HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Q. Can you start us off with an update on Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]?
DOUG PEDERSON: I don’t have an update yet.
Q. How do you think he played? Were there any second thoughts on the play call where he was rolling
out late in the game?
DOUG PEDERSON: I thought he played really well. As far as that play call, those are situations that we
understand, too. We were trying to get a short sack, not necessarily trying to circle the defense. Part of
it’s on us, part of it’s on Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]. At the same time we have to be smart there. I
thought he played extremely well, saw the field well, threw the ball well. Just the one
miscommunication with Christian [WR Christian Kirk] for the interception, but we’ll clean that up.
Q. Indy comes out 16 plays, eight and a half minutes. How important was it to respond immediately?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, obviously we try to start the games fast. It was a good drive by them. They
mixed it up. Ball was out of Gardner’s [Colts QB Gardner Minshew II] hand extremely fast. They did a
nice job. They stayed first down, second down, went down obviously in the red zone, stopped. We kept
them to three there, but it was good. It was good for our offense to respond there and get the
touchdown. I’m just pleased with the effort, especially in the first half, defensively creating takeaways
and offense scoring. That’s something we haven’t really been able to do, score in the red zone. We were
able to do that. We were able to actually score further out on a couple of plays, so that was good to see,
too.
Q. Four turnovers saved by the defense, 15 on the year. How good of a job are they doing? How
important is that?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, defense sometimes doesn’t get enough credit for that. The takeaways are
something that we as a team talk about. They talk about it as a defense. It just shortens the field for
your offense. Pass rush again today, there was pressure on Gardner [QB Gardner Minshew], putting it in
places that he maybe didn’t want it to go. Again, just a great team effort on defense to play the way
they did today.
Q. So much talk all week about how teams respond after London. Are you pleased with the intensity
and effort overall?
DOUG PEDERSON: The effort, intensity, guys responded really all week. It is hard, it’s hard when you’re
over there for 10 days, your bodies are used to that time change. Coming back here, it takes a while. It
takes several days to get back on east coast time. But the guys handled the week extremely well. Proud
of them, they had a lot of energy today. That was really good to see. We’ve got a short week, so we got
to keep that rolling.
Q. Was it a concerted effort to get [TE] Brenton Strange in the passing game this week or was that
something that just happened today?
DOUG PEDERSON: More organically happened. Every week we’ve got opportunities for him to catch the
football. It just happened this week was the week. It’s nothing that we schemed up specifically for him.
There are plays that have been in each week and we finally were able to get to them.
Q. Do you have any updates on the other two guys [CB Tyson Campbell and OL Brandon Scherff]?
DOUG PEDERSON: No. I’ll have it for you tomorrow.
Q. On a day like today where you have a couple guys go down, does that change your approach to this
week?
DOUG PEDERSON: It doesn’t matter. The week’s the week. Anybody that got knicked up in this game,
they just got to live in the training room and get treatment 24/7. It’s the nature of the week. We slow
things down; it becomes more of a mental day. We’re trying to get everybody as healthy as we can going
into Thursday on the road against a good football team. So it doesn’t change the nature of the week.
Q. Was the initial fear on Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence], that it was pretty severe when you saw it
happen, when he came off?
DOUG PEDERSON: It’s the same level of concern as when Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] went down. I’m
always concerned for my players when they go down in situations like that. Tyson [CB Tyson Campbell]
is the same way. It’s just unfortunate there. We’ll see where they’re at here later tonight and will have
an update for you tomorrow.
Q. There’s going to be people asking why you weren’t running the ball right there, running it in the
line, eating up 40 seconds. Can you explain why that call was in?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, that call is in the game plan because it’s a movement play. It allows the
quarterback to get on the edge. In situations like that, you’ve seen it work a million times. A million and
one, it didn’t work. We were able to get three points out of it. From that standpoint, it was effective.
