Injury Update: Tyrann Mathieu's Status for the AFC Championship Game
After being knocked out of the Kansas City Chiefs' divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu is back on track to return to the Chiefs in time for their AFC Championship Game matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
On Thursday, Mathieu returned to the practice field for the first time, indicating that he has progressed in the NFL's concussion protocol and will be available for the AFC Championship Game.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid later said that Mathieu had not officially cleared the protocol by practicing, noting that he needed to continue the remaining steps.
On Tuesday morning, Mathieu tweeted a message of thanks and seemed to indicate he was on his way back to the field.
Thanks for all the prayers and support! I done shook back like only i can. God is faithful.
On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mathieu was feeling good but that he was still in the concussion protocol.
"He’s one of the guys that [vice president of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Burkholder] is seeing this morning, and our docs," Reid said. "So, he’s still in the protocol and he’s still going through it, but he does feel good. So, we’ll just see how that goes going forward."
On Wednesday, Reid confirmed that Mathieu was still in the protocol but "doing very well."
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) is forced out of bounds in the red zone by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) as Kansas City Chiefs free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) helps in the second half of the NFL game on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals defeated Kansas City Chiefs 34-31. © Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Without Mathieu against the Bills, quarterback Josh Allen threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, with 201 yards and all four TDs going to Gabriel Davis. The Bills' passing touchdowns all came down the middle of the field, as illustrated by NFL Next Gen Stats.
In the Chiefs' first matchup with the Bengals (which included a full game from Mathieu), the Chiefs gave up 446 yards and four touchdowns to quarterback Joe Burrow, with 266 yards and three touchdowns going to rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
The Chiefs will get their chance at revenge against the Bengals on Sunday when Kansas City hosts its fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT.
