HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. How did it feel to perform well after coming off four weeks of losses?
COACH PEDERSON: After four weeks of a little bit of heartbreak, it’s the one thing that I appreciate
about our guys, they continue to roll up their sleeves. They continue to go to work. They know the
mistakes they’ve made, that we’ve been making, but they continue to work and they continue to work
hard during the week, and it showed today. It might not have been just a pretty football game, but they
never are. They’re hard. They’re gritty. They’re tough. They’re physical. All that kind of stuff. Just proud
of our guys for the way they competed today.
Q. Doug, now it’s a win-and-in scenario with the Titans. Could you talk about just the approach to that
game and like last year, got to win and get in?
COACH PEDERSON: Coming down to Week 18, I think our guys really thrive on these situations, and
that’s okay. It’s a great opportunity for our organization, for our franchise, for our players, for our owner
to be in this situation. And we got to go play another good football team on the road. And we’ll enjoy
this one obviously and prepare this week whenever we play.
Q. Could you talk about the performance of [QB] C.J. Beathard today? No pre-snap penalties by your
guys. Pretty efficient. Didn’t cash in on some red-zone opportunities, but other than that no
turnovers.
COACH PEDERSON: I thought C.J. played, he played smart, he played tough. Came back in after being
checked. He ran the offense. Credit the offensive line, especially in the second half, of really kind of
taking over and helping out in the run game. I think, too, sometimes when your starter’s out, your
backup’s in, I think the focus, the attention is a little bit, the guys are a little more zeroed in. We saw that
really today from not only the offense but I think the defense as well.
Q. On that, the defense turned in its best performance of the season. Is that maybe just a result of
what they’ve gone through the last four weeks not having maybe the success that they wanted?
COACH PEDERSON: Yeah, it hasn’t been what we wanted, obviously. I thought today they responded
well, obviously, to have the shutout and really play a solid football game. I’m sure there’s going to be
some things to clean up as we look at this film. But the defense responded, too. They played a really
good game today.
Q. Even though you got stopped in the red zone a number of times, how important was it to get
Brandon’s [K Brandon McManus] confidence again because he had all the field goals today?
COACH PEDERSON: That’s part of it. Obviously we would have loved to score the touchdowns in those
situations, but, too, to have Brandon out there and make those kicks like he did, that’s good for his
confidence moving forward. Hats off to him. He’s battled through a little adversity of his own here lately
and it was good to see him respond.
Q. As a follow-up, as a long-time coach, assistant or a head coach, was there any kind of a story that
you could have told these guys about when it gets tough, this is how we got through this or anything
like that or just business as usual?
COACH PEDERSON: Not really. I keep everything in the present, in the moment, and try to be more
forward-thinking. We’ve got to learn from the past. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes and all that.
But there wasn’t anything that I needed to really tell these guys or show these guys. And they just know.
They just understand.
Q. Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence], shoulder, where is he on that? Is this a thing where you’re not sure if
he can play next week, or is this a game you just wanted to rest him to make sure everything was
good for him?
COACH PEDERSON: Yeah, there was really, for this game, there was really no chance of him getting out
there. We’ll see how he is this week, obviously. If we play Saturday or Sunday, it all depends. But he’ll do
everything he can to try to get back out there if possible. If not, C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] will be ready to
go and we’ll have Matt [QB Matt Barkley] ready.
Q. Josh [OLB Josh Allen] sets single season franchise record with 16.5 sacks now. What can you say
about the year he’s had and specifically today too?
COACH PEDERSON: Josh, he’s had a heck of a season. Today was a great performance by him. But I think
he’d understand and he knows that the other 10 guys are doing their jobs, too, which helps him get back
there to the quarterback. Congratulations to him for setting that mark. I mean, those are big numbers.
He’s been good all season. Been consistent. Been steady. Congratulations to him and really the whole
defense for that performance today.
Q. Another milestone guy, your tight end, [TE] Evan Engram, second Jaguars player ever over 100
receptions in a season. And you had a guy in Philly, [TE] Zach Ertz, who had similar numbers. Give a
little comparison between those two guys and how you were able to use them so effectively in your
offenses?
COACH PEDERSON: The tight ends can be the quarterback’s best friend sometimes and Evan’s been that
way for Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] the last couple of seasons. He was that way today for C.J. [QB C.J.
Beathard]. He’s a great leader. He leads a lot by example really during the week, how he’s out to
practice early, working on his craft. Always catching something, whether it be a tennis ball or a football,
something anybody can throw at him. He challenges himself. That’s why he’s in these positions. That’s
why he’s getting the accolades and the praise that he deserves. It’s just because of who he is as a person
and the way he works and challenges himself.
