Kansas City Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu was cleared from the Reserve/COVID-19 list in time to play in last week’s season opener against the Cleveland Browns. But as we all know, that didn’t happen.
Andy Reid and Rick Burkholder held Mathieu out of the game, doing so out of an abundance of caution. He hadn’t practiced in over 15 days as he battled the COVID-19 illness. The Chiefs felt that holding him out of the game was the right thing to do when it came to ensuring his longevity for the season.
On Thursday, Mathieu had a chance to speak to reporters and suggested that he might not be 100% quite yet, but was working his way toward it. Asked whether Mathieu would play on Sunday and get his normal load of the snaps, Chiefs HC Andy Reid seemed confident that Mathieu would play against the Ravens.
“Yeah, I think he’ll be out there,” Reid told reporters of Mathieu. “And he’s been getting better every day that he’s been going. It was mainly getting his wind back and I think he feels pretty good with that.”
With Mathieu back in the fold expect communication to improve on the back end in the secondary.
Another defender absent from the game last week also looks poised to make a return in Baltimore. Chiefs DE Frank Clark has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury since the preseason. After warming up ahead of the game on Sunday, the training staff felt that it was best to give Clark another week to rest.
Clark was a full participant in practice throughout the week ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 2 tilt in Baltimore. Reid confirmed that he’s been looking much better this week.
“Stronger, right now, which was important,” Reid said of Clark’s performance. “Where he can lean on something. Before he could run, but he was having a hard time with the strength of [his hamstring]. So, he’s able to support now and that’s important at that position.”
Short of any setbacks, it sounds like both Mathieu and Clark should make their 2021 debuts in Baltimore against the Ravens.
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