>>150438752
If your point is that Rice wasn’t a “game changer,” then you are actually underlining why his injury mattered. When your best wideout is already closer to WR2 level talent, losing him magnifies the gap because the guys behind him are not just a small step down, they are bottom of the depth chart role players. Calling that depth is being generous, it is really just bodies to rotate through. Comparing that to the Eagles having Wilson or Campbell as backups does not land, because those guys were behind two legitimate Pro Bowl level WR1 and WR2 talents. For the Chiefs, Rice was the one semi reliable option.

On the chemistry point, it is not hand waving. Rice was the only receiver Mahomes trusted to consistently win on option routes and timing based plays. That is why his volume was not just random WR2 stats in a pass heavy offense, he was the only one in sync with the quarterback. Taking away that security blanket forces Mahomes to throw to guys he had not established that same level of trust with in the biggest game of the year. That is not a minor thing.

And yes, the offensive line matters because it is part of the same discussion, how much the surrounding circumstances were working against the Chiefs. I am not arguing it invalidates the Eagles’ win, no one is saying that. I am saying Rice’s injury was not some tiny footnote like you are painting it, it was part of a bigger picture where Kansas City’s margin for error was already razor thin.