Rashee Rice emphasizes Chiefs’ physicality on display against Broncos

On the surface, the wide receivers on either side of the field in the Kansas City Chiefs ' 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos were not impactful. The Chiefs' offense ran through tailback Kenneth Walker , who filled up the box score; Walker accounted for 49% of Kansas City's total yards on "Monday Night Football."

However, the Chiefs' No. 1 receiver was all smiles when speaking to Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus on the team's official postgame show , "Chiefs Rewind," on YouTube . Rashee Rice scored a touchdown after breaking tackles near the goal line, but he finished with just two catches and 19 yards.

He made a point to affect the game without the ball in his hands.

On the 59-yard gain by tight end Travis Kelce in the third quarter, moving the chains on a crucial third down, Rice can be seen blocking downfield with great effort, preventing the Broncos' cornerback from getting in on the tackle that brought Kelce down inside the five-yard line.

"We ran that ball, and we blocked downfield for everybody to have the ball in their hands," Rice told Holthus. "We definitely blocked for our brothers today."

Rice, who led all Chiefs receivers in offensive snaps, usually blocked for a handoff to Kenneth Walker on his way to a league-leading 173 rushing yards. With the team's new talent in the backfield, Rice is learning that, similar to quarterback Patrick Mahomes' relentlessness on a dropback, Walker has a chance to break into the third level of a defense on every touch.

"It's hard to not watch those guys while the ball is in their hands," Rice acknowledged. "It's hard to go get your assignment because those guys are so fun to watch. Sometimes, you get caught up being on the backside of a play, just watching them run the ball — then out of nowhere, [Walker] comes to the backside with the ball in his hands and you have to find a second effort to block the guy in front of you."

Despite the Chiefs' abysmal downfield passing attack in Week 1, Rice understands what Walker's big game can do for the unit moving forward.

"We have somebody there that's going to affect the defense," Rice said of Walker. "It's going to leave us one-on-one with certain defenders and cornerbacks, so having a running back like that is huge for the offense."

It all comes back to the team's identity shift this offseason, which was headlined by the re-hire of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The team is clearly more physical, and Rice — in his first season under Bieniemy's coaching — can see the difference.

"I think we're a much more physical team than I've been on throughout these past three years," Rice told Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest in the locker room after the game . "I think that comes with the coaching."

"I love it," Rice emphasized. "[It's a] mentality."