JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
On the decision to go for it on fourth and one
“It’s a moot point. It doesn’t matter now, so I’m not going to talk about it.”
On the absence of LB Devin Lloyd
“He just couldn’t make it.”
On the defense’s performance in the second half
“We just made enough plays, got them off the field. Third downs were good for us, and they
did a nice job there.”
On the offensive performance today
“Could have been better. We missed some key plays in the game that probably could have
turned the game differently, and we missed them. We’ve got to take a look at those and see
where we can get better.”
On his post-game message to the team
“Just tell them we’ve got to keep working, keep fighting. A lot of football ahead of us. It’s not
time to start pointing fingers, just got to improve.”
On RB Travis Etienne Jr’s shoulder
“Fine.”
On the number of plays QB Trevor Lawrence missed today
“I’ve got to look at the tape. I couldn’t tell you offhand right now.”
On being so close to winning games
“We’re that close to flipping the switch, making more plays during the games. We’re not
making them right now, and that’s what’s holding us back.”
On if he’s worried about his status as head coach after an 0-4 start
“My status? I mean, no. That’s kind of a strange question, but okay.”
On if he didn’t think they could score on a first and goal and chose to spread the yards
out
“Credit to them. They did a good job keeping us out of the end zone.”
On what he saw in Lawrence’s performance today
“I thought he played well enough. He missed, obviously there were some plays out there we
missed that you’d love to have back. Played tough, thought he saw the field extremely well,
but there’s some plays that he can make, and we have to make them next time.”
On if he liked how the team started the game
“Yes. Guys were in a good frame of mind, ready to go.”
On the penalty by WR Brian Thomas Jr
“I think it was just the action. It’s been flagged before this season, and you just got to be
smarter. You can’t do that, especially after a big play.”
On if the defense made adjustments at halftime or just played better
“Just played better. Got off the field on third down. It’s a great job.”
On what he saw from LB Ventrell Miller today
“Played good. Obviously watch the film and grade it that way, but I thought there was some
really big tackle for losses, him shooting the gap, appeared that he played good.”
On if DE Josh Hines-Allen has started the concussion protocol
“I’ll talk to Ferg (Jeff Ferguson), see what he says, but, I think so, yes.”
On if the mantra of “have fun, let loose” was too strong this week and affected the
game
“Yes. Guys were loose, guys were ready to play. They were enjoying themselves pre-game,
locker room, during the game. The sideline was energetic. They were in a good frame of
mind.”
On if he’ll consider taking over play calling
“For what? I thought he called a great game. As coaches, we can’t go out there and make
the plays, right? It’s a two-way street, so you guys can sit here and point the finger all you
want, and that’s fine. Point it right at me. I can take it, okay? I can take it. So, whatever you
want to ask me, say, write, go ahead.”
On if he could provide a voice of confidence by taking over play calling
“I’ll take it into consideration.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
On the offense clicking operationally today and the game as a whole
“Yeah, I thought we did some good things. We had a lot of opportunities. I think overall we
got what we wanted. We had a good plan. We were prepared for a lot of stuff, and I give
Houston credit. They had some stuff, too, that they did defensively that was really good
today, but overall, I thought our plan was good. I thought we had a lot of opportunities, run
game and throwing the ball down the field. Didn’t capitalize on all of them, unfortunately,
and that’s kind of why we’re here now and didn’t win the game in my opinion, because we
didn’t take advantage of some of those opportunities, but I thought as far as scheme and
stuff that we did, it was really good.”
On his overall performance
“I’m pretty frustrated. Like I said, a lot of missed opportunities. It’s kind of what’s been
happening the past few weeks and weren’t able to overcome it today. The guys fought hard
and obviously we gave everything we had and had a chance at the end and just offensively,
the last few possessions, we didn’t do enough. Kept putting our defense back on the field
and credit to our defense, second half, they came out and played really well and gave us
the ball back a lot. We have to capitalize. When we have the game in our hands, we have to
go win it. I felt like we obviously didn’t do that tonight, today. A lot of that is on me. There
were some plays early in the game that, you know, I was just a little off and I got to hit those
plays. We have some, one to ‘BT’ [Brian Thomas Jr.], one to Christian [Kirk], which obviously
I want back those plays, so just got to hit those.”