Q. You’ve mentioned before guys having to step up when the backup’s in. Is that what you saw from
the skill room, from the skill guys, tough catches, tough runs?
COACH PEDERSON: Yeah, it’s just kind of where we are, you know. Teams aren’t going to make excuses
for us. We’re not going to make excuses. We have to make sure we’re coaching the next guy up and
putting them in positions to help us today. I thought that they really did some good things. They stepped
up. And what do they say? It’s gritty, not pretty. They just hung in there and battled it out.
Q. Two winning seasons for this franchise, I know you’ve got more to clinch this year, but can you talk
about that? I think it’s been since 2005 that this franchise has had two consecutive winning seasons in
a row, the importance of that? When you came in, it was kind of on a downturn, and the significance
of it?
COACH PEDERSON: I mean, obviously that’s why we’re all here, is to win. That’s a credit really to the
coaches. It’s a credit to the guys in the locker room. You’ve got to consistently have guys on your team
that speak the same common language. Guys that work hard every single day, every single week. No
matter what happens, they work through adversity. They work through injury, poud of the guys. Two
years in a row – we got obviously one more game next weekend to hopefully get to 10, but we’re going
to do everything we can to put something together and go back on the road.
QUARTERBACK C.J. BEATHARD
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. Assess in your opinion how you felt out there today.
C.J. BEATHARD: I felt great. It was great to get back out there and start a game. It’s been three years. But
doesn’t feel like three years. I think when you’re rolling throughout seasons, they just fly by. Doesn’t feel
like my seventh year in the league either. I look back at some of these rookies and stuff and I’m not that
much older than you guys, but in reality, in football terms, I am. It’s kind of weird. I felt young again out
there, and felt like a kid out there running around and play football, it was fun.
Q. One of the toughest challenges for you is the receiving core, keep losing guys out there. You lost
Agnew [WR Jamal Agnew] on that big play. How were you able to adjust with what you had at this
point?
C.J. BEATHARD: I mean, it’s just the guys, they work hard all week getting reps, Tim [WR Tim Jones] and
Elijah [WR Elijah Cooks], those guys, that had to step up in the situation when Ag went down. Just the
work ethic they put in each week. And I trust those guys, a lot of those guys I got a lot of reps with on
the scout teams over the last several weeks. Got a lot of reps with those guys. But having Calvin [WR
Calvin Ridley] and Evan [TE Evan Engram] in there and Travis and those starters that have been in there
for a while, you kind of lean on those guys. Evan, shout-out to him, congratulations, eighth tight end all-
time to go over 100 receptions. That’s huge. Having him in there as I guess a crutch to lean on
sometimes is nice.
Q. I know any win obviously feels good but under the circumstances of this one, what was at stake,
snapping a four-game win streak, what did it feel like to get this one?
C.J. BEATHARD: It was huge. We were in a slump the weeks before, losing four straight. But all week we
went into this week with a lot of energy knowing what this game meant and what the next week means,
knowing that we needed to get this one. I thought the guys played great. It started on Monday or
Tuesday in practice when we came out there with a ton of energy, enthusiasm. One of the better weeks
of practice we had, just from an energy standpoint. So guys are locked in from early in the week and it
showed out there on the field today.
Q. You got the majority of the practice reps the last two weeks, three of the last four weeks. How
much did that play into your efficiency today and your comfort level with the players on the offense?
C.J. BEATHARD: A lot. It definitely helped a lot having banked those reps with guys like Calvin [WR Calvin
Ridley] and Evan [TE Evan Engram] because they move so differently than some other guys just in the
league. And it was nice having practice with them for really the last several weeks, getting reps and
routes on, one-on-ones and all that kind of stuff. I think it was definitely beneficial.
Q. Along those lines, it’s win and in next week in Nashville. How much today do you think would help
you if you have to start next week because Trevor’s shoulder doesn’t allow him to play?
C.J. BEATHARD: I think from a confidence standpoint, not only for myself but as a team, I think winning
this game in the fashion we did, the defense playing well, offense playing efficient, moving the ball,
running the ball, I think that will hopefully give us momentum going into next week. We know we’ve
been here before, been there last year, same kind of situation. If I have to go next week I’ll be ready to
go.
Q. Did you get any coaching after you had that little brief spell in the blue tent about your backup is a
guy who has been here for three days? Please don’t put yourself in harm’s way anymore because we’ll
be scrambling after that.
C.J. BEATHARD: Definitely, they were telling me not to take any more hits, get down, all that kind of
stuff. I think we actually had a zone read on the next third down, and Press [Offensive Coordinator Press
Taylor] said in the headset, he said, hey, do not keep the ball. Hand the ball off no matter what. That’s
what I did. But overall, I thought the guys protected great and did what they needed to do to get the
win.
