Rashee Rice has just done something no Chiefs rookie WR has ever done before

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One of the few bright spots in the Kansas City Chiefs‘ pass-catching department this season was at it again on Sunday.

A little trickery from the KC offense got them on the board early in New England, with Jerick McKinnon finding Rashee Rice for a four-yard touchdown catch.

That’s the seventh TD catch by Rice this season, the most by a Chiefs rookie wide receiver in franchise history.

It puts the youngster in some elite company among Chief rookie receivers, surpassing Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, among others in that department.

McKinnon meanwhile found the end zone late in the opening half, becoming just the seventh Chiefs player all-time to register a rushing, receiving and passing TD, enabling KC to win 27-17.

Catches and Drops

If you only look at Rice’s production this year, there’s a lot to like.

Overall, though, the 23-year-old rookie has been a sensation in many respects, showing plenty of explosive speed and becoming one of the more dependable KC wide receivers for Patrick Mahomes this season.

That, however, is just one side of Rice’s story in 2023.

The other side paints a picture of somebody playing like a rookie still learning the NFL ropes.

Heading into their game against the Patriots, Rice had a team-high eight drops, while his team led the league in that department.

On Sunday, Rice led the Chiefs with nine catches for 91 yards and a score, but he also got away with a fumble early on, which, fortunately, KC recovered.

That shows that as much raw talent as Rice possesses, there’s still plenty room for growth.

His nine catches versus the Pats is a career-high for him in one game, while Rice has seven or more grabs in four straight encounters.

Rice Closing in on Another Chiefs Record

It is only a matter of time before Rice makes more Chiefs history this season.

Rice now has 68 grabs in 2023, only two fewer than the single-season franchise rookie record set by Dwayne Bowe in 2007.

Rashee is now at 754 receiving yards this season, averaging just over 53 per game.

If he wants to break the Chiefs rookie receiving yards record of 995 yards set by Bowe, Rice will need to improve on that average.

KC have three games left, and Rice is currently on pace for 916 receiving yards on his current average.

In his last four contests, though, Rice is averaging 83.5 yards through the air per game.

If he can maintain that high average for the remainder of the regular season, he’d surpass 1,000 yards this season.

KC’s next game occurs on Christmas Day when they host the Las Vegas Raiders.

When they battled the Raiders in late November, Rice had a career-high 107 receiving yards.

Their final game of the season is against the Chargers, a team Rice managed to register 60 yards through the air.

LA have conceded 261.4 passing yards per game, among the most in the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals, the other team KC faces, are not much better in the secondary, allowing 254.1 passing yards a game.