Getty Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu celebrates as he runs to the sideline during their AFC divisional round matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
The Kansas City Chiefs have several offensive weapons and the Buffalo Bills have plenty of players to worry about when it comes to their matchup in the AFC Championship on Sunday. But, according to Bills head coach Sean McDermott that’s not all they have to worry about.
The Chiefs defense has several standout performers as well and when it comes to finding a rhythm offensively, McDermott says that the Bills have to keep an eye on Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu.
“I think it is a factor and you need to be aware of where he is,” McDermott said during his video conference call on Wednesday. “They do a great job of disguising. I was around Spag’s (Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) in Philadelphia and I think that was one of the things that he taught me, was how to disguise the way we used to disguise with (Brian) Dawkins back in Philadelphia.”
Throughout his NFL career, Mathieu has been known as one of the best safeties in the league and has recorded 534 tackles and 23 interceptions in his eight seasons. He’s also having one of his best seasons yet this year. In 15 games during the regular season, Mathieu recorded 62 total tackles and a career-high six interceptions. He also returned one of them for a touchdown.
As a defensive-minded coach, McDermott has kept an eye on Mathieu throughout his time in the league, and even before that, so he knows the Bills will have their hands full on Sunday.
“He’s a great player, I watched his career unfold at LSU and the different places he’s been,” McDermott said on Wednesday. “He brings a lot of energy and juice to their team and their defense in this case. He does a great job improvising and playing multiple positions. He seems extremely smart, I’ve never really been around him quite honestly but I know he’s a big factor in Spag’s defense out there and probably one of the top players in the league.”
During their first matchup this season Mathieu recorded three tackles as the Chiefs defense limited the Bills to just 17 points.
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Mathieu Knows The Chiefs Will Have Their Hands Full as Well
There’s mutual respect between the two teams too. After recording a team-high seven tackles and one interception on Sunday in a 22-17 win over the Browns, Mathieu said he knew that the Chiefs were going to be challenged by the Bills.
“They are a great team, have a big-time quarterback, playmakers all over the place, and a really, really good defense so we’re gonna have our hands full next week,” Mathieu told CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson in a post-game interview on Sunday. “It’s all about the team though. It’s all about us continuing to commit to each other, continuing to prepare the right way, and just believing in our coaches, we have some of the best in the world.
Mathieu has played against the Bills three times in his career and he’s tallied a total of 10 tackles, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble.
Mathieu Has Respect for Bills Mafia
Earlier this season, when Bills Mafia started donating to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in honor of Bills quarterback Josh Allen playing just hours after losing his grandma, Mathieu, like most of the country, noticed.
After seeing the news, Mathieu tweeted out his respect for the Bills fan base saying “This is what being a super fan looks like. Much love to bills mafia.”
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