The outlook looks bleak for the Kansas City Chiefs after losing 20-10 to the Houston Texans in front of 73,611 fans at Arrowhead Stadium on “Sunday Night Football.”
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The defending AFC champions are in a three-way tie for ninth place in the conference with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, with a 6-7 record. The Chiefs have four more games left in the regular season.Â
Third-year wide receiver Rashee Rice had a rough night against the Texans, and in more ways than one. He finished with four receptions for 34 yards.Â
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Rice had a couple of costly drops in the second half. With under a minute to play in the third quarter, he took a hit from Texans safety Jalen Pitre that knocked the ball out and Rice to the ground.
After the play, Rice could be seen grabbing his facemask while apparently being in pain from the contact.
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Chiefs say that Rice did not go into the sideline medical tent after the play. He was not reportedly placed in the concussion protocol. It’s unclear if he was later evaluated for a concussion.
“The NFL has not responded to an inquiry regarding whether a concussion evaluation was ordered for Rice, or whether one was performed,” Florio wrote. “It’s the kind of hit that make(s) it reasonable to at least give him a sideline evaluation. The player rarely will say or do anything that takes him off the field. It’s for the doctors and the spotters to protect the player from himself.”
Florio argued that the contact was worthy of Rice being evaluated for a concussion during the game.
The Chiefs, fighting for their postseason life, had every reason to want Rice on the field. But the 2023 second-round pick wasn’t his best after the hit.
Rice dropped another costly pass on a 4th-and-4 play with just over five minutes remaining and the Texans ahead 17-10.
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