Q. How important was it for you coming into this game watching the defense and seeing the kind of
performance they put on today just making it so much easy for you guys on the offense, taking the
pressure off?
C.J. BEATHARD: When the defense is playing like that it takes so much pressure off the offense and off
the quarterback to feel like you have to press and do this or that. Obviously, we want to be better in the
red zone, but when your defense is playing like that it’s not the worst thing, kicking field goals and taking
care of the football. We wanted to protect the ball and just move the ball and put up points. And that’s
what we did. And the defense played great, so hats off to those guys. And hats off to Josh for getting
three sacks today and getting that record. It’s a big deal and that’s awesome.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER JOSH ALLEN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. Josh, Calais Campbell, your buddy, you passed him today. Best single-season, pass-rushing output
for the Jaguars in franchise history. Could you put into words what that means to you?
JOSH ALLEN: I mean, I’m blessed and highly favored by the man above, first and foremost. I’ve got
incredible teammates who backed me up this whole season, who witnessed me really high, really low,
stayed with me, continue to be with me and I continue to be with those guys as well. I couldn’t have
done it by myself. Shout out to Tre (OLB Travon Walker), too. He’s got nine sacks on the year so far,
almost getting double digits. That’s a testament of us keep working and battling with each other. And
still got one more left to go, and we have to keep going.
Q. Just thoughts on how important it was for the defense to play today the way you did today with
the backup quarterback a lot of backup receivers on the field?
JOSH ALLEN: It started with the preparation that we came in on Monday. If we had a backup, if we didn’t
have the backup, that’s the way we had to play. Not relying on anybody, relying on ourselves, relying on
each other to handle our business, because we know if a team doesn’t score they don’t win. That was
something we could control. But we all had to believe that again and we had to find trust and we had to
find faith. And it started in practice. We had a talk as a defense, a much needed one. And I think that
really sparked the, all right, let’s get back to what we do. We came out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday —
we came out Wednesday, that was one of the best practices we had all year. Thursday we followed up
with it. Friday, executed the calls. Saturday, clean. And then Sunday we did all the hard work. Just go out
here and play. That was our mindset coming into the game. And C.J. did a heck of a job as well managing
the game. He was tough when we needed him to be. Offensive line held up, did their job. T.J. (Running
Back Travis Etienne Jr.), man — Evan, shout-out to Evan, too. Eighth tight end in NFL history I believe. I
don’t know anything else after that — 100 catches, that’s awesome. He’s part of history. And he’s only
going up from here, too.
Q. Could you see this moment when you were drafted by the Jaguars to be standing up here today
and have the single season record for sacks in a season? Did you see that? Did you envision something
like that being a leader like this for this franchise?
JOSH ALLEN: Yes, sir. Every year that was one of my goals to do. Last year, it was one of my main goals
coming into that season. And unfortunately that didn’t happen. So for me just to not lose faith, get back
to what I do best, take care of my body each day and just be mentally ready to play. And this year has
been the best so far. There’s still room for me to improve, I believe. I haven’t played my best ball, I don’t
think, like, I play obviously — I don’t know how many sacks I got but I got the record. But it’s, like, looking
back at this season there’s still areas where I can improve to get better. So for me it’s just to get back
into the lab after we win the Super Bowl and just get better.
Q. What’s it mean to break Calais’ record in terms of your relationship with him and how he helped
you in this league? What does it mean to you to break his record?
JOSH ALLEN: It’s huge. He texted me the other day, “go break the record”. And that’s one thing, record’s
are meant to be broken. I can’t wait for somebody to break my record. I had a record in college. They
broke that record. And I believe Tre (OLB Travon Walker) will break this record. For me to be in the
history books, it’s a huge — I’m a legacy type of guy, I want to leave a legacy everywhere I go. This is a
huge accomplishment for myself, the team and for my family as well. Man, I didn’t do it by myself, first
and foremost. So shout-out to everybody who was a part of it.
Q. You’ve been playing very well even through this tough patch for the Jaguars. Was your play kind of
— I don’t want to say inspirational — but leader-by-example kind of thing, just saying, hey, follow the
lead here, that kind of thing? Was there kind of a message you could verbally tell these guys during
this rough patch?
JOSH ALLEN: You’ve got to play football. At the end of the day the best players need to play their best
football. I challenged myself, last week wasn’t my best outing. And I think that kind of lit another fire
under me that I had to respond. The great ones respond. And this was a great opportunity for to us
respond as a team, as a defense, as an individual player myself. So I went back to the lab, went back to
the dark places and channeled something deep and positively. And we got the job done.
Q. How much did you training on your own this spring and summer make a difference, do you think,
going into this season, just trying something different than your normal routine?
