Entering a big Sunday night road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the Kansas City Chiefs kind of seem ... better than ever? At the very least, with a 5-0 undefeated record, it sure seems like the Chiefs have regained their place as a bona fide AFC heavyweight. Patrick Mahomes is playing some exemplary football, Kenneth Walker III is the NFL's premier running back right now, and a stingy defense is often dictating the terms of engagement.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, as they get set to face the Seahawks' similarly great defense, they're going to have to do it without one of their best downfield weapons.

Veteran receiver Rashee Rice will not play on Sunday night as he continues recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in early October. For a Chiefs team sorely lacking reliable receivers on the outside, Rice's absence could be glaring against Seattle's pass-rush and secondary:

As for when Rice might come back to the Chiefs, it wouldn't be shocking to see him play on the road against the Denver Broncos next Sunday. That would give the playmaker roughly a month to recover from his injury, which should be enough since his hamstring strain didn't appear too severe at first glance. The Chiefs do have a bye week in three weeks, but that seems like an unnecessarily lengthy absence for Rice if he's ready to roll soon. And he probably should be, barring more precautions.

Who is Rashee Rice's backup on the Chiefs?

Cyrus Allen is listed as Rice's backup on the Chiefs' official depth chart. Allen is a rookie who was selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.