After receiver Rashee Rice suffered a friendly-fire knee injury against the Chargers, the Chiefs expected the worst. They ended up getting something better than that.

Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Rice needed only a repair to his LCL. Nothing else in the knee (particularly the ACL) needed to be fixed.

His status continues to be vague and unclear. Is he done for the season? Could he return for the playoffs?

That ambiguity will make a suspension imposed in 2024 for his off-field incident from earlier this year seem more palatable. The goal had been to delay the resolution of the eight street-racing felony charges until after the season. Now, it makes sense to get it done — and to double dip.

If he’s going to miss the rest of the season anyway, why not take the suspension concurrently? He’ll lose his game checks for the number of games in the suspension. He’s already losing the ability to play, likely until 2025.

Some will bristle at that. For Rice, it makes sense — if his representatives and lawyers can pull it off.