Already having weathered a 3-3 start to their season, the Chiefs got a welcome sight in Week 7. It was in the guise of Rashee Rice showing up right on cue in Kansas City to face a divisional opponent in the Las Vegas Raiders. Rice had just finished a six-game suspension for his felony driving arrest, and fans everywhere wanted to know if he had to shake some rust off.

That’s what the Raiders are for, apparently.

It took the Chiefs and Rice all of nine minutes and 14 seconds through the first quarter (a nine-play, 92-yard drive) to finish off their first possession with a quick shovel pass from Patrick Mahomes to Rice from the two-yard line. The wide receiver scampered through the line untouched for an early 7-0 lead.

Kansas City was relentless on both sides of the ball, and immediately after forcing another punt on Las Vegas’ second possession, they drove down the field where Mahomes hit “Hollywood” Marquise Brown on an eight-yard strike. The Chiefs led 14-0 and did not let up. With 10 seconds to go in the first half, Mahomes found Rice on an outside-shoulder throw in the painted area after the wideout juked the corner with a nifty stutter-step at the snap.

It was all downhill for the Raiders in the game. They punted the ball six times, turned it over on downs once, and lost a fumble on their second drive in the fourth. Las Vegas finished the game with a whopping 95 total yards and three first downs on a grand total of 30 plays in the affair.

While the rest of the Chiefs all got in on the shellacking, the story was still the triumphant return of Rice. He looked as advertised in his rapport with Mahomes, seemingly picking up right where he left off on Sept. 29, 2024, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. In his first game of 2025, Rice dashed the Raiders for a team-leading seven catches (10 targets) for 42 yards and the pair of touchdowns. He rewarded fantasy managers who drafted him and suffered through the long wait with 23.2 (PPR) fantasy points. A welcome splash for managers already dealing with injuries galore.

Rice and the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) resume their campaign to return to the Super Bowl on Sunday, a home matchup with the Washington Commanders (3-4), who may be without the services of QB Jayden Daniels.

Author: Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou)