Tyrann Mathieu Wants the Defense to Finish Stronger

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu isn't happy about the Chiefs giving up a 20-point lead against the Miami Dolphins.

In the Kansas City Chiefs’ last five appearances, one common thing stands out — the margin of victory.

A 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins made it five-straight games where the Chiefs have won by a single score, four since returning from a Week-10 bye. Though each win has its own storyline, Sunday’s game was defined by the Dolphins' narrowing a 20-point Chiefs' lead to three points.

“I think in the end it’s all about the end results whether we won the game or lost the game and how we played in regards to that,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said after the game. “I felt like defensively we kind of let the team down in a way, giving up obviously 17 points, I believe, in the fourth quarter. “

When the end of the third quarter arrived, it appeared the Chiefs defense had begun to find it’s groove. The unit had already accounted for a safety, an interception and four sacks and had not allowed a touchdown since the first quarter.

That momentum shifted in Miami's favor thanks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The rookie threw for 150 yards and a touchdown off 12 completions in the final 15 minutes. He also added 12 rushing yards and a touchdown.

“Obviously that’s a well-coached football team, young quarterback with a bright future,” Mathieu said. “But, I think any time we have an opportunity to kind of close the coffin on teams, we got to do that.”

The Chiefs have not won by more than a touchdown since beating the New York Jets 35-9 in Week 8.

With the beginning of the playoffs less than a month away and the shot at a No. 1 seed at stake, Mathieu said the Chiefs defense needs to find ways to help the team finish.

“We’re getting into January football,” Mathieu said. “ A lot of these games are going to come down to whether or not we can finish the games defensively. I think that’s really my focus. I think we’ll be a motivated group this week.”