JOSH ALLEN: It played a huge part for me mentally because I had to — I trained by myself — obviously
with my coaching staff, but I trained by myself so I competed against myself. I wanted to see how far can
I push myself. When there’s nobody else cheering for me, when there’s nobody else in the field with me,
I’m out there by myself, how far can I go? So I really challenged myself every day to get out there. I was
out there for a purpose, and I stuck to that purpose and that plan. And came back to Jacksonville
wanting to succeed. And it was great that I had the opportunity to stay out there and that was a great
time for me.
Q. Week 18 showdown against Tennessee, just like last year. Only difference is Tennessee has nothing
at stake in the game except trying to spoil your season. How much in that locker room do you guys
look forward to having an opportunity like that against such a kind of a bitter division rival?
JOSH ALLEN: Again, that goes down to the rivalry game. You say they’re not playing for anything. They’re
playing for a lot. They’re playing for pride. They’re playing for themselves. They’re playing for the checks.
They’re playing for everything. So for us, you know how rivalry games go. You can be the best team, you
can be the worst team. But rivalry games, the energy is going to be high, so we have to come prepared
to play. No lackadaisical movement. No going through the motions. We have to start on Monday
knowing when we’re going to play, first and foremost, and get ready to prepare every single day. If we
can do that, I can see the same outcome as this. But if we don’t, we can get beat easily.
Q. How much did you guys need today emotionally? Just forget the record and all that other stuff, but
just to go out there, play a clean game and purge all the stuff from the last month. Was it getting a
little tense in that locker room?
JOSH ALLEN: You know, I could honestly say we just had to fix what we were missing. Like, if that makes
any sense. Again, the defense can only worry about the defense. Offense can only worry about the
offense. Special teams is a collection of everybody working together doing one job. You have to worry
about yourself before you worry about others. Once we got that understood, and we got — we went
from team, now let’s work about individually. When you individually get yourself right, if you feel you
didn’t play right or you missed a slow step, work on that step. Get better. Because we can’t win a game
if you’re one step short. Everybody has to be in one accord and in the same mindset. And this week of
preparation this was best week that we had all year. And to see how we responded to that just gave us –
- we know what it takes. We played good football before. We practiced really good. We practiced up.
We still won a game. We practiced down, still won a game, and vice versa. But this by far was the best
week of preparation we had no matter who we were playing against. And if we can follow up with that,
and also pick it up just a little bit more, to challenge everybody in that locker room, man, we’re going to
hit a stride. I’m excited for it.
Q. Back to the record. Number one, you knew when you tied it and when you broke it, correct me if
I’m wrong? And number two, how long have you thought about with Tre (OLB Travon Walker) doing
the Calais celebration at the end?
JOSH ALLEN: You know, like I said earlier, two weeks ago, I thought about it too much, anticipating it.
When you play football, it’s all about instincts and just being free. And so you start thinking about it so
much, you start getting tense, you start knowing when it’s going to come, how is it going to come, what
moment is it going to come — what are you going to do, instead of going out there being free. So I
allowed myself to stay calm, stay cool. I know my match-up really well. I know how to beat these guys. If
I can continue to apply pressure, then it’s going to come. Once I got the first one, it was like, cool, okay.
Once I got the second one — me and Tre (OLB Travon Walker) already talked about it. Actually Dylan
(phonetic), shout out to Dylan, he was the one that came up with the idea. I’m not going to take full
credit off of that. Once I thought about it, I was like that’s a really good idea. I told Tre (OLB Travon
Walker) about it. Tre said, I’m going to pitch it to you; I’m going to pitch it to you. I was like, bet. There
you go. Record broken.
Q. Getting that record here at home and hearing how much it meant to the fans to see you get that,
what did that mean to you?
JOSH ALLEN: It was huge. Again, I’m glad we won the game. It’s always better when you win, obviously.
So it means a lot to myself, my family, to this team. I know my teammates are really proud. So we’ve got
one more game left and we can pile it up a little bit more, but we’ve got to stop the run.
RUNNING BACK TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
After a four-game losing streak, how fun was today?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] Man, the fun is in the winning, honestly. It was a great day today to come out
there and get the W. That is all we can ask for. I forgot how Victory Mondays feel like. I can’t wait to
enjoy it some more.
Talk about that 62-yard run.
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] Man, I just want to credit to my offensive linemen and receivers just doing a great
job (on that play). It was [WR] Parker [Washington] down field who made the great block for me and was
able to spring me to the endzone. That is great team ball. Everyone was out there being unselfish and
trying to win the game. I couldn’t have done it without them.