On why he missed the earlier plays in the game
“I have to watch it, you know, both felt good coming out and obviously just missed it. Guys
did a good job today of getting open. Played a lot of man coverage, which is something as
an offense that you like to see. Your players get a chance to go win one-on-ones and as a
quarterback, you get to push the ball down the field at times it was just, yeah, just missed a
few. I have to watch it and see what the reasons were. Both of those, when they came out,
thought we had a chance and ended up being a little too much, so, you now, I have to
watch them.”
On the goal line and the sequence
“Yeah, we hit the big play, went down there and tried to stay with some tempo and catch
them on their heels and score and that’s something that we’ve done a lot in the past and
we’ve been successful at, just didn’t work that time. Obviously, they stuffed us on what was
it second or third down after that? And we had the fourth and one or second down and third
down we threw it and had the fourth and one and, you know, just one of those plays,
looking back on it, see the way the game goes, you got to convert there. Get on the one-yard
line, got to score a touchdown. Coach puts it in our hands, so we got to figure it out and
make the play. We had the opportunity. I felt like we had some good looks down there to do
more with it and we weren’t able to capitalize.”
On communication being smoother this week
“Yeah, I thought it was all good. I thought we played fast. I don’t know what our stats were
offensively, but we left so much out there, too, and still felt like we moved the ball well and
just weren’t able to convert enough third downs. Still don’t think we were great today, not
sure what the numbers were but didn’t stay on the field enough and it’s a team game but
like at the end of the day, I feel like I left a lot out there tonight and I’m pretty frustrated with
that.”
On how much he leans on things that went well and he has to take that right now in
reference to small victories
“We just have to keep playing. We have to stay together. It’s some adversity, It’s been tough,
you know, obviously not having the success that we want and it’s a lot of guys in there that
put a lot of time in. Coaches and players and really everyone that works with the team. So
it’s frustrating, it’s hard, but, you have some adversity, you got to get through it, get to the
other side of it and it will help you in the long run and that’s what we’re preaching as a team.
It’s frustrating it’s not going our way and we weren’t able to find a way to win this game. We
had some mistakes out there, but we just have to stay together. It’s going to teach us
something. It’s going to prepare us for the future and stay positive. There’s things that we
did well today, we just have to do more of it and I don’t think we need to blow everything up
and start over. We got good players, we have a good scheme offensively. We had great
things today, we just got to consistently make those plays. I thought we had a lot of
opportunities, so just keep working. That’s the message is just keep working this week.”
On if he feels like he is in a rut today
“No. I don’t feel that way. I felt great coming into today’s game. Like I said, I felt like our plan
was really good. Felt prepared. Had a lot of opportunities and it’s football, you know.
Sometimes you don’t hit all those shots and I expect to, though, because I know I need to
do that and you’re not going to hit them all but you got to hit more than I did today. I have to
be better for my teammates and I understand that and I put a lot on myself to do that and I
got faith that it’ll happen and I’m going to start playing like I know I can. But I just got to keep
working. I put the time in, put the work in. I don’t think anybody can question that, so as far
as execution goes, I know that’s going to come and I have to just keep trusting it and not get
frustrated, not try to do too much, keep trusting it. Like I said, today, we had the
opportunities and hit some and missed too many.”
On how he goes back and analyzing close point games
“Situationally, we have to be better in the red zone. We have to score. We had the fourth
down stop on the one-yard line. That’s an easy one to take away and say that changes the
game. And obviously in that moment once you don’t get it, there’s still a lot of game left and
you can still go win it but now looking back, that’s something where you have to capitalize
on that and, you’d love to have those seven points on the board so it doesn’t come down to
the very end and having to do that. You love to control the game more if you can, when you
have the opportunity. There was some red zone stuff in Miami, some red zone stuff in
Cleveland. So it seems like the close games we’ve had has been some red zone issues, and
whether it’s some of them just some operation stuff and some of them just not executing
like the one today on fourth and one, and we got to make a play. Coach puts it in our hands
and I love it. I love staying aggressive and there’s a chance for us to get seven points instead
of three and I love it and I like that he trusts us and we just have to be better.”
