The Chiefs are heading into Week 6 with a thinner offensive deck than they’d like.
Kansas City, one of the NFL’s three unbeaten teams at 4-0, comes out of its bye and into a matchup with the winless Chargers, but Friday brought some unwelcome injury news. According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, the Chiefs will be without Rashee Rice and offensive tackle Josh Simmons against Los Angeles.
"Rashee Rice and Josh Simmons will not play Sunday against the Chargers," McDowell reported Friday afternoon.
Rice’s absence stings most. Kansas City already lost Tyquan Thornton for the rest of the year in Week 4 after a brutal ankle injury, so the wide receiver room has become a major question mark right as the Chiefs get back to work. Patrick Mahomes still has Travis Kelce and Kenneth Walker III as targets, but the receiver group behind them is stretched thin.
Xavier Worthy is now the WR1, with Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, and Nikko Remigio filling out the depth chart. Justin Watson, who was recently signed by the Chiefs, could be activated on game day to help with the shortage.
Simmons is still in the process of working back, and Khalil Benson has held up as a starter in his place. That loss matters too, but the bigger concern is clearly the state of the passing game.
Even with those issues, this shapes up as a week in which Kansas City can survive a depleted roster. The Chargers are 0-5 and still searching for their first win, and while nothing in the NFL comes easy, the Chiefs should still be positioned to get the job done in Week 6.
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