GLENDALE, Ariz. -– Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu was responsible for two of Colin Kaepernick’s four interceptions on Sunday.
To hear him tell it, Mathieu saw them coming.
Mathieu said after the Cardinals' 47-7 victory that the 49ers have become more predictable with the change of offensive coordinators from Greg Roman to Geep Chyrst.
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“We knew going into this game that the focus for them was to run the football,” Mathieu said. “Their passing game has just simplified so much, it was easy for us to anticipate routes, get some good breaks on the ball.
[MAIOCCO: Instant Replay: Kap tosses four picks in loss to Cardinals]
“We started up front, forcing Kaepernick to throw some wild balls. Us on the back end anticipated some balls and jumped in front of them.”
Last week, Chryst said coach Jim Tomsula told him in the offseason to “strip back” the playbook to concentrate on elements of the offense that Kaepernick is most comfortable.
San Francisco 49ers
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“And we’ve just gone down with a little bit of reset button hit here to maybe try to play back to Kap’s strengths,” Chryst said on Thursday.
Mathieu, a third-year pro from LSU, broke in front of Anquan Boldin like he was the intended target to interception Kaepernick in the first quarter. He returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Mathieu recorded his second interception of the game late in the first quarter while in coverage against tight end Vernon Davis.