TEXANS HEAD COACH DEMECO RYANS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
On the Texans overall toughness
“The goal for us every week is to win. There’s no such thing as an ugly win to me. As we
know this league, wins are hard to come by. It doesn’t matter who you play. I’m just proud to
get a win. It doesn’t matter to me how we win them, just finish with the win.”
On the mental mistakes and penalties committed so far this season
“The penalties that bug me the most that we have to get off of our tape and off of our team
is the mental penalties. Those are the ones I can’t stand, and I can’t go for. We have to play
smart. If we want to be a good football team, we have to play the game smart. We look at
other teams around the league and we have meetings on these things, and guys just have
to own up to it and be man enough to stand up and just play the game the right way. A lot of
them are just bonehead penalties that are uncalled for, right? You don’t need those. They’re
not helping us at all. We still have positive things that happen to us, and we’re going
backwards. We’re in field goal range, and we go backwards because of our own mistakes.
So, again, it seems like I’m a broken record every time I step up here, the Texans have to get
out of the Texans’ way for us to be a good team.”
On the connection between WR Nico Collins and QB C.J. Stroud
“I know you don’t like this answer, but it’s simple, Nico [Collins] is open. That’s why the
connection is strong. Nico, he’s open, but he’s also so competitive at the catch point. He’s
a strong, physical, fast, and big receiver. That’s an easy target for C.J. [Stroud] and Nico has
showed up every time that we needed him.”
On defensive adjustments made late in the 4th quarter
“The adjustment for the defense is mindset. We did not play with the right mindset on some
of those drives, and they were able to drive down on us. It’s about mindset, effort, and
physicality. I think when we needed to stand up and make a play, we made a play to give our
team a chance to continue to be in the game. We’ve got to get a lot of things cleaned up on
defense where we have to get more stops. On third down, when we needed stops, guys
showed up on third down and made some big-time plays. But a few explosives there we
can’t give up.”
On the performance of RB Dare Ogunbowale
“Dare [Ogunbowale], he got the game ball, one of the game balls today because what a
special play. When we needed a play the most, to see him catch that pass and take off and
get us on the plus side of the field, that was huge. Dare, again, everybody knows the
touchdown he caught, but Dare’s a guy who’s doing it the right way, and a guy that we can
count on. Those are the guys who I want out there, guys that we can count on, we can trust,
and they’re dependable.”
On establishing the run game to help with penalties
“With the penalties we’re having, it doesn’t really matter, run game or pass game. We’re
getting them all sorts of ways. It’s just us playing clean football, playing smart football, and
just getting out of our own way.”
On the mindset of making defensive adjustments
“We weren’t playing our style of ball. We weren’t stopping the run. We were not setting the
edge. The ball was getting outside a few times, and they were able to have explosive runs.
We weren’t tight, sticky in coverage. It was just uncharacteristic of how we play.”
On the year to year progression of WR Nico Collins
“Since I first got here, Nico has definitely improved, and he’s put the work in. That’s the
thing that people don’t see. I wish everybody could come to see how he works throughout
the week. So, it’s no surprise to me with what Nico has done because you watch him work
throughout the week, he’s one of the hardest workers on our team, shows up every single
day ready to work, and he’s doing it in practice, and it shows up in the game.”
On the performance of S Calen Bullock
“One thing our defense stands on is effort. There’s no better play that exhibits that effort
than Calen [Bullock] giving us a blade of grass to stand on. Calen’s effort to run him down
and get a stop and for us to regroup after such a huge play and be able to get a stop there in
the red zone, that was a big turning point in the game. That shows what effort means, and if
you play the game the right way with any type of effort, it can put you in position to be on
the winning side. Proud of Calen for his effort.”
On the performance of QB C.J. Stroud
“C.J. did a really nice job today of going through his progressions. I thought our protection
was better today. He had a lot of time to make those reads. He had a lot of time to escape
the pocket and make the plays he needed to make. He did a good job of keeping his eye
downfield and finding the open receiver. Credit to C.J., over 300 yards passing, two
touchdowns. Big day for him. We’re not here in this position without C.J. and what he was
able to do today.”
