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Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes is feeling serious guilt after delivering a tough blow to one of his teammates, who is also his top pass-catcher. 

Mahomes was intercepted on Sunday while playing against the LA Chargers. During the return, he attempted to tackle cornerback Kristian Fulton but missed and fell into his teammate Rashee Rice.

The knee injury to Rice is serious by all accounts, and the second-year wide receiver landed on injured reserve on Thursday. Initial concerns over Rice’s injury suggested a possible torn ACL.

Rice is set to miss the next four games, with expectations leaning towards potentially missing more time than that.

ATLANTA, GA  SEPTEMBER 22:  Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) talks with wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons on September 22nd, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.  (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While it was unintentional on Mahomes’ part, he was solely responsible for the tackle on Rice. And the Chiefs leader took accountability on Thursday, expressing his remorse for the sequence that went sideways.

“When I saw the replay, I felt like s**t that I hit Rashee,” Mahomes said. “I think that’s pretty much all. I wasn’t really worried about myself.”

Despite a turbulent offseason for Rice (a euphemism), expectations were great for the SMU product after proving himself a valuable new addition to the Chiefs’ wide receivers room. Through three weeks, Rice met expectations, recording 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

Mahomes knows what he’s missing out on by not having Rice on the sidelines for the near future.

“I was worried about his injury and hopefully, it wasn’t as bad as it looked, because I was the one that hit him,” Mahomes added.

During the Week 4 matchup against the Bolts, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid quickly knew Rice’s injury would be a long-term problem for the Chiefs offense. 

“It’s not good,” Reid told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson as the game went to halftime.

For now, the Chiefs will have to manage without their top receiver and starting RB, Isiah Pacheco.

Kansas City can hope that rookie Xavier Worthy will step up in the meantime and that veteran tight end Travis Kelce will shake off his early-season rust to help Mahomes out on offense.

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