Chiefs rookie receiver Rashee Rice had his first 100-yard game in last week’s victory over the Raiders.
It came at a good time, since Kansas City has been looking for consistency out of its receiving group all season long.
Rookies don’t always excel under head coach Andy Reid. Last year’s second-round pick Skyy Moore had just 22 receptions for 250 yards in 16 games. He didn’t catch his first touchdown until the Super Bowl.
But Rice is second on the team with 44 catches, 527 yards, and is tied for the team lead with five touchdowns.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Rice is just where the team needs him to be in his progression.
“No wide receiver, no quarterback, no player in general wants to play like a robot,” Nagy said. “When you are learning the offense, you probably feel like you are because you’re trying to understand, when you look at a playbook and you see a line in the playbook you want to run it like that.
“The more and more you start running plays you have less robot to you, and he’s just having more plays which allows him to say, ‘OK hey, I’ve run this play seven times, and now I can put my little feel to it.’ Which is not being a robot versus earlier in the year, you haven’t had to run it so you’re going to run that line.”
Less thinking, more playing — that’s just what the Chiefs need as they enter December with a matchup against the Packers upcoming on Sunday Night Football.