HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
“…I guess you can kind of look at it that way. We were fortunate enough to make the postseason and
play them again then. It’s a good football team. They’re well coached, it’s a disciplined group. Great
players over there, great quarterback. Obviously with Chris Jones [Chiefs DT Chris Jones], it gives them a
shot on defense there and we’ll see where Kelce [Chiefs TE Travis Kelce] is at this week. We’ve got to look
at what we did last year or what we didn’t do. There were some opportunities we missed and we got to
take a look at those, just make sure we capitalize. We know it’s going to be a four-quarter, physical
football game.”
(On how to gameplan for Chiefs TE Travis Kelce) “He’s a difficult tight end. They move him all over the
place with motions and formations and different things. He’s very shifty and elusive that way. It is hard to
defend him, but you have to have a plan. We have to go in with a plan with a plan, I don’t think you can
not have a plan for it. We’ll be prepared for it, for him, and just see where he’s at.”
(On the gameplan consisting of more than just coordinators) “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not just the
coordinator. Although he’s in charge, we implore our staff and our assistants in different aspects of the
game plan to let them focus on that. You can watch it all, but you can’t really study it the way you want
to study it. This is why you hire, in my case, you hire coaches who have gameplan experience, who have
done certain things within an offense. They can all assist the coordinator and they can help the
coordinator in those planning moments. The coordinator obviously has final say and what goes in the
plan, but it does help him as he prepares for the week. It’s not just about putting the right plays in the
gameplan, it’s also scheduling practice and who’s doing the scripts and cards and who’s breaking down
tape and all those things during the week as well. There’s a lot more to it than just putting plays
together.”
(On the head coach having veto power over coordinators in play calling) “Yeah, I can say go for it and he
can call the play. Those are things that we’re on board before we get there. Those are all conversations
and situations that have been discussed prior to the game. We’re on the same page with the decision,
number one, and number two, the play call at that time.”
(On how many coaches are involved in putting the gameplan together) “On a normal staff? For us, it’s all
of them quite honestly. Some of have more input than others, and then other coaches are geared more
toward preparing their meetings and their classrooms during the week. We challenge all our assistant
position coaches to have some element of game planning.”
(On if the team would make a statement by knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions) “I don’t
know, it’s early, it’s Week 2. A lot of football ahead. Obviously, it would be a great win for us, but quite
frankly, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. I know this, with a Coach Reid [Chiefs Head Coach Andy
Reid] led team, his teams always finish fast and it doesn’t matter what happens early in September. For
us, yes, it would be a great opportunity to pull one out, and a little bit of a benchmark to where we are as a football team. We’ve got to play better, by no means are we where we want to be too. The Colts was
an indication of that, so we got some work to do ourselves.”
(On if you can clean up errors between Week 1 and Week 2) “You do, after having a full game and the
guys played and seeing the mistakes, the excitement of Week 1 is not there anymore. The mistakes go
away a little bit, I don’t think you’re a finished product by Week 2 or Week 3, I think you’re still a work in
progress. But you do see some of the mental mistakes go away, yes.”
(On what the current injury update is) “Well, Antonio is still a way from being back out on the field. He’s
rehabbing extremely well; he’s running and doing the straight-line stuff. He hasn’t done much of the
football stuff yet, so he’s in a good place. Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] is day-to-day, we’ll see where
he’s at. We got the walkthrough coming up in practice but chances are he doesn’t go today, we’ll just rest
him there. Luke [OL Luke Fortner] is another one that’s day-to-day, but he’s a probably a little further
ahead than Brandon is right now. But I’m optimistic that he can maybe get some work in today.”
(On if the playoff game is brought up in preparation this week) “No, I don’t bring it up. Even though it’s in
our cutups and it’s in the tape study for this week and all that, but I don’t really go back. It’s why they
call it history. It’s in the past, and we focus on the future and focus on the present and try to get better
today.”
(On OL Luke Fortner’s injury) “Lower body.”
(On challenges of having Chiefs DT Chris Jones back) “He’s a great player. He has a big impact on the pass
game, he can push the pocket, he can line up at defensive end which you would anticipate him doing
that. You got to know where he’s going to be on the defensive line and it’s always a challenge. He’s a load
in there and you got to make sure you have not just two, but maybe four hands on him to try to stop his
momentum.”
