Breaking: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver underwent surgery to fix the posterolateral corner of his right knee

Wide receiver Rashee Rice underwent surgery last week to address the posterolateral corner of his right knee, rather than the ACL that was initially thought to be injured during the game against the Chargers, according to Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Monday. The nature of the injury and surgery will not significantly alter Rice’s recovery timeline. He is still expected to miss the remainder of the season, and it remains uncertain whether his knee will be ready in time for the start of training camp in July. “It’s likely the same recovery time as an ACL injury. It takes a while to come back,” Reid said as the Chiefs returned to practice following their bye week. “He’ll start his rehab and progress from there.” The only other update on injuries involves pass rusher Mike Danna, who was dealing with a pectoral issue during the break. The Chiefs are one of only two undefeated teams left in the NFL, alongside the Minnesota Vikings. They are set to play on Sunday against San Francisco in a Super Bowl rematch, where Kansas City secured their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy last February. The team has been hit by several injuries at critical positions, having already lost wide receiver Marquise Brown to shoulder surgery before the season and running back Isiah Pacheco to a fractured right fibula.

So far, they’ve been able to fill the gaps by bringing back some familiar faces, such as wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Kareem Hunt. In a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints before the bye, Smith-Schuster made seven catches for 130 yards, while Hunt carried the ball 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. This marked Hunt’s first start with the Chiefs since being released due to off-field issues in 2018. “I joked with him that he spent the bye week in the cold tub after all those carries,” Reid said. “But as I mentioned before, he came back in pretty good shape, aside from not having played football, and that’s still true now.” The Chiefs might also welcome back running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire this week. The former first-round draft pick began the season on the non-football illness list and has been working with the scout team since being cleared two weeks ago. “I want to talk to him first before making any public announcements,” Reid said, “but we’re really glad to have him back.”