HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2025
(On the injury to DE Travon Walker) “[DE Travon Walker] Saw a specialist on Monday, had a
surgical procedure done, will be listed as day-to-day and we’ll update you guys per the
injury report, just like every other player at the end of the day.”
(On if he has the confidence in Walker to perform on gameday without practicing) “Yeah,
he’s got that kind of mindset and mentality, he does. So, he’s [a] great dude. He’s going to
try to do everything in his power, he just cares so much. He was one of the first guys I saw
before I got in the locker room on Sunday, just congratulating the team and us. So, it was
pretty cool.”
(On if Walker will have a cast) “I did get my PhD in something [laughs], but it wasn’t
medical. No, it wasn’t medical. No, I really couldn’t tell you. I have no idea.”
(On if he has confidence in the defensive line if they have to step up and fill the gap) “Huge.
Especially Smoot [DE Dawuane Smoot], has been really getting better and better every
week, plays his tail off. Og [DL Emmanuel Ogbah] obviously gives us some flex to be able to
play outside and be able to reduce a little bit inside. [DL] B.J. Green [II] got some snaps
obviously last week and then, [LB] Dennis Gardeck’s continuing to, I think, get more and
more comfortable out there. So, I feel confident though if that has to happen.”
(On how big the stage is for a Monday Night Football game) “Huge, just a great opportunity,
like we talked about in the team meeting today to go play a cleaner 60 minutes and see
what happens, guys. Like we have done so many good things. It is truly about us getting
better, improving, taking the next step in all three phases and just go trust it and play. This is
going to be a blast. A ton of respect for the Chiefs. Coach Reid [Chiefs Head Coach Andy
Reid], Coach Spags [Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo]. Tammy Reid was one
of the first people to call Ashley [Coen] and welcome her. So, it’s just a lot of respect for the
organization. I know [Chiefs Offensive Coordinator] Matt Nagy really well, trained me out
college when I was doing some quarterback stuff, so a lot of respect for what they’ve done.”
(On the opportunity for a home primetime game) “That’s a great op for our whole fan base,
the community, the city to come and support. We’ve tried to put a product on the field each
week that our fans can be proud of, can be proud of the way that our players compete, how
tough they’re playing. It’s not perfect but I do think our players care and they’re trying to do
everything they can to put the best product out there for our fanbase.”
(On the pressure looks of Spagnuolo) “Yeah, anywhere and everywhere. He definitely puts a
lot of pressure on you as an offense, as a play caller, your quarterback. To be able to see it
pre-snap, what’s the picture going to be post-snap, zero checks. You got to be zero ready at
all times, and it could be back-to-back to back. I think he zeroed me like three times in a
row last year at one point. A lot of respect for the position that he puts his players in, the
attacking mindset that they play with. It’s a great opportunity for us this week.”
(On the challenges posed by Chiefs DT Chris Jones) “Yeah, game wrecker type player. The
size obviously, the length, the ability to quick swim you, to push the middle pocket. Then he
lines up at end at times in some known passing situations. So, it’s going to take a village,
like that’s kind of what we’ve been talking about, really with these rushers. It’s not just one
guy, one matchup, it’s all of us have a hand in it in terms of being able to chip, do all the
little things you have to, to take care of a guy like that, that can make a huge impact.”
(On if WR/DB Travis Hunter has made impact plays) “I think so, absolutely. I don’t know how
many guys are making that play down the middle the other day on third down. We missed
him on a few other opportunities. I’ve been very—I thought that was a step in the right
direction actually, offensively for sure. And then defensively, we just made a decision that
we did. I’ve been very pleased with him.”
(On if to expect more defensive snaps from Hunter this week) “It’s just as we go. I think it’ll
be week-to-week. I think it’ll absolutely be. Starting it in the game, I think that’s for sure. So
been very pleased with Travis.”
