Tyrann Mathieu’s absence proved he deserves an extension from K.C. Chiefs

Kansas City’s 33-29 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday will go down as one of the most memorable season openers in Chiefs history. But not all of it was positive. Tyrann Mathieu’s absence was felt in this game as the Chiefs safeties struggled against the Browns.

The Chiefs went into halftime trailing 22-10, and it could have been worse as Cleveland almost pulled off a miraculous touchdown right before the teams headed to the locker rooms. The two big plays in the game were Nick Chubb’s fumble in the third quarter and Baker Mayfield’s interception on the final drive of the game as the Browns tried to steal a win in Kansas City. Browns punter Jamie Gillan also gifted the Chiefs with a red zone possession.

Overall, Kansas City’s defense was hard to watch. Cleveland’s offense was in full control. Outside of those turnovers, the offense did whatever it wanted to do against the Chiefs.

Tyrann Mathieu’s absence proved how much he deserves a contract extension from KC Chiefs.

With Mathieu inactive for the game, the Browns had the perfect recipe on offense. The Browns picked on Kansas City’s secondary, and cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes needed constant help from the safeties, which they got very little of in the first half.

Mayfield connected with rookie wideout Anthony Schwartz on a 44-yard pass as Ward lost sight of Schwartz and safety Juan Thornhill was late on the coverage help. Luckily for Thornhill and Ward, Schwartz bobbled the football before coming down with it and rolling out of bounds. Had he caught it without any issues, he might have taken the ball to the end zone for an easy score with no one ahead of him. Despite the mishap from Schwartz, the Browns managed to score a touchdown on that drive anyway.

The Chiefs safeties also struggled against the run. While the Chiefs faced one of the best running back tandems in the NFL, there was no excuse for the poor tackling on Sunday. Dan Sorensen was guilty of a couple of misses himself.

Cleveland was very aggressive in the first half, converting all three of its fourth down conversions. Cleveland also took advantage after an offsides call during its first PAT. After the penalty, Cleveland decided to forego the PAT and succeeded on the two-point try.

But here is the good news: the Chiefs won. Thornhill made up for his earlier mistake late in the game when he broke up a pass intended for Schwartz, forcing a three-and-out during a crucial moment in the game. Thornhill was also responsible for the forced fumble. However, even though the Chiefs won, the safety play overall was far from ideal.

If Brett Veach and the Chiefs front office haven’t already done so, they should be considering contacting Tom Condon, Mathieu’s agent. Mathieu missed practice this week due to being placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list on Saturday. Although Mathieu wanted to play, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the game that it was his decision to make Mathieu inactive for Sunday’s game.

For Chiefs fans who really want Mathieu to receive an extension and stay long-term in Kansas City, Sunday’s game is the evidence you need that the team should do everything in its power to sign Mathieu to an extension.