At the dawn of free agency last year, Tyrann Mathieu was certainly a player of interest but not widely considered to be one of the blue-chip free agents in the class. I had him ranked 12th on my list of the top available players. NFL.com had him at 11th. SB Nation put him at 17th. Pro Football Focus ranked him 25th.
Mathieu would sign a three-year deal with the Chiefs worth $42 million. The move was seen as a good one for Kansas City. A year later, it’s looking like the best move of the offseason, as Mathieu has helped transform the Chiefs defense during this run to the Super Bowl.
Kansas City comes into the game ranked 14th in defensive DVOA a year after ranking 26th in 2018. Hiring defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo certainly helped spark the turnaround, but a scheme is only as good as the players executing it, and having Mathieu’s seemingly endless set of skills at his disposal has allowed Spagnuolo to carry a large menu of play calls.
Mathieu has done it all for Kansas City this season. He’s played tight man-to-man coverage in the slot…
He’s played off coverage outside…
He’s been a middle of the field defender in zone coverages…
He’s dropped deep and made plays down the field…
He’s been the pole runner in Kansas City’s disguised Cover 2 calls…
He’s been a run-stuffer…
He’s been a pass rusher…
Even when he’s had no business making a play based on his assignment, he’s found a way to make one anyway…
Mathieu’s name hasn’t come up often in Defensive Player of the Year conversations, but he should be the favorite to win it. This is one of the more impressive seasons we’ve ever seen from a defensive back and should be celebrated as such.
To better illustrate all of the hats Mathieu wears for this Chiefs defense, I charted every defensive snap he’s played during the postseason, marking his position on the field at the snap and where he ended up when the play was over. Even after having spent days watching Mathieu on film, I was shocked by the results…
The plays where Mathieu didn’t make an impact were marked with grey arrows. As you can see, there is A LOT of color here … and it’s all over the field.
The zone and man coverage plays only counted if the QB looked at the receiver or area of the field Mathieu was responsible for. The run plays only counted if Mathieu affected the path of the ball carrier in some way. Tackles and pass breakups are self-explanatory.
Here are charts for the individual games. First, the Texans game, in which Mathieu broke up three passes…
And then the Titans game, when Mathieu had eight tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage and one within a yard of it…
As good as Mathieu has been throughout the regular season and playoffs, the Chiefs will need him to be at his best against the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo led the entire NFL in Expected Points Added on throws to tight ends and slot receivers. That’s Mathieu’s territory, so he’ll surely be tested. Testing Mathieu hasn’t been a good strategy this season, however. Based on EPA, the Chiefs have been the league’s best defense against throws to slots and tight ends. That’s all Mathieu.
We haven’t seen many players like Mathieu in the 100-year history of the NFL. He is truly a position-less defender, and no matter where the Chiefs put him or what they ask him to do, he does it a high level. In hindsight, $42 million was quite the bargain.
