The Philadelphia Eagles are ready to begin their Super Bowl defense. First on their schedule is a grudge match against the Dallas Cowboys, who may or may not have star pass rusher Micah Parsons on the field. But for their second game of the season, the Eagles have a Super Bowl 59 rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, the Chiefs are out for revenge after they got embarrassed on the big stage.
But the Eagles just caught a huge break before the second game of the season, and it will hinder the Chiefs' chances of winning the rematch.
According to multiple reports, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is accepting and will serve a six-game suspension for the start of the 2025 season. The NFL and the Player's Association are finalizing a settlement, meaning that he will return in Week 7.
#Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is accepting and will serve a six-game suspension to start the 2025 regular season, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 27, 2025
The NFL and NFLPA are working to finalize the settlement, which will end Rice’s disciplinary limbo and make him eligible to return Week 7 vs. Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/uPcZoCy0OV
Eagles catch break as Rashee Rice is missing Week 2 matchup due to suspension
It was trending for a while that Rice would miss the start of the season, but it was a matter of how long he would be sidelined. Rice was suspended for violating the league's conduct policy for causing a multi-car crash back in March. Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of "collision involving serious bodily injury" and "racing on a highway causing bodily injury." Rice will serve a 30-day jail sentence in the future.
Rice is the Chiefs' best wide receiver, and it's not particularly close. As a rookie in 2023, Rice caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 targets. His sophomore year was cut short after suffering a knee injury on an inadvertent tackle from quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs were expecting Rice to miss time at the start of the season, which is why they kept eight wide receivers on their 53-man roster. The Chiefs are expecting Xavier Worthy to take that next step in his second season, while banking on Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster using their experience to put up good numbers in the passing game. Oh, and potentially rely on preseason standout Tyquan Thornton.
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Sure, you can never count out Mahomes, but the Eagles are surefire favorites with Rice out. Especially with their stacked secondary of Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Reed Blankenship. Plus, it could be hard for the Chiefs to play catch-up when Jalen Hurts is putting points on the board with passes to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.