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Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Rashee Rice Shows Potential Despite Dropped Passes

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Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Rashee Rice Shows Potential Despite Dropped Passes


Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice’s second preseason game got off to a rough start.

The 55th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft dropped a pass on the second play, and that was after he dropped a pass in last week’s contest.

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But then Rice ended up leading all receivers with eight catches for 96 yards in the Chiefs’ impressive 38-10 win against the Arizona Cardinals.

“He had the drop early and then responded well,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “You can see the talent.”

Mahomes compared the 6-1, 204-pound Rice to his former teammate Sammy Watkins, who played at 6-1, 211, because of their physicality and speed.

“He’s going to be a great player for us,” Mahomes said. “And we’re going to keep trying to push him to be even better.”

On the Chiefs’ first drive of second quarter, Rice had his longest reception, exploiting a coverage breakdown to beat linebacker Isaiah Simmons, the eight overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a Kansas City native, for 38 yards.

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Then, two plays later, he had a four-yard catch to help set up Shane Buechele’s touchdown run on the ensuing play.

On the Chiefs’ second drive of second quarter, he had four catches, which all came from Buechele, an understudy to Mahomes, who was impressed by the rookie receiver.

“I have a lot of trust in him,” Mahomes said. “He makes catches in tough spaces.”

On his second of those four catches on that drive, he went in motion and then spun to the outside to elude cornerback Christian Matthew and gain 10 yards.

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That’s the kind of yard-after-catch play that has excited Chiefs fans during training camp.

“He’s a good football player,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said, “and really has had a nice camp for us.”

Another highlight on the drive also came off of motion. He then ran a slant, broke two tackles and gained 25 yards.

But showing the improvement that Rice still must make, linebacker Josh Woods jarred the ball loose on that play, causing a fumble, which Rice recovered. And then Rice got the pitch on a jet sweep two plays later but netted zero yards.

Rice had an incredible senior year at SMU. He led the Division I Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in receiving yards per game (112.9) while recording 1,355 receiving yards, though he did drop too many passes.

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Mahomes attributed Rice’s drops during the preseason contests to the jitters of playing in his first couple of NFL games, but Reid noted it’s an area for improvement.

“It’s great to come back,” Reid said. “Let’s try to eliminate the first part of the equation.”

The math could benefit the Chiefs. If Rice is a significant contributor, they will receive great value. The second-round pick of 2022 is entering the first year of his four-year, $6.5 million rookie deal.

He is part of the Chiefs’ stable of young receivers with potential, including Justyn Ross, who had two catches for 18 yards against the Cardinals.

Those receivers helped the Chiefs record 20 straight completions and complete 81.6% of their total pass attempts.

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That pass-catching depth should help as the Chiefs aim for another Super Bowl title.

Their last one was played in State Farm Stadium, meaning the Chiefs have won in that stadium three times in 12 months.

They began the 2022 campaign with a 44-21 win against the Cardinals in Week One at State Farm and ended it with a 38-35 Super Bowl victory there against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Someone pointed out to Mahomes that his team scored the exact same number of points it did in Super Bowl LVII during Saturday night’s preseason game.

Mahomes, though, was nonplussed.

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“We’ve played here a lot,” he said. “Other than that it’s just another football game, and let’s keep it moving.”





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Police identify teen found shot to death in south Kansas City, Missouri, church parking lot

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Police identify teen found shot to death in south Kansas City, Missouri, church parking lot


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, police released the name of a teenager found shot to death June 24 in the parking lot of a church at Bannister and Raytown roads.

Tytus Bridgeford, 16, was found about 9:30 a.m.

Police asked for the public’s help to identify the victim and were able to get that information released Thursday.

No motive is known for the homicide and no arrests have been made.

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This is the 72nd homicide of the year in KCMO.

There had been 97 homicides in KCMO at this time last yearl

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.

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Can you guess the most Instagrammable site in Topeka? One company identified 10 in Kansas.

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Can you guess the most Instagrammable site in Topeka? One company identified 10 in Kansas.


Strike a pose and snap a photo at Topeka’s most Instagrammable location.

An organization recently named the Topeka Zoo the eighth most Instagrammable place in Kansas.

Top 10 most Instagrammable places in Kansas

Bonus Finder, a media company based in Denmark, checked the social media hashtags of more than 2,700 landmarks across the United States.

