Safety Tyrann Mathieu, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs before this season, believes he knows the key to stopping the San Francisco 49ers offense in Super Bowl LIV. The two-time first-team All-Pro spoke with reporters on Thursday morning and was asked about disrupting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers offense.
"I think first and foremost, they have a great system that they run over there," Mathieu told reporters from the team hotel. "I feel like Garoppolo is doing a great job really finding guys that can take advantage of certain coverages, certain situations.
"He likes to get the ball out quick, which kind of goes into the kinds of guys that they have on that side of the ball; guys that can run after the catch. So it will be important for us to kind of disrupt the timing, slow those guys down.
"He does have a hard time throwing into tight coverage; most quarterbacks do. I think also, that will be the goal for us, to disrupt these guys at the line of scrimmage, play tight coverage, and then try to make a play on the ball."
Tyrann Mathieu on #49ers offense:
"I think first & foremost they have a great system. I think Garoppolo is doing a great job of finding guys that can take advantage of certain coverages... He does have a hard time throwing into tight coverage, most quarterbacks do." 🤔 pic.twitter.com/F6ptnCj7gl
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 30, 2020
Chiefs coach Andy Reid also discussed Garoppolo on Thursday.
"I respect the heck out of him," Reid told the room full of reporters. "I think Jimmy, they decided they've been running the ball here, but Jimmy if you really look at it his quarterback ratings, his percentages, all the statistical facts about him you see he's a heck of a quarterback throwing the football.
"When you come in to play the 49ers, you better be ready to play a complete game, the run and pass game. You better be ready to do it for four quarters so that's how we're preparing. We love the challenge so it not about being nervous, it's about loving the opportunity to play against a great team and a great setting. That's why we do this and that's the exciting part of it."