KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and safety Tyrann Mathieu both told reporters on Thursday that they like playing against each other because it makes them better.
“It’s great to be able to go up against Tyrann cause he’s gonna give you every single look possible," Mahomes said. "For me it helps me out a ton because he kinda puts me on my toes. He makes sure that I’m ready for all types of different things.”
Mathieu responded similarly about having to face Mahomes everyday.
“It’s difficult, you know he’s not an average quarterback,” Mathieu said. "I think just us kinda working off eachother, you know, obviously competing with each other, that kind of mental gymnastics… I think it’s gonna make both of us sharper.”
Pushing each other at training camp has a purpose. Mahomes said he can feel the tension at practice because the players are hungry to return to the Super Bowl.
“You can definitely feel the intensity of practice," Mahomes said. "We understand that we didn’t end the season how we wanted to last year, so we have to find a way to get better so that we can find a way to end it how we would like this year."
The team will play the San Francisco 49ers Saturday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Both Mahomes and Mathieu said that if communication between the team is good, they'll be happy with the game, which Mahomes said will be a good challenge for the team.
“49ers have a great defense," Mahomes said. "It will be a great challenge for us and we’re excited to go out there and play against a defense of that caliber."