(On if the decision to sit players is made by him or the position coaches) “Yeah, that was a
decision that we all made together, kind of based on some things physically and things like
that. So, we’re just looking at giving some guys some opportunities with what we felt like
their game plan was going to be. We didn’t feel like we needed to do that, and then it ended
up becoming more of a pass game because of us being able to stop the run, but we felt like
kind of at that point we’re like, man, it’s maybe going to be more of a running type game and
we felt like we wanted to also give some guys some opportunities as well.”
(On the matchup problems presented by Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy) “Yeah, I do think that
they can run the ball. I believe that. I know it hasn’t maybe shown up, but I’ve seen them—
they’re going to have something gameplan specific within the run game, but like you just
mentioned, they do a really nice job of getting their skill players involved in their run game.
Whether it be on jet sweeps, end arounds, little RPOs, that’s an extension of their run game.
And that is a huge kind of deal for us going into this week in terms of our eye discipline. But
also as you mentioned, the matchup and just some of the speed that they have on the
perimeter in general is something that we have to be aware of in terms of the way that we
play, the way that we match up, how we play man or zone coverage, definitely an explosive
unit that can go and score from anywhere but they use those skill players as an extension
of their run game.”
(On the most difficult thing about playing Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes) “The operation he
owns. He owns the whole thing. He can see it pre-snap, make adjustments, tell the guys to
run different routes if he doesn’t like the look that he is seeing. Then obviously, the
accuracy within the timing and rhythm of a play. He’s very accurate and then when he does
probably do what he does best is getting on the move and being a passer. Remaining a
passer first, being able to obviously make throws this way, that way (arm motions), this way,
over his head. Yeah, he is very impressive and it’s a great challenge for our guys this week.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence can get to a ‘mastery level’ at the line of scrimmage) “I would
think… how many years has he [Mahomes] been in that system now? That’s a long time in
one system. I do believe that’s absolutely attainable for a quarterback that’s in a system for
that long. Like you’re hearing play calls that you’ve heard now, gosh, thousands [of times] at
that point and so knowing the play call or knowing your skill players and knowing the guys,
how you want to play the game as an offensive unit, I do think is attainable for so many guys
that are in systems for that long. You look at [Bills QB] Josh Allen just watching those guys
against Kansas City, they’ve played them obviously a lot over the last few years and you just
see guys that, look they’re going to—Kansas City may do something. They’ll get maybe a
negative on you. We got to go play the next play, especially at the quarterback position.”
(On how to prepare the defense for ‘crazy throws’ Mahomes can make) “Yeah, I think we’ve
done—that was the theme going in the last week really was guys, let’s just go play the next
play. Like the next play is truly what matters most and the nice thing is, we’ve been
preaching this since day one. Like we’re not worrying about the past, you can’t future trip.
Like we just got to go and huddle up, call the next play, refocus, understand that they got
good players too and they’re going to make some, and that’s football. That’s football and if
we’re going to have a mentally tough team that we’re trying to continue to preach, that has
to be a part of handling adversity, handling a difficult play, and being able to move on. I
think that’s part of the identity of our team.”
(On QB Carter Bradley being signed to the practice squad) “Yeah, obviously local guy that’s
had a ton of success here, coach’s son, I really appreciate that sentiment and then he has
got some arm talent, he can throw it, push the ball to a lot of different areas on the field. So,
excited to get the opportunity to work with him.”
(On how to coach a player hard without overstepping) “Yeah, I think it’s just with the
relationship probably. I think the relationship starts with honesty and if the players
understand that we’re trying to get the best out of them in everything that we are doing, that
they’ll trust that regardless of the delivery. That it’s coaching the player and not the person
always, that we’re trying to get the best out of them.”
(On the opportunity to show the identity of the team in primetime) “Yeah, great opportunity
for us to truly go get better as a team, go put our best stuff on tape. Like for the first time,
let’s look at 60 minutes of playing our best football and the stage is the stage. It’s just a
great opportunity. We can’t hide from the fact, hey, it’s Monday night football, this is great.
They obviously put this game on the schedule for a reason, we’ve earned the opportunity,
but yeah, it’s one of those that you got to go take it. Like, nothing’s going to be given to us.