Look, is there a little bit of risk there to run your quarterback? Yes. But at the same time, the reward is
you get the first down, and you stay on the field and ice the game in those situations. Definitely
wouldn’t change the scenario or the situation. We can coach that a little bit better and ask him maybe to
go down a little bit sooner.
Q. Obviously the defense had a tremendous game. The fourth quarter, obviously not many teams go
backwards 17 yards, get a field goal out of the whole deal. What was your assessment of the fourth
quarter?
DOUG PEDERSON: Obviously you’d love to not give up that many yards on one particular play. The fact
that Brandon [K Brandon McManus] was kicking the ball extremely well. Getting the three points there
was big, it stretched the lead. I mean, the fourth quarter, we knew they were going to be in four downs
the rest of the game. So the defense could really put the pressure with the pass-rush, again creating the
takeaways they did, putting the offense in a short field. I would much rather some of those things, you’d
rather have touchdowns in situations like that, but coming away with points were big.
Q. Are these three games kind of what you guys thought you would be or could be going into the
season?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think it’s a glimpse of what we can be. There are still some areas that we have to
clean up, obviously. I think the team really in these last three weeks kind of figured some things out,
figured out who we are as a football team. That’s exciting to see. They really embraced that. To come
away with three wins, especially after the two losses we had, it’s pretty special for these guys. So, I think
we’re figuring that out. Six weeks in, there’s a lot of football ahead.
Q. Can you touch on [OLB] Josh Allen. He had a strip sack today and he most consistent pass-rusher
you’ve had in a contract year.
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, Josh [OLB Josh Allen] is the heart and soul on defense. He’s been playing
extremely well. It’s good to see. There were a lot of things. He probably felt a little pressure maybe to
start the season, to perform. He’s answered, he’s answered that. He works hard during the week. It’s no
surprise that this is what he’s capable of doing. Just continues to find ways to get around the
quarterback, to affect the quarterback. It obviously impacts the defense when he’s creating the plays
that he’s doing, either a tackle for loss or a strip sack, fumble, things of that nature. It’s a credit to Josh
and how he’s getting himself ready to play.
Q. You’ve been here almost a year and a half. Three straight weeks, halftime leads, two double-digit
leads. That’s rare for this franchise. What has it been like coaching with the lead as opposed to what
you’re used to, coming from behind?
DOUG PEDERSON: It’s never satisfying. It’s still nerve-wracking. This is the NFL. You see it each week
where a team is way up and the other team comes back. Even in college football it happens. Obviously,
you’re excited, team’s playing well, you got that type of lead at halftime. The message has always been
and always will be that we’ve got to finish the game. I think there was a little bit of a lull offensively to
start the third quarter. I think we went three-and-out right there. Those are things that we have to fix.
That’s one of the areas we have to address, you want to come out in the third quarter there with the
ball and try to go down and get points, if possible. The game’s never over, the game’s never out of
reach. Obviously, we experienced that a year ago. So my message to the team is always that we’ve got
to continue to play for 60 minutes.
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Q. Talk about how you’re feeling and any concerns whatsoever about you not suiting up Thursday
night?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I’m feeling okay. I’m going to get it checked out tonight and see kind of what’s
going on. I feel pretty good. I’m walking around all right. Can’t really say much now. Want to make sure
everything is checked out before.
Q. Have you ever had any issues before [knee]?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No, I haven’t. That’s what also makes it tough. A little bit bruised, too, so kind of
trying to sort through what it is kind of right now.
Q. Can you just kind of run us through what happened on that play [the knee injury]. I know you were
on the ground, kind of picked up your leg a little bit, what your fear was or anything like that.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, just felt something, you know, just some discomfort in my knee when I went
down. I don’t know if it was twisted or landed on or what. I kind of felt it right away. Put a little pressure
on it. Realized I could get up. So I was just trying to get up and get off the field. Yeah, that’s all it was
there.
