Kansas City Chiefs fans have a reputation when they’re in their home stadium.
You hear plenty about the BBQ-filled tailgates and the midwestern hospitality. Once you get inside of Arrowhead Stadium, though, it’s all about bringing the noise. Opposing teams know they’ll have to bring their A-game when coming into Arrowhead Stadium. They have to be mentally sharp and prepared to handle 142.2 decibels of Chiefs Kingdom faithful, who’ve come out to support their team.
Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu spoke to the media on Thursday and shared his thoughts ahead of the home opener. He’s most excited to finally get to see the Arrowhead crowd at full capacity.
“Really, I’m just excited,” Mathieu said. “You hear a lot of good things about the fans here. We got off to a pretty good start as a team, so to come back home 2-0 with our fans, it should be exciting. I’m ready for it.”
Mathieu has seen a glimpse of what the Chiefs Kingdom is about in the preseason. It’s expected to be just a little different in the home opener. This is one of the most anticipated seasons in team history and like he said, they’re coming off a 2-game winning streak on the road. The hype is going to be flowing through the fanbase on Sunday.
It’s exciting for a defensive player like Mathieu because that crowd noise will have a direct impact on his performance. We’ve seen the Arrowhead advantage work many a time in the past with the noise at the back of the Chiefs’ defense. Now, we’ll get to see what that looks like with a new group of players and a new defensive scheme.
While the defense still has a long way to go, playing in front of a roaring home crowd might just be the boost that they need.