(On difficulty of getting Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes down on the ground) “Currently, he’s probably the
number one guy to get on the ground. He’s so elusive, either the ball is coming out quick or he has the
ability to make guys miss and extend plays. That’s a challenge, that’s hard. There’s been some good ones
that can do that, but he right now currently is probably the best at it. Plus, he has great vision down the
field once he’s outside the pocket, too. His guys do a nice job in the scramble drill as we call it. They do a
great job of working for him down the field. He’s very hard to get on the ground.”
(On expectations of trying to get Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on the ground) “Your expectation is you try.
Your expectation is that you want to get him on the ground. It doesn’t mean you stop your pass rush, you
got to continue to pursue. It challenges your backend guys to make sure that they stay close to the
receivers and tight ends. It’s a challenge, do your best you can to get him down.”
(On importance of being mentally tough all the way through the upcoming game against the Chiefs) “As
the game progresses, they get better. That’s something that is a challenge for us, and one of the things
that we’ve been able to do most recently is the same thing. Get better as the game progresses and get in
the fourth quarter, evident of that last week and how we were able to score, defense gets the stops and
things like that. It could come down to that, it could come down to a kick, it could come down to
whoever has the ball last. You do look at the playoff game, and if we don’t fumble, hopefully you score
and you’re down three with five minutes to go. It’s going to come down to those types of moments. We got to be prepared for that, not only as a coaching staff but as players. Anytime you’re playing these
types of teams, you’ve got to be ready for that fourth quarter.”
(On communicating with the officials prior to the game of Chiefs T Jawaan Taylor getting off the snap
early) “I’m sure they’ve been notified after that first game on Thursday night. Again, a good player, we
know who he is and he did the same thing here. He has great anticipation with the snap count. I’m
optimistic our crowd will be loud and if they use a silent count, he does a great job of getting off the ball
there as well. If they call it, they don’t call it. It’s only so much you can say.”
(On anything noticeable about OLB Josh Allen knowing Chiefs T Jawaan Taylor well) “Yeah, I think there’s
that familiarity of being teammates for several years and knowing each other a little bit there. It’s going
to be a good matchup to watch. Whether it’s Josh or Travon [OLB Travon Walker] over there, Jawaan is a
really good, young football player that played well last week against another fine, young defensive end.
Our two guys have their works cut out for them.”
(On what sticks out the most in Chiefs playoff matchup last season) “I just think of it, there were some
missed opportunities by us. Obviously, those that you mentioned are critical and those are big. I felt like
we just missed the opportunities that were there, whether that was the outcome of the game or not,
who knows. Maybe fortunately for us, it was a learning experience and something that our young
football team can take away from moments like that. When you’re playing good teams like this and
defending world championship teams, you can’t make those mistakes and expect to win.”
(On if he likes the players going into this game with a playoff-game mindset) “I think it draws attention
and focus to the players, they see it that way. Look, I’ve been on the other side of this too, where when
you’re the defending champion, the bullseye is on your back. You’re getting everybody’s best each week.
I can understand that from both sides, but I think it draws the focus internally and keeps it about us with
what we’re trying to do. As I said, it’s a long season, but it’s great to have matchups like this early to see
where you’re at as a football team.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
(On what he remembers from the Chiefs game last year and how that helps him prepare for this
weekend) “Of course, you go back and watch the game against the team you’re playing. If you played
them in the last year or in the same season or whatever it is, of course we’re going to go back and watch
those games and see what we can use to prepare for this game. I think the emotions of the season
ending and feeling like you left something out there and missed opportunities and all that. Right now,
we’ve turned the page and it’s a new year. Getting another opportunity to play these guys, didn’t have a
lot of success last year, we played them twice and didn’t win either of those games. It’s a new year,
we’ve both got different teams, it’s a new season, all those things. There’s a different set of challenges. I
think you use that to prepare for this game for sure. You got to use the tape from the previous meeting,
but obviously you’re not carrying those emotions and feelings over. This is a new season and we got to
prepare and put our best foot forward to win this game.”
(On hanging onto RB Tank Bigsby in his touchdown run in last weekend’s game) “It wasn’t planned. It
looked like it was choreographed, but no it wasn’t planned. Just off the action in the backfield, I
happened to be right behind him and he split the two defenders and I just followed him. Then he threw
it behind him as he was celebrating and not thinking, and I was like, ‘He’s probably going to want this
ball.’ So I caught it, kept it for him, took it to the equipment guys and he was asking me 20 minutes later,
‘Did you keep it? Where’s the ball at?’ I said, ‘They got it, you’re good!’ Obviously, first touchdown,
you’re going to remember that one and you’re going to want to keep that forever.”