On the overall progression and talent of WR Nico Collins
“Nico, he’s deserving of all the praise and all the credit that he’s getting. He’s one of the top
receivers in the league, and he’s showing it. He doesn’t have to talk it; he’s showing it by
what he does on a game-to-game basis. He’s proving that he’s one of the best. He should
be all pro, pro ball, all those accolades should come to Nico because he’s showing it every
single week.”
TEXANS QUARTERBACK C.J. STROUD
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABLITY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
On the hustle from the team on the last play
“Yeah, that’s a huge play, man. NFL is a game of inches, a game of yards. They come down
to small details that we always talk about. DeMeco [Ryans] always talks about, just give us
a blade of grass to stand upon. I trusted in our defense to come up big, and they did. Shout
out to Calen [Bullock] playing really well. As a rookie, I know how hard that is. I’m really
proud of him. Being a West Coast kid, I know how hard and tough he is and how he works
hard. So, I’m just super proud of him. I know he got a lot of success on his way because
he’s making a lot of plays.”
On if there was something different on the final scoring drive that led to the only
touchdown
“We honestly didn’t go to two-minute, but we were just clicking. I know you guys are going
to ask me, but we’ve got to stop moving backwards. Every time we do that, we put ourselves
in a hard position to be efficient, and I feel like whenever we are on the green side or we’re
doing well away from penalties, we’re moving the ball against anybody. I definitely think
that last drive, we just did a good job of staying in front of the sticks, taking what I seen and
running when I needed to and whatnot. We were just locked in. Defense gave us another
shot, and that’s all we needed man. Just like they got our back, we got theirs.”
On his relationship with WR Nico Collins
“It’s grown. I go back to when I first met Nico on the field during OTAs, and I told him,
“You’re a superstar, and I’m going to make sure people know that”. I feel like ever since
then, he’s had a swagger and a confidence starting from last year, and it’s just rolling now.
He’s been big for us. He’s always somebody that I lean on whenever I’m just looking down
or whatever, he comes up to me. He don’t do too much. Like, “Hey, you good? You know you
are”. He always gives me confidence just like I give it to him because he’s just a heck of a
player. I’m super proud of him. I was told that he was leading the franchise in four games.
That’s huge, with all the great receivers we have coming through this Texans organization.
So I’m very, very happy to be a part of his journey.”
On how comfortable to be able to rely on WR Nico Collins
“Honestly, I look for that for everybody, but Nico is somebody who’s quick on his feet. It’s
kind of crazy because we worked on that from last year, just trying to get that down. That’s
where I feel like I could have elevated my game, he was there traveling down the field, and
really, it’s just offense. Nico is at the forefront of that. He’s eating off of scrimmage drills
and whatnot. I think a lot of the other guys are getting open too, and they’ll be able to eat off
that as well.
On the defenses performance this game
“They played their tails off. It’s not always perfect. It’s not always how we draw it up, but
that’s the NFL. The Jaguars are a heck of a team. I don’t think their record shows who they
are. They’ve had some injuries and things like that. They play really hard, and I feel like,
when it’s a division opponent as well, it makes it a little harder just because you know that
means a lot for a playoff run and everything like that. We got to stack a win. Me and Azeez
[Al-Shaair] were talking about it, we’ve just got to play complementary football. When the
offense is down, the defense has got to pick us up. When the defense is down, the offense
has got to pick it up, and special teams has got to blanket everything. We’ve got to play
three phases of football at a high level and clean a lot of things up, but the defense played
really, really well today, I thought.”
On how he remains calms and the mindset he keeps in games
“Yeah, it’s kind of funny. Last night in chapel, our pastor, Pastor Von Won, I forgot what
church he’s from, but he’s from Southeast Houston, and he was talking about you’ve got to
go through the mud before you get to the miracle. That resonated with me, not just in ball,
but in life. Not always perfect, but the mud makes you who you are. I think the mud we have
is self-inflicted mud, but I feel like that kind of motivates us in a sense. It motivates me just
like, they’re trying to see how great you’re really going to be in this third-and-20 or second-
and-20, how great you’re going to be. So, I kind of just challenge myself a little bit. I don’t
love it, but I deal with it, and I respect the game. I just know that those plays, if we can make
them, we don’t want to live in that situation, and we don’t, we’re going to nip this in the bud.
