Frank Clark: Chiefs missed Tyrann Mathieu’s leadership vs. Bills

It was a loss that everyone felt early in the first quarter when Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was forced to leave during the game’s opening drive against the Buffalo Bills. As it turns out, it wasn’t just the fans who gasped and wondered how the game might turn out. His teammates were also devastated.

The Chiefs lost Mathieu to a head injury at first that sent him to the sidelines. It wasn’t long before he was seeking attention from team trainers in the blue medical tent. From there, it was only another minute before Mathieu would leave for the locker room. The progression was bad for both player and team.

Then came the word: Mathieu was out for the game in the team’s concussion protocol.

Frank Clark says the Chiefs defense missed Tyrann Mathieu in multiple ways on Sunday.

What’s amazing is that the Chiefs’ defense was somehow able to come together and generate enough stops to give Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense a chance to put them up when it mattered most. Following the game, defensive end Frank Clark spoke to the media about the loss of Mathieu so early and how it affected the unit.

“Anytime you lose a player of Tyrann’s caliber, your team is going to be affected. He leads us in so many different ways, on and off the field, through his presence alone. He doesn’t have to say a word. [It’s] his presence alone,” said Clark..

“You see that at times during the game where we struggled, whether it was pass rushing and getting the stops that we needed or also where you see we gave up a few passes in the back end. Those are things, when Tyrann’s there, he’s able to help with the adjustments, help calm situations down, and stuff like that where it may seem things are getting overhyped.”

Combined with the absence of cornerback Rashad Fenton, who was forced to miss his second game due to a back injury, the Chiefs secondary was challenged for four full quarters by Josh Allen and a talented array of pass catchers. However, as Clark said, Mathieu’s teammates also feel good about their ability to put another opponent behind them and potentially give the star safety another chance to return to the field and show what he does best.

“Anytime you lose a player like that, it’s going to affect you. We missed him out there. It feels great we were able to get the job done without him. I’m sure he’s happy that next week, he’s going to be able to come back and show off and do all the things that Tyrann does.”