Appreciate the way our guys have played up until this point and excited about seeing what
Monday night looks like.”
(On his expectations for the offensive line) “Yeah, we’ll see in terms of getting those guys
back, we got to be smart with them this week in terms of practicing, getting them the
mental reps, also looking at how many reps they can take. Just being smart about that. I
think to be able to have guys like Chuma [OL Chuma Edoga] and Cole [OL Cole Van Lanen]
to be able to step in and not hurt us and actually continue to level up the playing field. That
experience from those guys I think is super valuable. Anton [OL Anton Harrison] has really
continued to do this [upward motion], I think in a lot of ways. His pass pro, I think he’s really
pass pro’ing at a high level. It’s great to be able to have the ability to mix and match if you
need to, and we did so much of that from the spring through training camp. Which has now
allowed it to be a little bit more seamless in season.”
(On RB Travis Etienne Jr.’s approach and consistency) “Man, he’s come in with the right
mindset from the beginning. He has spent a lot of time in this building, I think especially on
the off days. He’s in there every single off day. All the backs have been, honestly. Trying to
get better each and every day and taking all the little coaching points to heart and wanting
to go do it to the best of his ability. He’s playing at a high level right now, whether it’s inside
finding creases, outside, been really pleased with him and it’s exciting to have.”
(On coaching in the 54-51 Monday Night Football game between the Chiefs and Rams) “I
was like watching that game. I was hardly coaching in that game. I was up in the box as the
assistant receivers coach, charting coverages, and you just kind of found your eyes
watching both [then Rams QB] Jared Goff and Mahomes playing that game and it came
down to the wire. We hit [then Rams TE] Gerald Everett on a go-ball down the right sideline
for a huge play. That was so much fun. It was really a cool moment. We were supposed to
play in Mexico. We were training in Colorado for the altitude, then that game gets canceled
in Mexico. We go back to L.A., we have fires, and we had a shooting in Thousand Oaks at a
local bar. So, there’s a ton of emotion around that game and to go out and get that one was
pretty cool.”
(On his confidence in the return game and Special Teams operation) “Yeah, I think that unit
is just getting better and better. Heath [Special Teams Coordinator Heath Farwell] and Luke
[Assistant Special Teams Coach Luke Thompson] have obviously done a really nice job for
a long time, and he’s got a lot of young guys playing at a high level and those guys are
getting better each week. There’re still things that each week that we’re learning and
teaching and having to learn from, which is frustrating maybe at the time but it’s a great
opportunity for us to keep coaching these guys and them keep soaking it up and getting
better. They’re playing physical in all phases and to have the returns pop like they did, man,
those were game changing plays that led to 10 points. I don’t know if we win that game
without those ops.”
(On him and Ashley Coen gifting tickets to local teachers and first responders) “Yeah, just a
great opportunity for us to maybe give back a little, get a little bit more connection with the
community. Her father served in the Air Force for I think 30 plus years, and then my mom
was a teacher. So, just trying to give back and try to connect and get as many people that
we can get here and give some of the community an opportunity to come to the game.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2025
(On celebrating his birthday early due to Monday Night Football) “Yeah, just trying to find
like the—I guess she [Marissa Lawrence] was just trying to find the best day to do
something. It was good this week. We had an extra off day with the Monday night game, so
it gave us a little bit more time, but yeah, I’ll be having fun on my birthday, Monday Night
Football. Where else would you rather be?”
(On a win being a good birthday present) “Exactly. A hundred percent. It’d be fun. Get a win
on Monday Night Football. That’d be a great birthday gift.”
(On what makes facing Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo a challenge) “Yeah, he’s a
great D-coordinator and play caller, and his defenses are always—I think it’s just the feeling
of chaos of the defense. You never quite know what they’re going to bring because they’ve
shown so many different things, but they’re pretty—I shouldn’t say pretty sound, they’re
very sound defensively, especially for all the different pressures they bring. A lot of times
when teams do that, you feel like there are kind of holes everywhere, but they do a good job
of matching different route concepts and playing different coverages that give them some
flexibility in what they can bring. So, they do a great job, always have. It’s always a big week
as far as game plan-wise of what we’re going to do and having a plan going in.”