(On if the play calls will be much different with Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor) “I think that’s a really
hard question to answer, because every week is different already with the same play caller. Of course,
there’s things we do that we’re good at and we’re going to continue to do week after week to maybe find
ways to dress it up and look a little different. It’s stuff we do, everyone does that. This is our offense; this
is the same offense. Of course, we have a few new wrinkles over the offseason, but this is the offense
that we’ve had. Our core stuff is similar, so I think it’s a tough question to answer because every week is
going to be called differently depending on who you’re playing. As the game goes on, you make
adjustments as well. I don’t know if I can really answer that, but I think the process is similar throughout
the week as far as getting ready for the game on Sunday.”
(On getting a first down by rushing on third and short) “Yeah, short yardage is a time where that can
happen at any moment. You’re on high alert. A lot of teams will play, they look to jam up the a gaps and
don’t give you that opportunity, and some teams don’t. The Colts didn’t, they had a plan to trigger that
backer from two or three yards behind the d-line. Everyone does it a little different, those are looks that
you’re just ready, if you see it and you can take it, that’s an option.”
(On if he’s surprised he didn’t get the fourth down in the Colts game last weekend) “Yeah, fourth-and-
one and you sneak it, you feel like you got to get it. I came up a little short. The backer made a good play, really just filling in the A-gap right downhill. He made a great play, they made a little push on us and I
kind of lost my footing. But they did a great job.”
(On if the Kansas City matchup is personal) “I think it’s just the next game on our schedule. Obviously, of
course it’s a big game and this is the reigning Super Bowl champs, whatever you want to say. This has
been, in however many years, this has been the best team in the league. I think there’s that added, ‘Let’s
go get this one. Let’s show who we are.’ But, it’s the next game for us. We’re just trying to go 1-0 this
week. You can go 1-0 this week, that’s all you can do. You can’t go any further. Then, we’re going to have
15 more after that. Don’t make it bigger than it is, but it is a big game. It’s an AFC game, it’s Kansas City
coming into our place. Like I said, we lost to them twice last year. We lost to them in the playoffs. Of
course, there’s a little bit of that added edge for us. At the end of the day, you got to go play on Sunday
and it doesn’t change the game. We’re going to prepare our best to go win this game.”
(On if he knows the Chiefs team well based on playing them twice in the past year) “Yeah, I think you
definitely get more of a feel playing them twice in one season of what they do really well, what they
want to do defensively, I’m sure vice versa with offensively for our defense. You get more of a feel the
more you play someone, and we’ve had the opportunity to play them twice. Now, going on a third time.
Some of the guys have changed, you get Chris [Chiefs DT Chris Jones] back this week, he’ll be upfront.
He’s always going to be a big part of the plan, you got to know where he’s at. He’s a great player and
they’ve got a lot of other guys on the D-line that are playing really well. Their secondary is playing great. I
think Spags [Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] has a great scheme for those guys, does a
great job in the backend. They can play. There’s a lot of challenges that they present, and we know what
they like to do and what they want to do, but they also do a really good job of mixing it up and keeping
you on your toes. Like I said last week, it’s kind of tough in the first couple games of the season, you’re
still trying to get a feel and teams are trying to get a feel for what they’re good at too. You go off of what
you’ve done in the past and what you’ve seen, you have to go off that.”
(On how much film he’s watched of the Kansas City matchups from last season) “A few times in the
offseason, especially the last one in the playoffs. You watch that one a lot, just stuff to learn from all over
the board. I think maybe not as much the first game, having that most recent game against them you
watch that more. You watch the first game a couple of times as well. I’ve seen those games plenty of
times, and now watching them again as we’re preparing to play them again. You watch all that tape and
try to take something from it.”
(On biggest takeaways from watching last year’s film against the Chiefs) “I don’t think you’re ever
necessarily feeling great about not winning because we’re at the point where we feel like no matter who
we play, we should win. That’s the expectation and that’s a great thing to be at that point. There’s not
that feeling of necessarily making a tight game. There’s not any of that feeling. I think just looking at how
close we were on some of the opportunities we missed, whether it’s a missed throw, a drop, a turnover,
just things throughout each game that when you’re playing a team like the Chiefs that are that good,
that have been there before, that executes in critical moments especially with Patrick [Chiefs QB Patrick
Mahomes] on the other side of that offense, you got to take advantage of those opportunities. You know
that and I think we’ve learned that the hard way now. You got to take advantage of your opportunities
when you have them. You have to make the plays, you have to be great in critical situations. I think those
are all things we’ve gotten better at but we just got to keep getting better because that’s what they’re
going to do on the other side. You know who you’re playing and you really got to execute.”
