Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu wants his team to exact revenge on the Los Angeles Chargers, the AFC West rival that bested them in Week 3.
Early-season games aren’t always a sign of post-season potential. Many teams hit a hot streak as they near the end and climb the rankings, as the No. 1 New England Patriots have done as they claim the title for the AFC East.
The same phenomenon has taken place in the AFC West, where the Kansas City Chiefs have risen to the top with an impressive 9-4 record. Winning may be the best revenge over divisional rivals, but Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu wants more than clinching the division. He wants sweet revenge against the Chargers in Week 15 after the Chargers defeated the Chiefs 30-24 in Week 3.
“This is a big challenge for us,” safety Tyrann Mathieu told The Athletic. “I think this game is probably the most important game we’ve played up to this point. It’s going to take all of us to get it done. We’re really just hoping we can go in there with some great energy and just take over the place.”
Tyrann Mathieu: Charges game is “most important” game so far this season
Their Week 3 loss is a painful reminder for the team of everything that was going wrong at the time. The Chiefs had four turnovers, including two interceptions by Patrick Mahomes, and the defense allowed Justin Herbert to score four touchdowns. The Chargers scored on all three fourth-quarter drives, which denied the Chiefs a comeback win.
Revenge aside, this is a must-win game for the Chiefs: if the Chargers win, they’ll be tied with the Chiefs for the record and would win a tiebreaker with two wins over Kansas City. The Chiefs may not clinch the division if the Chargers win, although they still have a strong chance of making playoffs. Still, making the post-season as a Wild Card team comes with more disadvantages than a divisional slot.
Even though the Chiefs are on an incredible six-game win streak, the absence of defensive tackle Chris Jones could have a major impact on the Thursday night game. Jones has been a key part of the Chiefs defense turning things around this season, although the Chiefs still have the chance to do that and dominate the AFC West.
“It’ll say a lot about us if we’re able to win this game, our commitment to each other,” Mathieu said. “How bad do we want it? Is nine wins enough for us? I think it’s still a lot out there that we can own. The team feels that. We just want to be better than we were the last time around.”