Does the weight get flushed away with the win and now it’s time to move forward?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] Oh, for sure, I feel like we got a big weight off of our shoulders. Like I have said, the
NFL is week-to-week and when things are not going well, it’s like a snowball effect, and things kept going
wrong. I feel like we got over that and now, we wait to piece this snowball in the right direction for us
and what a great way to kick off the New Year.
As a player, do you love this situation of win and you’re in the playoffs and win the [AFC South] title in
Week 18?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] For sure. I feel like week in and week out my mindset is to win the game. I feel like
it shouldn’t change from Week 1 to Week 18. For us to have this pressure, however you can call it, it’s an
opportunity as a competitor, it’s what you want and what you ask for. Opportunities for us to go out
there and win 10 games, I mean, what better way to end the season.
[OL] Cam Robinson, when he plays, you all are 7-1. What does he bring to the table other than a
helmet toss?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] Wins. You just said it, we are 7-1 when Cam is on the field. He just brings that
veteran presence. He’s been here. He’s been through everything with the Jaguars. He understands what
it was like when they were winning no games, now he knows what it feels like to have success. He just
has an aura about him and it kind of feeds off to the other guys. He just means so much to the offensive
line, to the team, to all of us. I feel when he is out, it’s definitely noticed.
As far as mental strains, what does a win like this mean? Does it take the weight off of the shoulders
of all those involved?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] I mean, nobody isn’t stressing anymore. It’s probably what it feels like. When you
go into a four-game slide, guys start to panic and look within, but to be a great athlete, you have to stay
the same. Whether you win or lose, you have to stay the game. The process should never change. We
have done a great job of building that around here and that is why we were able to come out here and
focus at the game at hand. We have to come out next week with that same mindset, nothing changes.
We still have everything we want in front of us. At the end of the day, we just want a shot at the Super
Bowl. In order to get that, we have to win next week.
What does it mean to see [OLB] Josh [Allen] do what he has done this year?
[TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR.] It’s amazing. When you have a guy that is out there being the X-factor week in and
week out, you have more trust to go out there to be your best. We feed off each other and you saw that
today with Josh doing what he does. It gets the offense lifted because when Josh makes plays, I feel like I
have to make pays. We all have to make plays. We played complimentary football today. I am excited just
to see what his future holds. I feel like he is in that place where he is going to continue to get better and
continue to understand who he is as a player.
TIGHT END EVAN ENGRAM
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. [Inaudible]
EVAN ENGRAM: I like the jersey better. I will be able to frame the jersey and put a little plaque on it.
Q. Now that you have passed it, were you keeping count? Did you know you were about to get it?
EVAN ENGRAM: I mean, I knew I was at 98. All my friends and family [they are] here. All my trainers and
everybody that has been a part of the journey. They let me know. I try to just stay ready and go get the
win. That is kind of my mindset. I definitely knew where I was at. I knew when I caught it too, it was nice.
Q. It’s a lot better to enjoy this when it’s coming with a win?
EVAN ENGRAM: That’s the challenge. Because you guys ask me questions about it and we are struggling
but today that was a different story. We came out and played a great game. Everybody played their
butts off. To make some NFL history myself with a win couldn’t be better for sure.
Q. What about the job QB C.J. Beathard did today?
EVAN ENGRAM: I mean C.J. [Beathard] has been ready all year. We all know. It was back-and-forth if
[QB] Trevor [Lawrence] would be ready a lot of weeks this year. C.J. took a lot of reps and was preparing
to play. He was ready all year and today I think he did phenomenal. [He] made great decisions, had
command of the huddle, made plays with his arm, made plays with his feet, and played with some
swagger too. I had a good feeling about today and definitely had a good feeling about C.J. today. He
definitely showed up for us for sure.
Q. About OL Cam Robinson, the Jaguars are 7-1 when he plays. He had a pretty good helmet toss too.
EVAN ENGRAM: Yeah, that was awesome. I was happy for that. I don’t know if he might get fined or
something for that but it’s good to have him back. He’s just a difference maker for us. His energy is
contagious in that room. We ran the ball really well today, so having him back was a plus for us. I know
he is probably starting to get back in his groove too. He came out healthy today and we [are] going to
keep moving forward with him for sure.
Q. How much do you relish Week 18 going up against the same team that you went up against last
year with everything on the line?
EVAN ENGRAM: I don’t think there is really any relishing of who we’re playing. We just understand what
is at stake and we know that we have to get this one. It’s for the division. It comes down to what our
goals were at the beginning. We got it done last year [at home] and now it’s going to be at their place.
They’re definitely going to try and play spoiler. We’re just focused on getting that one. Whoever is in our
way, we got to get it.
Q. How much do you think it will intensify the game knowing that this is a long time rival? You
mentioned the role of them playing spoiler. They aren’t going to lay down for you.