It’s going to happen. But definitely it motivates me just to be great.”
On moving the ball with ease after the penalties and at a faster tempo
“We’re playing our brand of football. Just because you get two three and outs doesn’t mean
you’re having a bad day. I respect what you’re saying. I understand. Just because you go
tempo doesn’t mean things start rolling. We try that, we’re just getting shells. But I do
understand where you’re coming from. I think we can get more of a tempo and get going a
little more and even just not staying in huddle, getting out of huddle, breaking huddle the
right way. All the elite teams I watched growing up, Patriots, I watched Stafford a lot with
the Rams, I can go so on and so forth. You watch it on TV as a kid, you see how quick they
break from the huddle and get on the line of scrimmage, and the defense feels that. Now
you get an opportunity to read the defense a little more. That’s where I think we can take it
to the next level and get better at. I definitely do think — we came out a little short out of
second half, but it’s not about looking down on yourself. It’s all about the next play, making
the next play the better play. My team actually helped me doing that. It’s a throw in the
second half, the first half that I know I can make, and I just rushed it. But they picked me up
and came back in the locker room and just went from there. That’s the one thing about ball.
You can’t like hang your head down too long because, man, the other team isn’t doing that.
They try and get you. Yeah, I definitely do understand where you’re coming from, but I feel
like we’ve got a lot of good things going on offense. We’ve got to just clean things up for
sure. “
On in what ways has he seen WR Nico Collins grow as a wide receiver
“I would just say he’s grown a lot, but I just think he needs an opportunity. I think Nico’s
been great since he’s been born. I told you when I met his dad two weeks ago when we
played the Bears, he looked just like his Pops, and his Pops looked like he could play. He
looks young to this day. I definitely know Nico will be great for a long time. He just needs his
opportunity. I think, as he continues to grow, he’s going to continue to get better and better
and grow. But I think Ben, a guy who’s done a good job, a great job helping along the way,
learning about route running and how serious you got to take the game away from Sunday,
from Monday all the way to Saturday, how hard you got to prepare, and I think Ben has
helped him do that. As he continues to grow, man, you just see him get better and better
every week.”
On what he was trying to get done prior to the scoring drive with timing
“A lot of times, a lot of games come like the first two weeks in the NFL is like 11 out of the
however games came down from one score. If you can get the lead or tie it up and not give
them an opportunity to go down and drive, that’s the goal and the plan we want to do. We
also do want to stay aggressive, but just be smart, time management. I thought DeMeco
and Bobby [Slowik] did a great job. We ended up scoring, which is great. Then you see we
get them with 16 seconds, it’s hard to operate now 70-yards down the field to get a field
goal or a touchdown. So you’re just playing the time game. We knew we had a field goal,
and we would tie the game up and go to overtime, or we could score and not give them
much time. Either way it went, I thought that was very smart in what we did there.
WR Nico Collins
On his relationship with QB C.J. Stroud that allows them to produce explosive plays
“I feel like we just work scrimmage drills. Off-schedule plays every day in practice. You
really don’t know where he’s looking, you just try to find the open void. But [C.J. Stroud] 7,
he’s special. He’s the type of guy that’s going to extend the play. Always looking downfield,
so I feel like the play is never over. He’s always going to find that void and that hole. [C.J.
Stroud] 7’s going to find you. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
On happened on their last offensive possession that allowed them to come back and
win the game
“We had to dig deep, really put our minds to it, really who wanted it more. We were backed
up, down by three and we knew we needed a touchdown. I feel like in that huddle, man,
we’re talking to each other like, man, let’s go. This is what we train for. This is what we’re
going out there practicing every day straining for out there in the heat. In these moments
right here, it’s easy. We all lean on each other in the huddle and just take it one play at a
time. Out there balling. Out there and got the dub. I feel like that was the most important for
us.”
On what goes into him being effective at catch point
“Whenever the ball is in the air, just go get it. It’s yours. You’ve got to be aggressive at the
catch point, aggressive hands, and I just go get it. That’s my mindset every time. Your
opportunity comes, you just never know when the next one is going to come. Whenever the
ball comes your way, just go get it. Have your first down celly ready and move the sticks for
the team. That’s my mindset. Whenever the ball is in the air, just go get it.”
