Five Chiefs who flashed in frustrating loss to Detroit Lions

Sometimes it is tough to find silver linings in a loss, but the fact of the matter is the Kansas City Chiefs are reigning Super Bowl Champions and they are just 0-1. It is never fun to find your team below .500, especially when you are looking at the Jacksonville Jaguars down the barrel staring at the possibility of being 0-2. 

The Jaguars are a good team that played the Chiefs tough in last year's divisional round of the playoffs. You never want to be that guy who gives excuses for losing, but eight drops will devastate an offense. If the Chiefs can fix that specific issue, they will be just fine. 

Thursday night was not all bad for the Chiefs. It is hard to find a glaring issue other than the drops. While Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore attempt to bounce back against Jacksonville, there are several others who are looking to build momentum off their strong performances. Let’s take a look at five players who gave reason for optimism moving forward. 

1. Rashee Rice, wide receiver

It has been stated on multiple occasions, all offseason that it is inherently hard to make an impact as a rookie wide receiver in the Chiefs offense. While some of the starters struggled with drop issues, Rashee Rice showed what he is capable of. He is trying to put the rookie receiver narrative to rest in 2023 and he made the best of it in week one. 

Rice was the highest-rated receiver, amongst both teams, according to PFF. In just 20 snaps, Rice received five targets and caught three of them for 29 yards. He was able to generate separation in the red zone and found himself wide open for a touchdown to give the Chiefs their first points of the night.

Patrick Mahomes’ passer rating when targeting him was 115.8. On a night where chemistry was lacking between Mahomes and his receivers, Rice left Chiefs Kingdom wanting to see much more in week two.