EVAN ENGRAM: Hell [no]. It’s definitely going to be a good atmosphere. They aren’t really playing for
much for themselves but it would be a great thing for them to come out and try and beat us. It’s going
to be a tough game. They aren’t going to lay down [to us]. We have to go take what’s ours and for us to
walk in there and understand that we have to go take our division. We wouldn’t want it any other way.
Q. Was it a breath of fresh air that all phases of the game was clicking today?
EVAN ENGRAM: Big breath of fresh air for sure. Just putting together a long drive, obviously we would
like more touchdowns in the red zone. Nothing is perfect and we are going to work on that. But for us to
protect the football and no turnovers today. That’s another breathe of fresh air. It was a clean day, very
complimentary football today. [The] defense played lights out. Ninth shutout, I think, in Jaguars history.
That’s awesome. Special teams did their job and offense scored points and took care of the football.
Complimentary football. That’s what matters to us and what matters going forward. Especially at this
time of the season.
Q. How much did this help the mental part of the game?
EVAN ENGRAM: It’s big. Obviously four weeks in a row not figuring it out. That gets tough. A lot of teams
don’t bounce back from that. Today is a big step for us because we are able to really let that go and use
today as a really good reminder of what we are and who we can be. Now we know it’s in our hands. We
get to go finish it in the last week of the season for the t-shirts in the locker room. Today is big for our
mental. It is a great reset for us and realize, alright, we experienced some adversity and now let’s
[inaudible].
Q. You join an absolute elite group of tight ends: Tony Gonzalez, Travis Kelce, Jason Witten. What
does it mean to have your name with theirs now in the history books?
EVAN ENGRAM: It means a lot. It means a lot. A lot of work was put in. There were people out there
calling me a bust, had all the words in the world for me and my career. Just a lot of credit to God and his
will for me. The resiliency that I showed in my work and in my craft and the people around me that
helped pick me up every single day. The [people] that helped my get better. My teammates, coaches,
trainers, family, fiancé, the list goes on. It means the world to me. I do not take it lightly and honestly, I
feel like I am going to be here for a while. I feel very blessed to be a part of the greats on that list and I’m
going to try and keep joining them.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER TRAVON WALKER
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. I believe it’s your first two-sack game, how’s it feel?
TRAVON WALKER: It is, it feels great. Obviously, we got the win, that’s what makes it feel even better.
But knowing the type of game that we have next week, I’ve just got to keep my head, my eyes straight
forward and know what we’re trying to get to.
Q. I think it was six total sacks today, you really gave it to Panthers QB Bryce Young.
TRAVON WALKER: Yeah, coming into the game, coming from a four-game losing streak, obviously we
wanted to come out and make a statement and I feel like that’s what we did.
Q. What’s it like winning at home finally? It’s been seven weeks since you guys won at home.
TRAVON WALKER: It feels great to win at home, like I said. We knew what we had at stake coming off
those four games; losing streak. Everybody just had to go in, get that mental check on each other and
just continue to grind, look in the mirror and try to correct the things that we [weren’t] doing right in the
past.
Q. The energy in the locker is something that I’m sure feels a lot better this time around?
TRAVON WALKER: Most definitely it does feel a lot better. You see a lot of guys smiling just because we
knew what we had to come to do and we did it.
Q. How was it seeing QB C.J. Beathard and the whole offense out there?
TRAVON WALKER: Watching C.J. [Beathard] go out there and handle business obviously throwing the
ball, also running the ball. He’s one of those guys that knows that he wasn’t alone, he knew he had a
team around him. But still, he went out there and made the plays, 100 percent of the plays that he was
supposed to make.
Q. Like last year, the title of the AFC South comes down to the last week of the season. What’s the
mindset now knowing that?
TRAVON WALKER: I’d have to say the mindset for me personally, and for the team, should be just to
keep chopping wood, keep working. We knew the goal, from the beginning of the season, was to win
the AFC South. Everything we want is still in front of us.
Q. Does this feel like a breath of fresh air?
TRAVON WALKER: I would say it definitely feels like a breath of fresh air coming off a four-game losing
streak, but obviously we know we still have something that we’re working towards and we’ve just got to
get back into the office. Depending on whatever day we play, when we get back into the office, we’ve
just got to keep going.
Q. How did it feel seeing OLB Josh Allen get that record?
TRAVON WALKER: That was very exciting for me as a younger player coming into the league that looks
up to Josh [Allen] and it’s really exciting just to see him. It’s been a long journey for him. From this
offseason, obviously everybody knows he wasn’t with the team this offseason, but it was something that
he knew personally that he wanted to do and I feel like once he got back, everything just translated. It
worked out for the best, I’m very proud of him.
Q. What does it say about him as a player, just what he’s been able to accomplish and how hard he’s
worked?
