fuller picture of the damage.
Despite leaving the 17-10 win over the Chargers early, Rice still leads the team with 28 catches for 288 yards and two TDs.
“We’re really hoping that things work out for the best, but let’s just see where it goes and leave it up to the doctors to see,″ Reid said. “Rashee’s had a phenomenal year. Unfortunately, in this league injuries happen, and life goes on, so we always expected the next guys to step up and roll and it’s no different now.”
The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5, so the Chiefs have time to survey the landscape if Rice will miss extended time and they want help from outside the organization. Otherwise, they will lean on JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson to help first-round draft pick Xavier Worthy and four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce pick up the offensive slack.
“There’s not another Rashee,” Reid acknowledged. "There's other guys though that are very, very good, so we’ll be fine.″
In other news Thursday, the Chiefs opened the three-week practice window for Clyde Edwards-Helaire to return from the non-football injury list. The veteran running back said during training camp that he has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from an incident that occurred while he was in college.
Edwards-Helaire planned to work with the scout team this week but could help a backfield missing Isiah Pacheco to injury.
“We’ll just get him back into the swing of things here and see how he does,″ Reid said. “He’s in good shape. He’s been working out. So just get him back into the football (side of things).″
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. The Kansas City Chiefs 22-17. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is taken off the field on a cart after being injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) is assisted after being injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in a near-unanimous vote, giving the Indiana Fever back-to-back winners after Aliyah Boston won the honor last season.
A national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters gave Clark 66 of 67 votes in balloting released Thursday. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese received the other.
“I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season -- my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds,” Clark said in a statement.
Clark, the No. 1 overall pick from Iowa, averaged 19.2 points and a league-best 8.4 assists per game while helping the WNBA set attendance records and garner mainstream attention. She struggled a bit early in the season, but found her groove and was an All-Star starter. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and a 20-20 record after a 1-8 start.
“I’m a tough grader. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said after the Fever were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. “For me, the fun part is like I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one that’s nit picking every single thing I do. I know I want to help this franchise. ... I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve so that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I continue to get a lot better.”
Clark was not chosen for the U.S. Olympic team — a decision that disappointed her legions of fans — but she showed in the weeks afterward that she might have been helpful. The Fever guard averaged 24.7 points and 9.3 assists in her first 10 games after the Olympic break and led Indiana to an 8-2 record.
Clark was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, was Player of the Week three times and Rookie of the Month four times. She recorded the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history, set a league single-game record with 19 assists and became the first rookie to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game.
Clark led the league with 122 3-pointers, was second with 90.6% accuracy from the free-throw line and averaged 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. She set a league single-season record with 337 assists and set rookie records of 769 points and 122 three-pointers made.
Reese averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds for the Sky.
Off the court, Clark, Reese and their fellow rookies were a ratings and attendance boon for the WNBA. Six different league television partners set viewership records this year for its highest viewed WNBA game. All of those games included the Fever.
Indiana led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Fever averaged 17,036 at home and more than 15,000 on the road. Four teams moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans.
Despite Indiana's blowout loss to Connecticut in Game 1, fans tuned in as the game averaged 1.8 million viewers, according to ESPN, making it the WNBA’s most watched playoff game since the 2000 Finals. It was the most watched playoff game on ESPN ever despite going up against the NFL.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey, left, is guarded by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Connecticut Sun, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) receives a delay of game warning during the second half of Game 2 of a first-round WNBA basketball playoff series agains the Connecticut Sun, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Connecticut Sun's Marina Mabrey (4) guards against Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark (22) during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game at Mohegan Sun Arena, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Sarah Gordon/The Day via AP)
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives to the basket as Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington defends during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
