Arizona Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu plans on playing Sunday vs. Seattle Seahawks
Dec 15, 2014, 9:22 PM | Updated: 9:26 pm
TEMPE, Ariz. — While the Arizona Cardinals’ offense continues to lose players to injury, the defense is about to get a key one back for the biggest game of the season.
Tyrann Mathieu, who missed the last two games due to a broken left thumb, practiced for the first time since the injury Monday. Wearing a cast, he appears to be on track to play Sunday night when the Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks.
With a win, the Cardinals would clinch the NFC West title as well as the top overall seed in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the entire postseason.
“Nah, I wasn’t going to miss this one,” Mathieu said. “I didn’t want to miss the last two. But we’re really excited about this weekend, really looking forward to it.”
Mathieu’s season has certainly been an interesting one. He spent the majority of the offseason working his way back from a knee injury that sidelined him for the final three games of the 2013 campaign, and was active for the first time in the team’s Week 2 win over the New York Giants. However, while he was healthy enough to play, the 22-year-old out of LSU still needed to work his way back into shape, both physical and mentally.
He seemed to be rounding into form in November, and had amassed 29 total tackles along with one interception before hurting the thumb in Atlanta. Now it has healed enough to where Mathieu thinks he will be able to finish out the season on the field helping his team.
The Cardinals’ defense did well with Mathieu out of the lineup, holding the Chiefs to 14 points and the Rams to six in consecutive victories, but there is no doubt the team will benefit from the Honey Badger’s return.
