The Kansas City Chiefs win in their 2021 home opener wasn’t without drama defensively, as stars Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark were both held out of the game due to illness and a bum hamstring. Cleveland almost got one over on Kansas City in front of a full house at Arrowhead Stadium, and improvement will be needed to advance to a 2-0 record against a formidable Ravens team on the road this week.
After missing the first scrap of the season last Sunday, Mathieu is hungry as ever to get back on the field. Masterful, though admittedly limited showings in the preseason had fans ready to crown the new-look defense when the first string talent was healthy, the unit proved against the Browns that without its stars in the lineup, the Chiefs are more than beatable defensively.
Mathieu intends to change that. Slated to make his first start of 2021 against Baltimore, he spoke to the media after Thursday’s practice about his health, what kept him out last week, and his expectations for the game against the Ravens.
Asked if he was 100-percent healthy headed into Sunday’s scrum, Mathieu was mostly non-committal, but he said being around his teammates gets him excited to play ball.
“I think if I’m not, then I’m getting there,” Mathieu told reporters. “Yesterday’s practice was pretty good for me just going out there having a full workload, getting back into the communication, just working with my boys. Anytime I see those guys, my teammates, it always gives you that extra energy to uplift you. So, just looking forward to kind of continuing to stack them and then getting in front of the world on Sunday night and show them what I can do.”
He continued, saying that it was difficult to have to sit out of the matchup against the Browns, especially given the close outcome, but was proud of what his teammates accomplished in his absence.
“It was tough,” He said of having to sit. “You know, technically I wasn’t injured. I’ve been injured in this league before and when you can’t help your teammates it always puts you in a bad spot, but I was proud of the way those guys fought throughout the game. Obviously, it didn’t really start the way we wanted it to, but I thought those guys made the plays that mattered. That’s why we were able to win the game.”
The primary factor in his absence against Cleveland seems to have been his lack of practice in the weeks leading up to the game, which was a decision head coach Andy Reid made in conjunction with the training staff.
“I was really hopeful that I obviously could possibly get cleared before the end of the week of practice,” He explained. “I think it would be tough on anybody to kind of not practice for 10 days and then try to go out there and play a game that you’ve got to win at home. So, I thought Coach Reid, the training staff, I thought everybody really made the best decision for me as a player. So, that was much appreciated and much respected, but I’m very, very happy to be back.”
He is both happy to be back and excited for Sunday based on his words from Thursday’s presser. The building anticipation was palpable when he was asked about his feelings ahead of the matchup against Baltimore, and he seemed most pleased to be back in the starting lineup.
“It’s a big game. A big-time opponent,” Mathieu said. “Playing against some good football players. I’m just excited to be back, really put my hand in the pile and just continue to help this team win games. But it’s good to be back around the game.”
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