Travis Kelce admits Kansas City Chiefs injury is 'dagger' in blow to Super Bowl hopes

The Kansas City Chiefs have started the defense of their Super Bowl title in impressive fashion, winning four of their opening five games, but suffered a blow with the loss of Rashee Rice

Travis Kelce has shared his worries about teammate Rashee Rice's leg injury, describing the moment as a "huge dagger" for him. The Kansas City Chiefs are pushing for an extraordinary "Three-peat" after capturing four wins at the start of the NFL season but Rice's injury comes as a real blow.

In their most recent triumph against the Los Angeles Chargers, the injury to Rice posed a dark cloud over the victory, with the 24-year-old being taken off the field on a cart following a surprise clash with teammate Patrick Mahomes that left him in noticeable agony.

Rice, a key figure in the Chiefs' offense and currently ranking high in receiving yards and receptions, has since been put on the injured reserve list and is set to be out for a minimum of four games.

Kelce, who is deeply aware of Rice's significance to the team, expressed his unease during the "New Heights" podcast, co-hosted with his brother Jason Kelce. Discussing the challenge ahead, he highlighted Rice's crucial role by saying: On the offensive side of the ball, we've got to get rolling, man and it's not going to be any easier seeing Rashee (Rice) go down during the game.

"I just love the way that guy was playing the game of football, how he was attacking every single day in practice," he continued. "Sometimes you just root so hard for the guys that do it the right way, and Rashee had been doing that, man. It was a huge dagger to me when I saw him go down.

"Outside of that, found a way to get the ball in the end zone late, running the hell out of the ball. Our offensive line is our biggest weapon right now, those guys up front are [...] paving the way, tight ends included with Noah Gray and my guy J (Jared) Wiley coming in, wide receivers doing their job, and the run game.

"You've gotta find a way to win ball games, and sometimes it takes those little things that don't get the highlight all the time. Wide receivers going in and digging out safeties for an extra four, five yards. Running backs running their tails off, getting those extra two, three yards."

In the coming weeks, the Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers, before clashes with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. The extent of the injury to Rice has not yet been disclosed but he will play no part in any of those games.