(On if he looks forward to primetime games) “Yeah, I mean, of course, just the opportunity
for this team. It’s just the next opportunity. It’s the next game. It doesn’t count for more than
the other ones, but it is a big opportunity for us. It’s on a big stage, everybody’s going to be
watching, and I think it’s a good next step for our team to take, and obviously a good
opponent in the Chiefs and a big AFC game. So, it’s a big one for us.”
(On how cool it is for LB Devin Lloyd to win AFC Defensive Player of the Month) “It’s
awesome, man. I’m just proud of him, the way he’s been playing. I mean, we’ve been here
together a few years now, and seeing how hard he’s worked and all the things that are put in
behind the scenes that people don’t see, and to see all that paying off for him and him just
playing with confidence and flying around and making a bunch of plays. There’s nothing
better than seeing a guy that deserves it, that is actually going out there and doing it and
playing so good. So, just proud of him and keep it rolling.”
(On how gratifying the 28-yard completion to WR/DB Travis Hunter was on Sunday) “Are you
talking about Travis Hunter down the seam right there? Yeah, he is exactly right, it’s a play
that, I mean, honestly, just doesn’t come up that much. We’re running a dagger concept,
and usually you’re throwing the dagger to a check down or maybe your backside single, and
then this specific coverage, the safety’s got some width, and the middle was open. Usually,
that’s just kind of pulling coverage out. But we always talk about running all these routes
full speed, and like you’re going to get the ball because you just don’t know when it’s going
to happen. So that was a big third-and-15, and it doesn’t happen if Travis doesn’t take the
top off, running full speed, get behind Fred [49ers LB Fred Warner] and have an opportunity
to catch the ball. So, a lot of credit to him and us for just being on the same page and
seeing the opportunity there and hitting it because that throw doesn’t really come up very
often, honestly.”
(On if the play of the defense helps free up the offense) “Yeah, I mean, they’re playing really
well and I think when you’re getting these turnovers, obviously, it’s big for us as an offense.
We get more opportunities, takes points off the board for the other team. Obviously, when
you get the turnovers you get better field position, all those things for us. For us, I think
obviously it was big just having no turnovers and having that differential really made the
game. So, our defense getting all of them and then us taking care of the ball. But yeah, I
think we’re playing free, but there’s just some more execution things that we’ve got to clean
up on offense, like I’ve said, like I’ve talked about, that I’m excited just to continue to build
on because I know how good we could be as an offense. I know we haven’t even showed
that yet, and obviously we’ve done some things really well, but I think putting it all together,
that’s what’s exciting, is there’s still a lot more that we can achieve and that we can do
offensively. So, I’m just excited to put it all together.”
(On the tight end play of the offense) “It’s been huge. I mean that position, you ask a lot of
them obviously, blocking, catching, a lot of responsibility just in every single play. Whether
we’re in two tight ends, one tight end, whoever it is out there. Brenton [TE Brenton Strange]
does a great job in the run game and then you see him get his opportunities in the passing
game and then a guy like Hunter [TE Hunter Long] obviously has been just, I don’t know how
many catches he’s had this year, but most of them have been touchdowns, I feel like, just
whenever his number’s called makes the big play, he’s always ready. I mean, that’s not the
easiest thing to do for Hunter, who’s obviously—Brenton is getting a lot of opportunities in
the passing game as the tight end, and then when Hunter comes in, when he does have a
shot, making all those plays, it’s not always the easiest thing to do without getting in a
rhythm. So, a lot of credit to him just for being ready. He’s really smart. I’ve been impressed
by how much he knows just about the offense, and he always knows what to do, and you
can kind of interchange him and move him around and the same thing for Johnny [TE
Johnny Mundt]. Johnny hasn’t quite had the same opportunities in the passing game yet,
but it’s a long season, and he does a lot of things well, also. So, that whole room has been,
has been awesome. And obviously Quintin’s [TE Quintin Morris] stepping up, too, has been
great. So that’s like one of my favorite positions, tight end room. They’re awesome. All those
guys are great.”