On if producing 100-plus yard games is his new standard moving forward
“Yes, it is. I feel like my standard is continuing to be me, continue to submerge in the deep
end, block out distractions, continue to be myself, continue to find the things I need to
work on, which is everything. I feel like there’s always room for improvement on your game.
My mindset, man, don’t get too comfortable. Continue to build, continue to take care of my
body, continue to be available for the team and just let the rest be the rest. Let all the
pieces will fall into place.”
On what goes through his mind when he hears the praise people give him
“It doesn’t feel real. Those type of achievements you want to have. It’s early, but it’s a great
position to be in right now. I feel like, for me, continue to be myself, don’t get comfortable
and continue to build, find that one percent. It’s a marathon. It’s a long season, man. I feel
like, for me, just find ways to be available. Finding ways whenever my number is called and
make a play for the team. That’s what I’ve been doing. Going out there with my brothers in
between the lines, and there’s no better feeling going to war with them. I feel like when
we’re on our details, we’re onto something. For us, man, continue to build, continue to be
myself, and just push everybody around me and continue to go. So, that’s my mindset right
now, just be one percent every day and don’t get comfortable.”
On what has been the secret to his consistency
“Like I said, man, not getting comfortable. Taking advantage of every game. Whenever you
step between the lines, it’s what you live for. It’s the same game you’ve been playing your
entire life. It really comes down to how much you want it and the details and continue to
strain. It’s a long season. It’s a marathon. It’s not easy. It really comes down to your
preparation, how to take care of your body, and going out there and having fun. I feel like
that’s what I’m doing right now, having fun, blocking out the noise, and being there for my
team. Being there for my teammates, making when my number is called and letting
everything fall into place. I’m not thinking about the numbers or where I want to be. I know
my goals. I want to be healthy and just be available and just let the rest be the rest.
Continue to build, continue to be myself and thank God for everything.”
On what he is thinking in the last few minutes of games when they are down
“It’s one of those situations where you know what the team needs. We were backed up with
– how much time – maybe three minutes left. We knew just take one play at a time. We
know we wanted to score, wanted to put points on the board, but we can’t just go out there
acting crazy. Just take one play at a time, move the sticks, man and that’s what we were
doing. After every play we’re in the huddle like, ‘Let’s go, just breathe, one play at a time,
and keep stacking.’ That’s what we did. We moved the ball down the field and drove, and
[C.J. Stroud] 7 trusted in us, we trusted in him. And we went out and made a play. I feel like,
for us, we’ve got to fix the details and we can’t keep getting in second-and-20, second-and-
30, because it’s kind of hard to get back on track. Continue to be sharp. Continue to find
little details. It’s a marathon. I feel like we’ve got to continue to build, continue to have fun,
and just enjoy every moment.”
On what they do offensively that allows them to get into a rhythm to overcome long
drives
“It’s hard to pick back up, but I feel like we got to get back and make a play, so we can back
on track. It’s what we did. I feel like we never got our heads down. We continued to build
every play, just take one play at a time, and that’s what we did. We ended up moving the
ball down the field and ended up putting points on the board. That’s very important.
Keeping the drives alive just having one play at a time. That was our mindset. Just put
points on the board and that’s what we did. Having trust in each other, having each other’s
back and that’s what we did.”
On how the chemistry between him and QB C.J. Stroud helps him get open
consistently
“[C.J. Stroud] 7 is special. He’s the type of dude that’s always looking down the field and
always finding open boys. I feel like whenever the play is over, it’s not really over. Just
finding the open boy for him, and he’s going to make a play. He’s a playmaker. We put our
trust in him and he trusts us. I feel like that’s what it really comes down to. We’ve got his
back, and I feel like, for us, continue to build, continue to work on the things we need to
work on offensively, defensively, overall. So, we continue to build, continue to grow as a
team. It’s a marathon. Got to get ready for every week. Every week matters. Got this dub in
this division at home. No better feeling. Getting ready for next week. It’s Buffalo. It’s another
big matchup. Just have fun and be us. Let’s not make the moment bigger than what it is.”
