KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs returned from early their bye Wednesday with left tackle Josh Simmons back on the practice field but wide receiver Rashee Rice still sidelined by a hamstring injury he sustained in their most recent game against the Raiders.
Given that Rice was a non-participant in practice, it's unlikely he will play in this weekend's game against the Chargers (0-5).
“We'll just have to see how it goes. He's actually feeling pretty good as he goes here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “We'll see. Those things — you start dealing with hamstrings, it could be a week, could be two weeks. I know he's eager to get back in.”
The fact that Kansas City (4-0) did not put Rice on injured reserve is a good sign; that would have sidelined him at least four weeks.
But that might be the only good news when it comes to the health of the Chiefs' wide receivers. Rice was hurt in the same game in which Tyquan Thornton, in the midst of a breakout season, dislocated his ankle after a long reception. He was placed on IR and could miss the next four months, putting Thornton's chances of returning at all this season in jeopardy.
The injuries to Rice and Thornton will put more pressure on Xavier Worthy, a former first-round pick, who has flashed moments of brilliance but also disappeared in games. The only other wide receivers on the active roster are Jalen Royals, a second-year pro who's struggled so far, along with fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen and special teams ace Nikko Remigio.
“They're ready. They've put in the work," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “Obviously we've had guys in front of them with Tyquan going out there and playing great football. They've had to put in the work in practice, and they've been doing that. So now their number gets called and they have to step into their role and do their job. I'm excited for them.”
The Chiefs did sign Justin Watson to the practice squad during their bye. He won two Super Bowl rings in Kansas City to go with one he earned with Tampa Bay, but has not played since hurting his Achilles tendon while with Houston last year.
“I have a lot of trust in those guys,” Mahomes insisted, “a lot of confidence in them.”
Simmons, another first-round pick in last year's draft, has been out for nearly two months with a bulging disc in his lower back.
The Chiefs initially thought the injury would sideline him for the remainder of training camp, but one week became two, and two has become five. And while he was back on the practice field Wednesday, it remains unclear when Simmons will be ready to play.
“You start dealing with the back, you have to ease it back in,” Reid said. “We'll just see how he does.”
The injury to Simmons forced the Chiefs to juggle their offensive tackles. Kahlil Benson had won the starting job on the right side as an undrafted rookie out of Indiana, but he had to slide to the left while journeyman Jaylon Moore moved into the lineup on the right.
Benson has graded out well, particularly in the run game, but Moore has been a little more inconsistent. And that could leave the Chiefs with a decision one Simmons returns: put him at right tackle and leave Benson on the left side, or go with their original lineup.
“I haven't even gone there at all,” Reid said.
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Pope Leo XIV had the lower section of his right lung removed after doctors diagnosed him with the most common form of lung cancer. While lung cancer is a leading killer, survival rates can be high if it's caught early, as the pope’s tumor appears to have been. Here are some things to know.
The Vatican announced the pope’s diagnosis as lung adenocarcinoma, which is one of many forms of lung cancer.
There are two main groups, small cell and non-small cell lung cancers. The non-small cell kind make up the vast majority of the world’s cases and adenocarcinoma is its most common subtype. Even it comes in varieties that can grow faster or slower.
“While it’s still very dangerous, it has slightly higher cure rates than other types of lung cancer,” said Dr. John Heymach of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. But as many as 1 in 5 lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked and it's not clear why, maybe in some cases just random chance, Heymach said.
Other risks include exposure to radon gas, asbestos, radiation, secondhand smoke and air pollution, according to the American Cancer Society.
Lung cancer symptoms don’t usually appear until the cancer is advanced, according to the cancer society. They can include a persistent cough, chest pain, a hoarse voice, shortness of breath, and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis — symptoms important to get checked.
Sometimes, lung cancer can be found early when someone has an X-ray or other scan that shows a spot in a lung that needs further investigation. That’s called an incidental finding, leading doctors to investigate well before symptoms and possibly early enough that the cancer remains small and hasn't spread. In the pope’s case, a nodule in his lung was spotted during another exam.
In the U.S., yearly screening with a low-dose CT scan, a type of X-ray, is recommended for certain people at high risk because of heavy smoking.
Surgery is a mainstay when lung cancer is detected early, and increasingly is used even in more advanced stages. The pope had the lower section, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure that all of the cancer was removed.
The right lung has three sections or lobes while the left has two. Each lobe has its own airway branch and dedicated blood vessels and when one is removed, “the other lobes actually pick up some of the work,” said Dr. Ben Zhang, a thoracic surgeon at Allina Health in Minneapolis.
The lungs gradually compensate over several months until most people, especially those who already were physically active, notice little to no difference with exertion, he said.
The pope is known to engage in weekly tennis games and swimming.
In the U.S., the average hospital stay after lung cancer surgery is two nights, Zhang said. It depends in part on how quickly the patient can get up and walk around, as well as pain and how long a tube that can drain air and fluid from the chest is needed.
The pope was walking the next day, which Heymach called “typically a harbinger of a quicker recovery.”
Whether additional treatment is needed depends on the tumor’s stage, based on factors such as its size and whether it shows signs of spreading via the lymph nodes, and if markers on its cells suggest it may be aggressive. Additional treatment can be chemotherapy, used before surgery to shrink a tumor or afterward to attack any lingering cells. Other options include radiation, immunotherapy or what are called targeted drugs aimed at specific molecular drivers of a tumor.
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Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Medical Director Andrea Cambieri, right, greets Pope Leo XIV as he arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where doctors expect to operate to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