(On the jump that the offensive line has taken) “They’ve been great all year, really. We’ve
played some good defenses and those guys have—not only have we moved the line of
scrimmage, ran the ball well, but we’ve protected well and that’s why I’ve said just excited
for the passing game to continue to grow and grow because those guys up front are giving
us opportunities and when you can protect like they’ve been doing, we can push the ball
down field and we’re going to eventually hit some of these plays down the field that I feel
like we missed a couple on Sunday and the last couple weeks. So, they keep doing what
they’re doing, we’re going to have opportunities. Obviously, running the ball is huge the way
they’ve been moving the line of scrimmage. All those things, we’ve just got to continue to
build on it. Those guys have been great, so got to continue to do it.”
(On the passing game not clicking as well as the run game yet) “Definitely a little frustrated.
Obviously, that’s something that you want to do well, you want to feel like you come out of
the game and as a quarterback, that’s a huge part of my job obviously. I mean it’s running
the whole offense and getting us in the right play and all that stuff, but it’s throwing and
catching too and I take responsibility for the throws I might miss or the ones where we’re
not on the same page, me and wideouts or tight ends or whoever it is, and I just think
there’s a lot of meat on the bone that we’re leaving out there. So, it’s something that we’ve
been working on in practice, and I think we’re going to definitely see some improvements in
that. I know we are. But yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. I think the whole room feels like that
because we know what we’re capable of and haven’t quite done it yet. But at the same
time, we’ve been winning games, and we’ve been finding ways to win, but eventually we’re
going to have to be able to push the ball down the field and make the big explosive plays in
the passing game, and that’s going to happen, but we’ve got to do it.”
(On what he is most proud of with the offense so far) “Just the whole team. I mean, that’s a
very cliche answer, but I think the whole team playing together, I think we’ve played very
complementary. It hasn’t always been clean. I know offensively like I said, we’ve had had
some things that we want to clean up, but as far as making plays when we need them,
whether it was the four-minute drive last week or against Houston, didn’t play really great
offensively the whole game, but we had the big drive to go up and then obviously the
defense had the huge stop at the end. So, I think just the complementary football, feeding
off one another, making plays when we have to make them, those are signs of us going in
the right direction and finding ways to win games even if you don’t play perfect, and I think
that’s a good feeling as a player and as a team. When you know you’re in those big
moments and you have confidence in the defense, the offense, special teams, whoever it
is, someone’s going to make a play.”
(On what comes to mind when he hears ‘Chiefs’) “I mean, just looking at what it is, it’s been
the team to beat in the AFC. They’ve been the top dog and they’ve kind of ran the
conference and this is an opportunity for us to show what kind of team we are. That’s all I
think about is just how this is a good opponent and just what we have to do to win this
game, and we have to play well, and it’s like Liam talked about, you don’t have to be
Superman or anything like that, but you have to play well. It’s a good team. So, I do think of
a team that obviously has played a lot of good football and you’ve got to be on your Ps and
Qs if you want to beat them just because they’ve won a lot together and they know how to
win. Got to play a full 60 minutes.”
(On whether the passing game should be attributed to growing pains of a new offense or
execution errors) “I think it’s both. I think it’s, I’d say, a little bit more just not executing at
times, because I think these are all things that you look over the spring, in training camp
and then now in the season that we have done well at times. And I think there’s just been a
little bit of a lack of execution. There is some stuff, I think with the new system, there is
some growing pains, and we have some young players in skill positions and guys that are
filling in. Obviously, Dyami [WR Dyami Brown] was out last week, and guys stepping up
having to play different positions, so there’s a little bit of that element. But either way, we’re
all responsible for how we play on Sunday, and obviously that’s me included. I know there
are a lot of things I can do better. So, I think it’s a little bit of both, though, to answer your
question, and those are things that we’ve just got to sharpen up, and I feel like we’re
definitely heading in the right direction. We’ve just got to make a few more plays.”
