Just a few months ago, Rashee Rice was rehabbing a knee injury in a jail cell. After playing just 12 games across a two-year stretch, it looked like he would never return to the heights of his electric rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rice has given Chiefs fans a glimpse of what they had been missing early this season, though, logging back-to-back games with over 80 receiving yards. His explosive performance against the Miami Dolphins was vintage Rice, if the term "vintage" can be applied to a 26-year-old.
The wideout's bounce-back start to the year has Chiefs fans cautiously wondering if they can expect more of the same moving forward.
Rashee Rice is finally enjoying the resurgence Chiefs fans have been waiting for
You wouldn't expect a receiver who didn't truly get an offseason to look explosive with the ball in his hands. Rice has put those concerns to rest, though, putting up 171 receiving yards on 11 catches over the last two games.
Rice is averaging 9.15 yards after the catch per reception, which ranks second in the league among receivers with at least 15 targets. His role is still limited. Nearly all of his targets have come within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. In fact, he doesn't have a single target beyond 20 yards downfield this year.
Rice is also much better against zone coverage than man coverage, just like he was as a rookie. Ten of his 13 catches and 142 of his 190 yards have come against zone looks.
But in that specified role, he's thriving.
Can Rashee Rice continue his Chiefs breakout?
Rice's two-game breakout has come against the Colts and Dolphins, two of the league's worst early-season pass defenses. Both units rank in the NFL's bottom five in both EPA allowed per pass and passing success rate. The Dolphins have allowed a ridiculous completion rate of 80.3% so far, giving offenses easy answers through the air.
His numbers will likely come back to earth a bit as Kansas City takes on tougher opponents. In the coming weeks, the Chiefs will face top defenses like the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.
He's not the traditional top wideout that the Chiefs still need on the outside, and he's not going to be. Rice's deficiencies against man coverage will limit his impact, especially against teams like the Broncos.
But if the expectations are contained within the role he's currently playing, Rice's production can absolutely continue. He's one of the most explosive players in the league with the ball in his hands, even coming off a major injury. If he can stay on the field, he could easily reach the numbers he posted in his rookie season.
Rice's resurgence is real, and it's opening the Chiefs' offense up to be the best version of itself.
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