KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The gunslinger reputation accompanied a 2017 first-round draft pick to Kansas City, and it came well-earned. The arm of prospect Patrick Mahomes popped off the film, through a deep shot that traveled 60 yards in the air on what seemed like an effortless sidearm flick.

Nearly a decade later, the arm of three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes still pops off the film.

So much so that you just might overlook the essence of the Chiefs offense since his arrival.

It’s what happens after the catch.

For all the attention on the arm of the quarterback — still, well-earned — the Chiefs have led the NFL in yards after catch (YAC) in four of the past five seasons, per FTN data. They have a six-year streak of finishing in the top-three in the category.

It’s their engine.

And now they’re about to make it turbocharged.

Rashee Rice will play his first game in more than a year Sunday when the Chiefs host the Raiders in a rare noon game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

When healthy — and we ought to remember his yearlong absence is not just this year’s six-game suspension for a street racing incident in Dallas that caused him a jail sentence but season-ending knee surgery a year earlier — he offers Mahomes his best weapon.

But more to this point: He’s this offense’s best fit.

What does it mean for the Chiefs to mix wide receiver Rashee Rice back into the offense for the first time since Week 4 of the 2024 season? It means they can do what they do best again. It means they can move the ball after the catch better than anyone in the league — because he moves the ball after the catch better than anyone in the league.

In three games last season, Rice totaled 186 yards after the catch, according to FTN’s tracking. The second most in the NFL: 138. Rice was lapping the entire league.

It wasn’t a mirage. That’s been a misconception about Rice. No it isn’t a small sample size. Before the three-game breakout to open last year, he took off in the back half of his rookie season.

Over his final six games as a rookie, combined with his initial three before the injury last year — a total of nine — Rice led the NFL in yards after catch.

Literally, nobody better.

The Chiefs have spent two summers talking about the downfield passing game, evaluating the ways to solve a deficiency. Rice, who has all of two downfield receptions in his entire NFL career, is their best answer.

Hear me out.

The Chiefs have a type at wide receiver. They prioritize speed more than most. They prioritize height less than most. It was just 18 months ago that they took 165-pound Xavier Worthy in the first round to solve the downfield passing game.

But it’s Rice who unlocks it.

Even as a rookie, he led the NFL in catches behind the line of scrimmage and turned more of those throws into first downs than any receiver in the league. He was one of the NFL’s best short-yardage receivers.

You can’t ignore him. Well, you can. But you’ll lose trying Whether it’s immediately, or a week or two down the line, defenses will have to scheme up Rice, because he’s intended to be the Chiefs offense’s top option.

And thus, a team that has been facing two-high defense for a half-decade will either finally see a reprieve — or throw it to their best weapon and let him work.

That’s how you unlock the deep game. That’s how you make most relevant the gunslinging arm of the quarterback. You make a defense focus instead on the short game, and pounce on the effect.

It’s how this was all intended to work out. (This probably isn’t the first time you’re reading that Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown have never played a regular-season snap together.)

Just a week ago, the Lions were intent on taking away the Chiefs deep passing game. Tyquan Thornton has been the most targeted downfield receiver in the league this year, per PFF numbers. For the first time this season, Mahomes did not complete a deep shot. He only attempted one, another season-low.

The Lions looked at the makeup of the Chiefs roster and dared them to make the short game effective.

The Chiefs are about to add one of the most effective short yardage receivers in football to that mix.

Without Rice, the Chiefs have all but eliminated the bubble screen from their playbook. It’s an element the Chiefs have missed, and I say that knowing they’ve been really good for three weeks.

It’s just interesting to study how the passing offense has been good. Three weeks into the year, the Chiefs ranked 21st in the NFL in yards after catch. It was unusual, and so was the final product, just 60 points across three games. Over the last three weeks, they’re second in the league to Tampa Bay. They’ve scored 95.

So why the need for Rice?

That’s where it grows particularly intriguing. The Chiefs haven’t unlocked something new in their receivers after the catch but rather changed course.

They’re getting YAC from their backs and tight ends. Brashard Smith leads the team in YAC over the last three games, and he’s 13th in the league with 100 yards gained after the ball is in his hands. In all, 59.5% of their YAC in three weeks has come from non-receivers.

Rice won’t replace that. When he’s back to form — and that could take more than a couple of quarters — he’ll add to it.

It’s a different dimension to the Chiefs’ offense.

It’s their most fitting dimension.

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