The Kansas City Chiefs found a way to beat the Chargers on Sunday. But even with the strong finish, the turnover-plagued start was about as ugly as it could have been. To make matters worse, wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a gruesome knee injury that was feared would end the season. Andy Reid said during the broadcast that it didn’t look good.

Given the severity of the injury and Rice’s importance to the Chiefs’ success, losing Rice will have a significant impact for an extended period of time. What does this mean for the Chiefs? Here are five takeaways as the Chiefs try to move forward.

Rashee Rice had a great start to the season. His production was so consistent that it saved the Chiefs from some precarious situations. At the same time, Rice looked even faster and more confident as a route runner to open the season.

Without him, Kansas City is essentially back to where it was last season as a passing offense. You have no real threat of a WR1-like target in the wide receiver room. Aside from Travis Kelce’s experience and leadership, it will likely be difficult to figure out who the Chiefs can rely on.

Many of the wide receivers on the team offer specific skills. There really isn’t a wide receiver who can take on the full responsibilities that Rice began to take on in the passing attack. Xavier Worthy has made some impressive plays. However, the rookie does not immediately have to put pressure on his shoulders.

Patrick Mahomes is already feeling unsettled in the pocket and is having some early struggles. Without Rashee Rice, players who can better serve as third or fourth options in the passing game will take on bigger roles.

What does the Rashee Rice injury mean specifically for Mahomes? Finding confidence in other wide receivers will be key. To say this was a major work in progress last year would be an understatement. Players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson can break through occasionally when the Chiefs need it, but can they do it with consistency?

Gaining more confidence in other wide receivers will depend on what Mahomes sees and how comfortable he can remain in the pocket. At least initially, finding an early rhythm will be a key issue. The Chiefs finally started some quick passing plays late Sunday. Maybe more of that is available so Mahomes can gain more confidence in the current cast of pass catchers.

Kareem Hunt’s return to the Chiefs offense was quite impressive on Sunday. He seemed to gain about four yards on each carry. It was a necessary lift for the offense to overcome the Chargers. It was a necessary lift after Isiah Pacheco’s injury. It was a necessary lift after Carson lost Steele’s second career fumble. But with Rashee Rice gone, Hunt’s return to Kansas City becomes even more important.

The outburst Hunt showed on Sunday was encouraging. He still has the ability to break tackles. And with Pacheco set to be out for a while, there will be belief in Hunt as another option, especially as an underlying option. To think about how Hunt’s first run with the Chiefs ended, he now finds himself in one of the offense’s top roles for the foreseeable future.

The Chiefs are obviously still hopeful that they can clean up some things offensively. But in the last three games the script has remained pretty much the same as last year. The offense does just enough. But ultimately, the entire performance of Kansas City’s defense cannot be understated.

After the Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, Kansas City outscored the Bolts 17-0 the rest of the game. For nearly the final 49 minutes of the game clock, the Chiefs defense shutout the Chargers offense. LA missed a field goal in the period and turned it over on downs inside the KC five-yard line.

Chris Jones’ pressure was game-destroying. Jaylen Watson was sticky in coverage in key spots. And coming into a game against one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks, the Chiefs contained LA’s rushing attack for most of the day. Steve Spagnuolo has a solid and smart unit. Without Rashee Rice, his group will once again face added pressure to pull through. Can they continue as they did last year?

The aforementioned extra speed and confidence of Rashee Rice are difficult to lose. But for the wide receiver, the fallout from this injury will be a tough pill to swallow, as much for himself as for the entire offense. As a young weapon he grew into the attacking center. Young wide receivers have historically gotten off to slow starts under Andy Reid in Kansas City. And becoming that in a unit where Mahomes hands you the ball is even rarer.

The production he served was really efficient from last year to early this season. Who knows how much more his numbers and volume would have grown by the end of this season. But now Rice will have to return in his third career season. Finding solace after a knee injury can come at different points depending on the player. To accomplish that while still closer to the end of his rookie deal is just a challenging hurdle for a wide receiver in the Chiefs system.