Rice Recounts TD Catches That Punctuated Last 13 Months

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City wide receiver Rashee Rice spoke from the podium following Sunday’s 31-0 win over the Raiders.

To view his comments, watch and read below:

On the no-look pass from Patrick Mahomes, how confident he was in catching the ball:

“How confident was I? Zero percent, honestly. I kept telling him, he threw me off with that. He no-looked the whole team, to be honest. And luckily, I was just ready for the ball.”

On the gesture he made toward Mahomes afterward, pointing to his eyes:

“Kind of saying, like, ‘I didn't know you was gonna do that!’ But I'm glad we were on the same page.”

rashee ric — Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

On why he punted the ball after scoring the first touchdown:

“Just a lot of passion. I mean, I had to get the first one out the way. Probably won't be punting the ball anymore, but I had to bring the juice. Had to bring the spark to the offense, first play, first touchdown of the game. So, however, we need to get our energy going. That's how we had to do it.”

On whether Andy Reid said anything to him about punting the ball:

“No. It's all passion. He don't mind if we’re having fun out there.”

On players wearing the supportive T-shirt pregame, and support of his teammates:

“It meant a lot to me. Those guys are like my real brothers. Obviously, everybody got family, but you know, during the time where I was in Kansas. All we got is each other. We're with each other 24/7 in meetings, weight room, on the field, off the field. So, I mean, it's not necessarily a force, but I mean, if you're gonna be around someone every day, you might as well love that guy, right? So that's all it is.

On how his knee feels after his first game since September 2024:

“I feel great. . I got a good amount of plays. I could play more, obviously, but we got a long season ahead, and we got a lot of guys that can play. So, it's an opportunity for everybody.”

On the entire team saying the last several weeks, ‘Wait until we get 4 back:’

“It means a lot, just to know that even the guys that you know get to compete against me every day, or the guys that don't necessarily get to be in the meeting room, to know what kind of plays are going to run. Just had that confidence in me, because they know I got the same confidence in them. We're all one big family. So, I mean, we were just missing one piece. Everybody's together, and we're just gonna keep building.”

On whether he believes 30 points is the norm for this offense:

“I think it's a glimpse of what's possible and what's to come. This is our first game being able to play with each other, like you said. Coach said, I had a minimum amount of plays, so maybe with more plays, more touchdowns, not even just for me, but from everybody else, from just being on the field consistently.”

patrick mahome — Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles with the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

On getting better from competing against the defense in training camp:

“I mean, Coach does his best to take care of us, but when it's time to compete, we compete. I'm pretty sure that's why it transfers to the field. We're nothing but competitors. But then at the end of the day we know that we're playing for each other, when we got the same uniform on. You get to go against Trent McDuffie, the best corner in the league, as much as I can when working, competing even during training camp. So, I mean, it's just iron sharpening iron.”

On his back-shoulder TD reception, and the timing he and Mahomes developed on that play:

“Yeah, so, man, I basically told Pat I was a fade guy in college. If you look at my college highlights, I caught a lot of back-shoulders at SMU. And I mean, just having a great quarterback, we just kind of had to put it in the air. Talk about it, and repetition, and now repetition is happening.”

On his emotions during pregame and the national anthem realizing he’s back after the last 13 months:

“Yeah, it meant a lot more today. You don't really notice how much you love something until it's gone, or possibly could be gone. I was able to get a glimpse of that. And you know, I don't ever want to feel that again. So just being able to be out here with my brothers, that's like the most love I've had in a long time. It felt great to start after some of the struggles and knowing you should be out there.”

On watching the Chiefs over the season’s first six games:

“It was pretty hard to watch, honestly. But, you know, it's a long season. It's a sprint, not a marathon. So, I mean, I know that as an offense, as a defense, we're going to get back to the meeting room and work on whatever we have to fix and progress for the next week.”

Chiefs Kingdom, for breaking news and in-depth info, keep that browser right here 24/7; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And join the conversation on Sunday’s win by visiting our Facebook page (here).