On playing in a 54-51 game between the Rams and Chiefs in 2018 as member of the Los Angeles Rams and having to keep up with the Chiefs:
“I look back at that game, and I play defense so we had five takeaways and scored twice on defense so 54-51 does not really tell the story, but it was a shootout. They had some opportunistic plays and so did we. I do not want that to happen with this one coming up. I want it to be low scoring and high scoring on our end. It was just all-around a great game. I go back and watch it, there was a bunch of great football all over the place.”
On the Rams defense in 2018 feeling like they were Super Bowl worthy, particularly with the number of takeaways against the Chiefs:
“I believe so. We had a bend don’t break mentality that year. We played good enough football to win, and that is all that matters. Stats, rankings and all of that stuff does not matter. As long as you can win games and if you have fourth down stops and two-minute stops at the end of a game, I think you have a good enough team to go to the Super Bowl.”
On how to potentially slow down Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes:
“You have to be disciplined. They make off-schedule and off-script plays. If you keep the quarterback in the pocket, you have a good chance. If you keep guys in front of you, you have a great chance. If you tackle as soon as they catch the ball, you have a great chance. All of those things you have to be really on top of it, and just go from there.
On the responsibilities for Ss facing Mahomes and challenges Mahomes presents to the position group:
“It is a combination of off-script plays and the big arm. He could be fading backwards and you think the play is over, but he can get the ball to pretty much anywhere on the field. The arm talent is really something you have to be cautious of and stay on your guy until the whistle blows literally every single snap.”
On the mismatch opportunities the Chiefs present with Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce that make them different than any other NFL offense:
“They are definitely a great offense. You have to be ready to put the work in on the film and be ready to play that team. You can’t just cake-walk your way through that game. You have to be really disciplined every single play. They have weapons. A lot of teams have weapons, but they have unique weapons. Tyreek is probably the fastest guy in the league, and Kelce is the best tight end in the league. They have unique weapons, but there are a lot of teams with a lot of different weapons. It is really just being disciplined every single snap.”