4. Chiefs’ wide receiver Rashee Rice is off to a great start.
Through Week 3, Rice leads the NFL in receptions (24), yards after-the-catch (185) and broken tackles after-the-catch (8) while ranking second in receiving yards (288). For reference, at this point last year, Rice had only 10 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
He topped those numbers in just last Sunday’s game alone with 12 grabs for 110 yards and a score, and through three weeks, Rice is one of only three players (joining Nico Collins and CeeDee Lamb) to tally 100+ yards in multiple games so far.
“He’s just making plays,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “I think you’ve seen that he’s been more versatile this year. He’s [had the opportunity] to run more and more routes. Then, the way he’s able to catch the ball and make stuff happen after the catch [is impressive]. He’s a hard guy to tackle. Being able to do both of those things [is important, and] I think it helps that the speed out there is kind of helping spread out the field for him. There’s a lot of attention on [tight end] Travis [Kelce, too], and when [Rice is] getting those one-on-one matchups, he’s winning, and that’s all you can ask for a guy. He seems like he’s getting better and better each and every week.”
5. Kansas City has been tremendous vs. divisional opponents in recent years.
It’s no secret that the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West over the last several years. Kansas City has won eight consecutive division titles, and in that time, the Chiefs are 41-7 vs. divisional opponents. Patrick Mahomes, specifically, is 30-5 against AFC West opponents in his career, which includes a 17-1 mark on the road.
That past success doesn’t guarantee anything for Sunday’s game, but it does demonstrate a clear pattern of preparation for divisional matchups. The Chiefs dedicate entire practices to AFC West opponents in the spring, and once again, they’ll have an opportunity to put that preparation to the test on Sunday as Kansas City takes on the Chargers in Los Angeles.