(On if makes a difference that the game is home this weekend) “Yeah, it’s going to be awesome. Home
opener here, a lot of energy this offseason about us, about our team, about the season and it’s going to
be exciting to see the Bank filled up. I just encourage all the fans to come out and be loud. Let’s use our
homefield advantage that we have, and we saw at the end of the season last year because that was
incredible. It makes it harder for teams to come in here and play. Kansas City has a great homefield
advantage when you play there, and I want it to be the same way here. Our fans have done a great job,
so I’m excited for that.”
(On if he knows going into this week the team will have to score a lot) “Yeah, you think that’s the
expectation just with this offense. I got a lot of faith in our defense, so I’m not going to say I expect us to
score 40 or whatever put a number on it, I would never say that. I think our defense is going to do a
great job, we’re going to put a great plan together and corral Patrick [Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes] and
those guys as much as they can. I got faith in that. You do understand that even if the final score isn’t 30-
plus points or whatever it is, you understand the firepower they have that they can answer at any
moment. I think that’s something, like I said, you got to execute in situations, you got to score off
turnovers, you got to score in the redzone, specifically touchdowns. All of those things are heightened
awareness of that based on who you’re playing. But I’m excited to see our defense get another crack at
them, it’s going to be fun.”
(On the mental side of finishing strong in the fourth quarter) “Just finishing. I think that’s something that
we’ve gotten better at, going all the way back to last season. Especially in the game this past weekend
against the Colts, of being down in the fourth quarter and finding a way to win. We ended up winning by
10 points. That’s something that we have to do, obviously didn’t play clean in the middle two quarters,
but finding a way to forget about the plays that had happened and go finish the game and find a way to
win. We got to do that on Sunday.”
(On the turnover last game out of RB Tank Bigby’s hands) “I didn’t notice it on the field, I was on the
ground. So I didn’t notice it on the field, but in film, yeah I saw that. We had a couple of plays where just
high effort. You never want that to happen with the situation and going off Tank’s hands, going to the
guy. But to get up and make the play, I guess make it right. Don’t let the guy score, go make a play, give
our defense an opportunity. I can’t remember, I think our defense got a stop there, I’m trying to
remember. I’m pretty sure we got a stop there. That’s huge when you can do that, that takes off however
many points off the board from them. Just making a bad play better, and he did a great job of that. Travis
[RB Travis Etienne Jr.] had a great effort play down there blocking for Calvin [WR Calvin Ridley]. There’s
stuff like that all over the tape of guys being unselfish and that’s the culture that we got here.”
(On if mistakes can be easily cleaned up between Week 1 and Week 2) “Yes, I think it’s simple to make the adjustments. It’s sometimes harder to execute. I do think pretty much all of the things were self-
inflicted that we did on Sunday to put us in these bad situations. We should be able to clean those up and we have to, we got to play cleaner than that if we expect to win. Obviously, our defense had some
huge stops. That’s putting a lot of pressure on them time after time to do that and bring us out of that
hole, and we don’t want to do that. You got to play cleaner, especially like we talked about playing
against a team like the Chiefs this Sunday. You got to execute better than that.”
(On what stands out in Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor) “I think he communicates really well with the
players and every position group, he’s very involved and always having separate conversations with
different guys to try and get a feel for what guys like. Trying to make sure guys understand what we’re
doing and that’s the biggest thing, he’s great at conveying the big picture of what we’re trying to do. We get our install today and our gameplan for a normal down and distance, and he’s showing us, ‘This is
what I was thinking when I built this plan.’ He explains all that to us. You’ve had coaches in the past at all
levels where it’s like, ‘This is what we’re doing.’ You just go out there and do it and learn it, you might not
always know exactly why every little detail is a certain way. But he has a thought process and a plan for
everything. There’s a reason why this formation is here, this motion is here, this route adjustment is
here, this way we block the run, whatever it is, he’s very calculated on all that. I think it’s really cool to
watch him just brainstorm and think about things and come up with a plan. I have a part in that and he’s
really open to any ideas I have, we talk a lot during the week and pretty much everyday about different
parts of the game plan. Whether it’s today or it’s third down or it’s redzone, we’re always talking about
things I like, things I don’t like, maybe I want to add this in this situation. He’s very receptive to all that
and I think he goes about it in a great way.”