TRAVON WALKER: Yeah, it says about how hard he works. If he says he’s going to do something, he’s
going to do that. He’s been telling me that he was going to do that. He’s just one of those hard-nosed
guys that keeps his head down and is always working. It was something that we were reading in the
locker room that kind of got him pissed off this week and you could tell that he came out today to
handle business.
Q. Any New Year’s Eve celebration ideas?
TRAVON WALKER: I’m not sure on that yet. I’m trying to keep my head down and trying to get this win.
HEAD COACH CHRIS TABOR
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
CHRIS TABOR: I’ll just go over injuries very quick. Cade [G Cade Mays] had a finger, did not finish.
Marquis Haynes [OLB Marquis Haynes Sr.] is actually being further evaluated for a concussion, so that is
where he’s at right now. Then obviously Pineiro [K Eddy Pineiro] did not play, had a little hamstring
there. With that, I’ll answer any questions.
Q. With Marquis [OLB Marquis Haynes Sr.], is he just being evaluated here?
CHRIS TABOR: He is. That stuff is still pending right now.
Q. You don’t know if he’ll [OLB Marquis Haynes Sr.] be able to fly back?
CHRIS TABOR: I do not. Not at this time.
Q. How did Eddy’s [K Eddy Pineiro] situation play out?
CHRIS TABOR: We were in pregame warmup, and we went through our normal deal, and at the end of
the warmup he felt a little grab in the back of his leg. Tried to get some more work done on it, and in
pregame, we had a plan there then that hopefully maybe be able to go inside of 40, maybe even 30,
extra point type deal, and keep with Kamu [LB Kamu Grugier-Hill] kicking off there. It never got any
better, so obviously when there’s only one kicker on your 48, that’s a tough deal.
Q. You had one the first drive which would have been a 39-yarder. Any thought there?
CHRIS TABOR: There was thought, and it’s a tough spot. It’s kind of one of those, which way are you
going to go with it. We were moving the football well, so I was just going to try to ride that out.
Q. Just to clarify, with Marquis [OLB Marquis Haynes Sr.] , is he being evaluated here in this building or
somewhere else?
CHRIS TABOR: At the hospital is my understanding.
Q. For a concussion, nothing neck related?
CHRIS TABOR: No, for a concussion.
Q. The first time this team has been shut out in 22 years; did you feel at any point today that — did
you question the effort?
CHRIS TABOR: I’m disappointed, obviously, and that’s a pretty generic answer. Did not see it coming. I
will tip my hat to the Jaguars. The way we were trending, I did not see this performance coming down. It
kind of goes back to the first drive deal whether you wanted to kick maybe a possible field goal there
with a backup or with your offense. The way we were moving the ball and I’m kind of thinking about
how we finished the Green Bay game and all those things, I had a lot of confidence in those guys and
doing that. We never got on track. We talked a lot about starting fast this week, and we did not do that.
We’ve got one more opportunity. I talk to the guys a lot, it’s going to boil down to you talk about the
shut-out and those things, I get that. How are you going to deal with it? There’s only two choices. It’s
either character or compromise. Those are questions for everybody. I think we’re going to go back to
work. They’re not going to cancel the last game. Plan on going through the process again and expect our
players to go through the process. I have confidence that they will do that, but we’ve got one more
chance to right the wrong, so to speak.
Q. In addition to Eddy [K Eddy Pineiro], how did the decision go with Jaycee [CB Jaycee Horn] pregame
in terms of activating him?
CHRIS TABOR: Right, he did some stuff early on and tested it and as we got closer to game time felt like
it wasn’t going. We made a move there with Shaq [CB Shaquill Griffin], and Jaycee obviously was
available if need be.
Q. Why wasn’t CJ [CB CJ Henderson] available?
CHRIS TABOR: Because we had already made the inactives. This was after the inactives.
Q. What has gone into CJ [CB CJ Henderson] not being on the roster as healthy for game days?
CHRIS TABOR: We elected not to put him up today.
Q. The moment where Bryce [QB Bryce Young] went down, I think it was the early sack where he was
down for a moment, you weren’t sure of the severity of his injury, what was the process in deciding to
have him return to the game?
CHRIS TABOR: He was back, and they said he was cleared to play, and we put him right back out there.
Q. What was the issue?
CHRIS TABOR: He took a little shot to the back.
Q. Lower back?
CHRIS TABOR: Yes, that’s my understanding.
Q. With that in mind, he took a pretty hard beating today. Was there anything in particular they were
doing?
CHRIS TABOR: I think what happened was if you look statistically, it’s definitely not where you want to
be. So that would say that we never got in a rhythm, form. It wasn’t good. What did we have, 124 yards
of total offense? That’s going to be tough to win games when you do that.
