KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Safety Tyrann Mathieu wears his heart on his sleeve.
Mathieu — now in his third season with the Kansas City Chiefs, and having earned All-Pro honors the first two years — was spotted throwing his hands in the air as the Chiefs gave up two long pass plays in a Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was a universal signal of frustration that every Kansas City fan inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium could sympathize with.
Mathieu’s emotions also boiled over during Sunday’s win at the Washington Football Team.
The Chiefs were nursing a 10-6 lead when Washington converted on third-and-16 with a screen pass en route to the go-ahead touchdown.
Mathieu expressed that simmering rage about the defense’s performance toward Kansas City’s sideline.
“He was upset, because it wasn’t going right,” said Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. “The guys get tired of it. And those leaders, you get tired of it, and something’s got to change. You need a little bit of that fire. Everybody needs to feel it and then go.”
Reid said football is an emotional game, so he welcomed seeing that eruption from Mathieu, who said his frustration wasn’t directed at any teammates or the defensive play call but rather at the overall circumstance.
“Anytime it’s third-and-long, you have to get off the football field,” Mathieu said. “... It was third-and-long. It doesn’t matter what play the coach calls, as players we have to execute. Obviously, you have to have formation recognition and you have to have a sense of urgency. I feel like that was a play where the whole defense took off, if that makes sense.”
Kansas City didn't allow a single point the rest of the way in a 31-13 comeback win.
Some would argue that the Chiefs’ defense, which ranked dead last in points allowed and 31st overall in total yards through the first five games, has taken off the first month of the season.
The compounding effect, which helped fuel a 2-3 start to the 2021 season, left Mathieu salty — storming up and down the sideline, whooping and hollering some more — late in the first half.
“They love it when I go crazy,” Mathieu said. “I don’t know why, but they (my teammates) love it. My coaches like it.”
Mathieu added that he’s got a great relationship with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo “and he knows I’m never mad at my teammates or him,” Mathieu said. “It’s more so the expectations. I want us to play how we practice.”
Despite the season-long struggles, Mathieu said he went into the game believing the Chiefs’ defense could hold Washington in check.
“I felt like we put in a lot of good work this week and I felt like the goal was to hold those guys to 10 points or under,” Mathieu said. “Anytime you don’t reach your goals — yeah, it kind of pissed me off a little bit.”
He said the defense is built to play an aggressive style, so — regardless of the personnel changes — he was happy to see more blitzes and a more attacking game plan.
“Obviously, there’s high expectations,” Mathieu said. “I feel like we could be a championship defense. We’ve been to the championship the last two years, and I think, after a while, you have to play a certain way.”
Washington totaled 200 yards and scored 13 points in the first half, but Kansas City allowed only 76 yards — 50 passing and 26 rushing — and no points after halftime.
It was the Chiefs’ first defensive shutout in any half since keeping the New York Jets off the scoreboard during Week 8 last season.