These were found to be the most popular Kansas sites, according to the hashtags.

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  • No. 1: Flint Hills has the most popular Kansas hashtag with 75,888 posts.
  • No. 2: Kansas Speedway has 22,275 posts under its hashtag.
  • No. 3: Allen Fieldhouse has 13,353 hash tagged posts.
  • No. 4: The Sedgwick County Zoo hashtag has 13,327 posts.
  • No. 5: Grinter Sunflower Farms has 10,795 hashtagged posts.
  • No. 6: INTRUST Bank Arena has 7,323 posts.
  • No. 7: Monuments Rocks Natural Landmark has 7,111 posts hashtagged.
  • No. 8: Topeka Zoo had 5,865 hashtagged posts.
  • No. 9: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has 5,116 hashtagged posts.
  • No. 10: The Wichita Gardens have 3,371 posts hashtagged.

Topeka Zoo employees and other reaction to the ranking

The Topeka Zoo has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram. The zoo also has a TikTok account with more than 35,000 followers and 1.3 million likes. On Facebook, the zoo has more than 55,000 followers and more than 44,000 likes.

“That’s very exciting,” guest engagement supervisor Brea Schmidt said. “I’m very happy to hear that. We definitely work hard every day to make sure we are sharing what we think guests want to see. So, to hear we were found eighth most Instagrammable is pretty exciting.”

Jen Goetz, creative and strategy director for the zoo, said the magic is in finding balance between what people want to see and following the zoo’s mission of conservation and education.

When asked what other Topeka sites they would have liked to see on the list, Schmidt and Goetz gave a shout-out to their neighbor, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center.

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“I’m not surprised our incredible, growing Topeka Zoo made the list! From special displays like Zoo Lights to the furry faces that greet you, the Topeka Zoo is a must-visit attraction here,” president of Visit Topeka Sean Dixon said in a written statement. “The zoo is located in our beautiful Gage Park, which is where you’ll find more photogenic fun like the carousel and mini train.”

Here are some more Instagrammable sites in Topeka

Dixon said while the list didn’t include them, there are plenty of Instagrammable places across the city.

“And there are several other Instagrammable spots across Topeka that would have made our list,” Dixon said. “Don’t miss the rainbow-painted Equality House, the stunning Kansas Capitol, NOTO and its many murals, the Governor’s Mansion trails, and more.

“There is no shortage of photo ops when you know where to look.”

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Kansas City Chiefs join forces with Hallmark for Christmas rom-com ‘Holiday Touchdown’

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Kansas City Chiefs join forces with Hallmark for Christmas rom-com ‘Holiday Touchdown’


The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing together what the holidays are all about: football and Hallmark movies.

The NFL team has partnered with Hallmark to create an original holiday film centered around its back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

The movie, called “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” will begin production next month, filming entirely in Kansas City, Missouri. Fans will watch scenes at the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the first time a movie has been shot in the venue.

“This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a news release.

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To honor the project between the two Kansas City-based organizations, the city lit up its downtown skyline purple and red on Wednesday night, the news release shared.

Who will be in ‘Holiday Touchdown’?

While no Chiefs players have been announced to be in the movie, the team revealed its three leads.

The film will star “Shifting Gears” actor Tyler Hynes, “Two Scoops Of Italy” actor Hunter King, and “Better Call Saul” actor Ed Begley Jr. in the sports holiday romantic comedy.

What is ‘Holiday Touchdown’ about?

“Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” will follow Chiefs super fan Alana Higman (King), who’s determined to win the team’s Fan of the Year contest, and fan engagement director Derrick (Hynes). The two begin to feel romantic tension as Derrick evaluates whether Alana’s family deserves to the win the contest.

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But when Alana’s grandfather (Begley Jr.) loses his vintage Chiefs winter hat, she begins to question her future with Derrick unless “a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.”

50% of Hallmark viewers watch sports during the holidays

While the collaboration may seem odd, the Chiefs and Hallmark are assured that the movie makes the perfect holiday crossover.

More than half of Hallmark Channel viewers also watched sports during the channel’s Countdown to Christmas aired last year in 2023, according to the news release.

“With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organizations,” Hallmark Chief Brand Officer Darren Abbott said in a statement. “By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans.”

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