Q. Kind of in general, if this ends up clinching the No. 1 pick for the Bears, how do you digest all of this
on what you said was a disappointing day?
CHRIS TABOR: Like I’m not concerned about the Bears’ first pick. I’m really not. I’m focused in on what
happened today and why did it go wrong. Now what I’m going to do is I have another opportunity to
come back — everybody, the storylines that you want to write, I get all that. But I’m going to stay true to
myself on the process, another opportunity, and whatever is written is written. But I know that if I
shortchange myself next week, then I’ve compromised. What I have to do as a coach in leading this team
at this moment is make sure that we’re pros, be a pro, do things right, and be on time and do those
things and go through the process to give ourselves a chance. No question, did not play well today. I
won’t hide from that. I won’t run from that. But what I will run to is let’s go next week and let’s play. I
still have confidence in those guys. As I’ve always said, coaching is about relationships. I am not going to
shortchange those guys, and I think they’ll do the same. I’m excited for the opportunity next week.
Q. Your players have applauded you for being the same guy throughout this process. Why do you
think there have been so many ups and downs just this season and maybe during this run you’ve had
as the interim head coach just from a execution standpoint?
CHRIS TABOR: Well, I think didn’t play well today. I think I can say in those other games that we have. So
I’m disappointed. I’m going to look at myself first, and what do we need to do in order to fix that for this
last opportunity. I have to be the same guy. I don’t think a player wants to play for a guy that’s high one
week and low the next week. He wants consistency. That’s what I want because I think if you can get
consistency, then obviously it’ll breed itself later on. We’ll stay the course. We lost today bad. Got it. I’m
okay with that. Not okay with that; let me take that back. We’re going to move on and come out
swinging the next week. There’s going to be zero quit in this deal. We are going to keep fighting. We are
going to keep going. That’s all we can do because those are our two choices, either character or
compromise. I don’t think none of you would want to compromise your job and shortchange yourself
and say, oh, we’ll just wait until next year. We’re going to step up, dust off our tail a little bit, and go
back to work.
QUARTERBACK BRYCE YOUNG
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Q. Bryce, can you talk about what went wrong today.
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah, just got to be better with execution. First and foremost, it starts with me. Missed
opportunities. Just execution top to bottom. There’s a long list of stuff I’ve got to do better, and then
offensively we all take responsibility. We all look in the mirror, and I think disconnected is a good word.
Just wasn’t executing, wasn’t translating, and as the offense, that’s on me. We’ve got one more week,
one more opportunity to get better, to be better, and put a better product out there next week.
Q. When you went down early, but you did come back, did that affect you?
BRYCE YOUNG: No, no. You take a tough hit. That’s football. Everybody I don’t think on either team
there’s anyone out there that played that wouldn’t have said I took a tough hit today. No, that’s no
excuse at all.
Q. There was a moment where the cameras caught you with your head down. What led to that?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah, I was just frustrated in myself. I just missed a throw to [Jonathan] Mingo that
you’ve got to make. Got to do a better job, obviously, just with body language and that, but I was just
frustrated with myself. Opportunities like that, you can’t leave stuff on the field like that, just for us as a
team. I was frustrated with that. Watching it back, I was just mad at myself for that. But that was what
happened.
Q. On that first sack, did someone land on top of you?
BRYCE YOUNG: To be honest, I don’t know. I haven’t watched it on film. I’m not sure.
Q. That was the first of six sacks today. What was it they were doing that they were able to penetrate
so well?
BRYCE YOUNG: Well, the credit goes to them, as well. They have a really good front, really good scheme.
Definitely respect them.
But it’s a group effort. I can do a better job getting the ball out quicker. More effective communication,
making the right calls to put us in the best situations to put everyone up front in the best situations so
we’re going to the right people. It’s a group effort. Again, we all take responsibility in that. We all want
to be better when it comes to that, and then again, there’s a role I play in that, as well, that I have to
improve on.
Q. After having one of your best offensive outings last week, to turn around and have such a
disappointing one, first shutout since 2002, how tough is it to have those highs and lows?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah, not fun. Not fun at all. It’s on us. It’s what we put out. It’s our tape. It’s what we
did. We own it, accept it, it is what it is, but it’s not fun.
Q. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence earlier this week said that he might pass on advice. Did you have a
chance to talk to him?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah, I was able to talk to him for a second. I met him before, really good dude, ton of
respect for him as a player, and gave some words of encouragement, and I appreciated that.
Q. Looked like as the second half went on there were a lot more rollouts and boots. Was that to get
away from the pressure?
BRYCE YOUNG: That would be a question for [Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown] TB. Just trying to
execute what was called.
