combined tackles, a pass deflection, and made his second career interception during a 28–17 win at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. In Week 10, Mathieu became the starting free safety and replaced Tony Jefferson in the starting lineup. On November 30, 2014, Mathieu made three combined tackles in the Cardinals' 29–18 loss against the Atlanta Falcons, but exited in the third quarter after sustaining a thumb injury. He underwent surgery on his thumb and was expected to miss two games (Weeks 13–14). Mathieu finished the season with 39 combined tackles (35 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and a fumble recovery in 13 games and six starts. 2015 Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles accepted the head coaching position with the New York Jets and was replaced by James Bettcher. Throughout training camp, Mathieu competed against Rashad Johnson to be the starting free safety. Head coach Bruce Arians officially named him the starting free safety to start the regular season, alongside strong safety Deone Bucannon. On September 27, 2015, Mathieu had a career-high two interceptions including his first career touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. The last time an Arizona Cardinal had two interceptions in a game was Patrick Peterson in Week 10, 2014. He had two more interceptions in 2015 before his season-ending injury, one in November 15 against the Seattle Seahawks and on November 29 against the 49ers. On December 20, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mathieu tore his right ACL after an interception, causing him to miss the final two games of the regular season in addition to the post-season. Mathieu was named to his first Pro bowl after the season and was named by the Associated Press as a first-team All-Pro safety. He was ranked 28th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016. 2016 On August 2, 2016, the Arizona Cardinals signed Mathieu to a five-year, $62.5 million extension that included $21.25 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $15.5 million. On October 17, he picked off Geno Smith, his ninth career interception against the New York Jets. In Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, Mathieu left the game with a shoulder injury. He was ruled out from three to six weeks. He played in two of the next six games, struggling in both of the games. He was placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2016. 2017 On September 17, 2017, Mathieu