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The Kansas City Chiefs open their season this Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium against the always explosive Houston Texans. This defensive unit had some tough battles with Deshaun Watson and company last season, a situation well understood by safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu was a catalyst for the much improved Chiefs defense last season, providing leadership and all-pro play. The Texans are entering Thursday’s game without Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded during the offseason. Despite lacking a major offensive weapon like Hopkins, Houston is still a threat, according to Mathieu. The former LSU standout explained the importance of game preparation during Monday’s press conference.
“Yeah, they’re still a talented group. I think with or without DeAndre,” said Mathieu. “I think they have the ability to wreck a football game. There’s still a lot of speed out there. They removed Hop but they brought in (Randall) Cobb, who is a veteran, who I’m sure is going to possess some of the same traits DeAndre possessed. Hop was able to come to the line and tell his receivers if it was Cover 2, man-to-man, or Cover 4, it kind of helped the other receivers play fast. They’re still a dominant group. I think it’s going to be a tough challenge for us.”
As the team prepares for Thursday’s game, players on defense, they have been seen wearing shirts with the quote, “Iron Sharpens Iron.” Mathieu explained the statement and its meaning in regards to the new season.
“Actually it’s kind of been a mantra of (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags since last season. So, we’ve always heard this quote from him even going back to our first day meeting with him last season and we believe it. We believe that each man is important in our room and the only way to get better is to challenge each other, it’s to expect the best from each other. Then, I think we’re actually in a unique, special situation. We’ve got a lot of talent all around our team at each position, at each level, you know we have the opportunity or ability to challenge each other. Whether that’s me going up against Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce, whether that’s Mitchell Schwartz trying to block Chris Jones or Frank Clark. I think there’s something that we understand that works and we believe in it and we’re going to try our best to kind of keep it going forward, to keep each other accountable, to continue to challenge each other and try our best to really make each other better. Not just at football, but just becoming the right kind of person, right kind of man, right kind of father, right kind of friend.”
The unity amongst the Chiefs defense has been a vital part of the reassurance that started late last season. Mathieu, alongside veterans Chris Jones and Frank Clark, will be heavily counted on this season if the Chiefs are to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
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