Arrowheadlines: The Chiefs offense is about be turbocharged

Chiefs headlines for Saturday, October 18

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How the Chiefs will work WR Rashee Rice into the offense | Kansas City Star

For all the attention on the arm of the quarterback — still, well-earned — the Chiefs have led the NFL in yards after catch (YAC) in four of the past five seasons, per FTN data. They have a six-year streak of finishing in the top-three in the category. It’s their engine.

And now they’re about to make it turbocharged.

Rashee Rice will play his first game in more than a year Sunday when the Chiefs host the Raiders in a rare noon

game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. When healthy — and we ought to remember his yearlong absence is not just this year’s six-game suspension for a street racing incident in Dallas that caused him a jail sentence but season-ending knee surgery a year earlier — he offers Mahomes his best weapon.

NFL Week 7 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips | ESPN

What we’re hearing on the Chiefs: Everyone in the Chiefs’ facility knows how excited WR Rashee Rice is to make his return from a six-game suspension, including QB Patrick Mahomes. “He’s going to want to be out there every single play. … It’s going to be our job, as teammates and coaches, to build him back the right way.” A good balance for Rice could be getting him the ball early and keeping him on the field for roughly 50% of snaps. — Nate Taylor

Stat to know: Jeanty is averaging 3.07 yards per rush after first contact this season, which is fifth most in the league. — ESPN Research

Rashee Rice, Mike Vrabel highlight what to watch in NFL Week 7 | USA Today

Chiefs get Rashee Rice back from suspension

Rice’s return means the Chiefs will finally have their full complement of wide receivers. It will mark the first time Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown will all be on the field together for a regular-season game.

“I think they’re looking forward to it maybe even more than I’m looking forward to it. They’re excited to play together, those three are very close,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. “It will be great to get him (Rashee Rice) back going and in the swing.”

Ranking all 32 NFL teams by rookie snaps played in 2025 | CBS Sports

16. Texans (10.0%)

17. Chargers (9.2%)

18. Eagles (9.2%)

19. Chiefs (9.0%)

20. Raiders (8.7%)

NFL QB rankings, Week 7: Josh Allen ousted from top 3; Jaxson Dart makes biggest jump | NFL.com

2. Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 9

2025 stats: 6 games | 64.8 pct | 1514 pass yds | 7.1 ypa | 11 pass TDs | 2 INTs | 222 rush yds | 4 rush TDs | 3 fumbles
This is the WR group the Chiefs were chasing ever since Tyreek Hill | Arrowhead Addict

It looks like the Chiefs wide receiver room is finally ready to shine

Fast forward to present day and it looks like things have finally come together. Rashee Rice is set to make his season debut after serving his six-game suspension. Xavier Worthy has looked good after a promising rookie year and a small injury setback early in the season, and Hollywood Brown is coming off his best game as a Chief, hauling in two touchdown passes against the Detroit Lions.

However, it’s not just those top three guys who are making an impact. While Rice was out and Worthy was banged up, Tyquan Thornton stepped up big and has proven he can be a strong contributor as a deep threat throughout the season. He already has three touchdowns and is averaging over 20 yards per reception. JuJu Smith-Schuster is another guy who has been solid as well. He is currently third on the team in receptions behind Travis Kelce and Hollywood Brown and has proven himself a reliable short to intermediate option (as well as a guy that can get under opposing players’ skin).

Around the NFL

Cowboys’ Diggs out vs. Commanders after accident at his home | ESPN

The Dallas Cowboys will be without cornerback Trevon Diggs on Sunday against the Washington Commanders after an accident at his home Thursday put him in the concussion protocol.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer did not know the specifics of what happened, but Diggs was checked out by the team doctors on Friday.

“This is the NFL and if you’re unsure what’s going to happen just wait because something is going to happen,” Schottenheimer said. “And you deal with it, and you don’t lose sleep over it. The biggest thing is just the concern for Trevon that he’s OK. But seems like he is.”

Diggs has started every game after spending training camp on the physically unable to perform list following January surgery on his left knee. He has dealt with a right knee injury in recent weeks. He has been credited with 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 2 pass deflections.

Browns vs. Dolphins weather reports are wild, and should make for very ugly football | SB Nation

Since this update yesterday morning we have new models showing that it could be an absolutely incredible sight to behold. Sustained winds are now trending towards 25-30 mph, with gusts over 40 mph. The gusts are bad enough for the randomness of the game, but those sustained winds are going to be an absolute nightmare for the passing and kicking games.

Here’s how all this combines to be a total nightmare: Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t have the biggest arm, and he has a tendency to throw touch passes a lot. This means the ball is going to be affected by the wind more than other quarterbacks. Meanwhile the Browns have the 29th ranked rushing offense in the NFL, averaging only 3.9 yards-per-carry.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Roster: 3 biggest questions against the Raiders in Week 7

1. Can the Chiefs gang-tackle Ashton Jeanty?

It’s easy to look at the rookie running back’s stats and think he’s been underwhelming. Through six games, he’s carried the ball 105 times for 424 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Those are fine numbers — but not the kind of production you’d expect from the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft.

But they don’t tell the full story. Jeanty has only 134 yards before contact — 32nd in the league — averaging just 1.3 yards before contact per attempt. That ranks 43rd among 44 qualifying rushers.

But here’s the thing: Jeanty is elite at gaining yards after contact. He ranks third with 290 yards after he’s been hit, averaging 2.9 per attempt. That’s the league’s third-highest rate — and his 15 broken tackles lead the NFL.

This tells us that while Jeanty is often being hit behind the line of scrimmage, he has the strength and skill to turn those one-yard plays into four-yard gains. Coming into the league, his biggest strength was his contact balance — and that has fully translated to the next level. Jeanty is compact, powerful and difficult to bring down — and also possesses the vision and quickness to make defenders miss in space.

So even if the Raiders’ offensive line struggles, the Chiefs must swarm to the ball and tackle as a unit. Kansas City’s linebackers are strong against the run, making this a good matchup on paper. If the Chiefs want to make this game lopsided right off the bat, setting the tone up front will be a key.