KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes reflected on the situation the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly faced after one of their top offensive players, wide receiver Rashee Rice, suffered a right knee injury in last week’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated from the lineup.

The quarterback had found a way to overcome a 10-point deficit without Rice and beat the Chargers. But Mahomes also understands the challenge the group faces in moving the ball and putting up points the rest of the season.

“The guys filled the role that (Rice) plays in our offense as best they could, and that’s a big role,” Mahomes said. “All we can do now is go back to basics and try to give the boys opportunities to succeed. … I think it will pay off in the end.”

Understandably, Mahomes sounded more hopeful than certain that the 4-0 Chiefs offense could play well enough to beat the New Orleans Saints (2-2) on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium (8:15 ET, ESPN).

A month into the season, the Chiefs have lost three of their most important offensive players: a productive pass catcher in Rice, a speedy wide receiver in Hollywood Brown and a strong running back in Isiah Pacheco. It remains to be seen whether the Chiefs still have enough firepower to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to score three.

Brown, a free agent signed in the offseason, will miss most, if not all, of the season due to a right shoulder injury he suffered in the first game of the preseason. Pacheco broke his right leg but could return late in the season.

The timeline for Rice’s return is less clear. Coach Andy Reid said the initial diagnosis regarding Rice’s injury wasn’t what the Chiefs were hoping for, but didn’t go into specifics. In any case, Rice was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, meaning he will miss at least four games.

The Chiefs still have a few pieces. Tight end Travis Kelce had his best game of the season in Los Angeles. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy delivered a 54-yard touchdown catch against the Chargers and had two key third-down catches. Running back Kareem Hunt had an encouraging debut in his return to the Chiefs, six years after being released by the team.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, they’re exploring possible moves before the trade deadline in a few weeks, but this group could also be the one to see it through.

“We have a good group of guys there that we can take advantage of,” Reid said. “Normally we distribute the ball and we will continue to do so.”

Kelce, who turned around The 35-year-old, who turned 35 on Saturday, had eight catches in the Chiefs’ first three games, leading to speculation that either age was catching up with him, he was distracted by his many off-field ventures, or both. He ended that discussion, at least for now, by catching seven passes for 89 yards against the Chargers, passing Tony Gonzalez to become the Chiefs’ all-time leading pass catcher.

“It’s not like he’s slowing down or anything,” Reid said. “That’s not the deal. It’s just a matter of teams focusing on him and somehow knowing that he’s Pat’s go-to guy. What it did is we were able to utilize the other guys around him and they were productive.”

Kelce’s big play came at an opportune time for the Chiefs. Rice’s injury, which occurred in the first quarter, left the Chiefs suddenly without their top receiver.

Rice led the NFL in receptions (24) in Week 4.

“With Rashee going out early, you have to get Kelce back in a situation where he gets a high number of catches,” Mahomes said. “The Chargers took some away from the outside and left the middle of the field open, and we were able to get it to Trav in some of those zone coverages.”

“The whole Kelce slump in general didn’t worry me. I know whenever we need him he will play, and he has.”

There was nothing magical about Kelce having a big game for the Chiefs. The Chargers didn’t often try to cover him with multiple defenders, something opponents had done for most of the first three games.

“The respect factor that they have for Travis is just unreal,” Mahomes said before the Chargers game. “It’s well-deserved, but we’re asking a lot of games for Travis and it’s like two or three people are going to him.”

“I’m going to do my best to continue to provide him with the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open. But… the more we’re able to play the football, the more we can include Worthy, that’s possible.” to open up Travis more.

With Rice out, the Chiefs are concerned about what happens if opponents focus on Kelce like they did earlier in the season. With Rice in the lineup, they were good enough to take advantage.

Who, if anyone, would become Mahomes’ favorite receiver?

“Every year is different,” Kelce said. “I think the teams with the tools we have are playing us a little bit differently than they did last year, and they play Patrick differently than they did last year. I think you can see that teams are playing a little softer, which is what it’s doing. We’re driving all the way down the field instead of just taking away the big throws. And I think Pat does a great job of getting the ball into everyone’s hands.

Worthy, the chiefs This year’s first-round draft pick is the most obvious candidate to become their leading wide receiver, at least until Rice or Brown returns. Worthy made a name for himself by setting an NFL combine record of 4.21 in the 40s.

His touchdown against the Chargers was his third play of the season of at least 20 yards. All three of those were touchdowns, including two in the Chiefs’ season-opening win over the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’m a rookie learning my role and where I fit in the mold,” Worthy said. “I’m just going to continue to grow in this offense. The key is making plays when it’s my turn.”

But Worthy is 21, so it’s a delicate balance as to how much the Chiefs want to ask of him at this point. When they drafted him, the Chiefs thought of Worthy as a player who wouldn’t necessarily get the ball often but would make a big impact when he did.

They were right, at least in the first four games. He has nine catches but 154 yards and a healthy 17.1 yard average.

However, their needs have now changed.

“That’s critical because he’s a playmaker when he has the ball in his hands,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “Most (defensive coordinators) you talk to are always concerned about the speed of the players. … It’s important to get him going. He’s a special player.”

Worthy’s touchdown against the Chargers is an example of what he can do. Mahomes threw a go route without seeing exactly where Worthy was on the field. He just knew the Chargers had him and trusted him to outrun the cornerback, which he did.

“Xavier showed what he can do,” said Reid. “He had a few other potential opportunities there that we weren’t able to fully capitalize on, but you had a chance to at least see him operate out there and do some nice things as one of the primary receivers.”

The Chiefs also have JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman at wide receiver. But those players have combined for just eight catches this season, while Moore and Hardman don’t have a single one.

Smith-Schuster and Watson are the strongest candidates for extended playing time without Rice. Moore and Hardman have played sparingly this season.

It looks like Hunt could be part of the solution after his game against the Chargers. He led the Chiefs in rushing with 69 yards and Reid indicated he would continue to play a lot.

“We’ve all had a lot of trust in Kareem since he’s been here and we kind of know how he’s wired and he’s been able to pick up on things pretty quickly,” Reid said. “So I think we don’t mind increasing (his workload).”

After selecting Worthy and signing Brown, the Chiefs had high hopes that they would return to the scoring prowess that characterized Mahomes’ earlier years. In Mahomes’ first five seasons as a starter, the Chiefs were top five in scoring every year and led the league twice.

Last season, they were mid-table in the NFL in scoring, finishing 15th with fewer than 22 points per game as their defense helped them to the Super Bowl title.

Now, those offensive plans haven’t been put on hold, but expectations could be tempered. The Chiefs are suddenly counting on a lot of players that weren’t a big part of their plans or even on the line just a few weeks ago.

“It’s hard to replace (Rice’s) performance with just one guy. “He’s a special type of receiver because he’s able to run with the football after the catch and then run routes and catch the ball downfield,” Mahomes said.

That means if the Chiefs want to be successful, they’re going to need some unusual receiving stars.

“It’s going to come from a lot of people, not just in the (wide receiver) room, but in the tight end room, in the running back room, everything,” Mahomes said.