The New York Giants will face the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium in Week 3 of the regular season. Why are we specifically talking about this match-up when the regular season hasn't begun yet?
Well, because the Chiefs just got some news that impacts this particular match-up. According to Adam Schefter, "With Rashee Rice’s hearing now on track for Sept. 30, this would make him eligible to play the first four weeks of the season with games against the Chargers in Brazil, the Eagles, at the Giants and the Ravens."
Rashee Rice is a wide receiver for the Chiefs who is likely going to be suspended at some point during the 2025 season due to his involvement in a car crash in Dallas last year. Giants fans were hoping that Rice would be suspended at the beginning of the season so that they wouldn't have to face him, but if his hearing isn't scheduled until September 30th, he'll be eligible for this Week 3 match-up.
Rashee Rice will be eligible for Week 3 vs. Giants
The Chiefs selected Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he turned heads as a rookie for them two years ago, finishing the year with 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He looked to be on his way to superstardom in Year 2 but went down in Week 4 with a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year.
While Kansas City's offense hasn't been as electric as it once was, not having Rice would have helped the Giants in this game. Beating the Chiefs is already going to be a tall task, but at least Rice's absence would have meant that Patrick Mahomes had one less trusted receiver to throw to. Anytime Mahomes can be weakened (obviously we're not rooting for injuries here), fans of the opposing team will gladly sign up for that.
Giants fans just have to hope that Rice hasn't found his form when Week 3 comes along and that the Giants' defense can slow down Mahomes, Rice, and the rest of the Kansas City offense when the Chiefs roll into town next month.