KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyrann Mathieu used the pause provided by a two-minute warning during the first half of a Week 6 win over Washington to voice his displeasure with the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense. On the previous play, the Chiefs allowed Washington to convert on third-and-16 with a screen pass, and Mathieu used much of the ensuing break to remove his helmet and scream toward the Kansas City sideline.
Mathieu continued his tirade on the sideline later, shouting — apparently at no one individual in particular — after Washington finished the drive by scoring a touchdown when the Chiefs blew a coverage.
Even though his teammates were aware of the outbursts, some, at least, are unclear about what he said. That part didn’t matter. They saw Mathieu, as passionate a leader as the Chiefs have had in recent years, going off, and it was time for everyone to fall into line behind him.
“That’s our leader,” defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton said. “He’s going to voice his opinions and we’re going to go behind him. We’re not going to check out on him and he’s not going to check out on us.
“He’s a very emotional player. He loves what he does. He loves the game. That’s all it is. Every player voices things differently. We do love it. It’s just who he is.”
The Chiefs have been following Mathieu’s lead almost from the moment he arrived as a free agent in the spring of 2019. They followed him to the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship in 50 years that first season and to another Super Bowl last season, this one a defeat.
But if ever the Chiefs needed a leader like Mathieu, it’s now. A favorite to win the Super Bowl before the season, the Chiefs have unraveled quickly, mostly because of the consistently substandard play of their defense.
The Chiefs…
Source : espn