Q. Can you talk just a little bit about the offense today and what went right for you guys?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, I thought we had a really good first half. We took advantage of a lot of short
fields that the defense had given us, which was great. Our defense is playing great right now. I thought
we put some really good drives together, especially the first drive coming out. I don’t know how long,
they had a long drive, ended up getting a field goal, then we came out and had a drive, ended up scoring
a touchdown. I thought that really set the tone that we can play that type of game if that’s what we
need to do. That was big for us, in the second half I don’t think we necessarily put them away when we
had opportunities. I think we played great. But in the first half, defense giving us short field, taking
advantage of them, getting points. I thought we were really efficient. I thought we played really well in
the first half. Second half, need to play a little bit better. But the goal is to win, and we won pretty
convincingly. A good win for this team, a huge game for us. I’m excited about that.
Q. When you look at the three-game winning streak, is this who you thought you would be going into
the season?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, I think this is where we want to be. We’re getting better every week. I think
that’s the most exciting thing, is we’re getting better every week. We’re getting closer. I feel like the
momentum and the energy is really rolling for us. We got to keep that going every week. Now especially
it’s a short week on the road, so it’s the same mindset. We have got to make sure we dial in on all the
details, get our bodies back for this game coming up on Thursday. Now it’s three, four days away. We
got to get ready for that one.
Q. You mentioned the first half everything seemed to go right. Get to the fourth quarter, how
disappointed are you to go into New Orleans on that? Also the fact, did it look like the Colts were
playing like a desperate play at that point?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I’m not too disappointed. I am disappointed that I feel like we kind of had some
drives where we had a little lull in our offense. So I think you never want that to happen. It’s also tough
in that position, we can do a better job situationally. We need first downs. We need to move the ball,
get points. When you’ve got that big of a lead, you’re trying to possess the ball, trying to keep it out of
their hands. It’s like a balancing act of how aggressive do you stay, all those things. I think that’s
something where we need to be better executing. We were really bad on first down in the fourth
quarter. Put us in second-and-long, they can kind of do whatever they want. They can drop out, play
zone coverage, make you throw it underneath. They can pressure you, put you in a tougher position. I
think we got to be better on first downs in those situations. I’m never going to be too disappointed in a
win. It is hard to win in this league, especially division games. That’s a good team. They’re 2-1 coming
into today so it was a big win for us. Now we’re turning the page on to New Orleans. Yeah, you could tell
at the end they were trying to dial some stuff up, try to get the ball back and give themselves a shot.
Q. Christian [WR Christian Kirk] said you saw something in week one that the Colts did in coverage,
and you took advantage of it this time on the touchdown to him. Could you tell us what did you see?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, it was just something, we’d been in empty a few times first game. There
were some things I saw especially after watching it. Then going back this week, preparing for them
again, I saw how they played their coverage. They played their same coverage 70% of the game, then
they’ll mix it up a little bit. They want to play their three deep type coverage. I thought I had a little tell
on just if I can set outside, get this corner to tie down. He’s really the three deep, the deep third player.
If he ties down, there’s really no one left for Christian [WR Christian Kirk]. That’s what we talked about
this week. That was something that I felt really confident that we would get. I showed him all the clips. It
honestly happened exactly how we thought it would, it doesn’t always work that way when you think
something is going to work. It was cool that it happened that way today.
Q. Four turnovers that the defense created today. You scored on three of them. What can you say
about total team football?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: It’s huge. I think that’s the thing, we’re playing complementary. We’ve done that
the last three weeks now. Won all three of those games. It definitely ties together. Even today, I don’t
know what the stats were, but we were good in the first half, second half didn’t move the ball much,
didn’t have a ton of yards. When you have the turnovers and you’re scoring off turnovers that the
defense is providing, it doesn’t look like necessarily you look at the stat sheet that we played that great.
You look at the turnover margin, points off turnovers, that’s huge. We’re playing really complementary.
That’s what the good teams do. You take advantage when the other team makes mistakes, and you limit
your mistakes. That’s what I think we’re doing a better job of through these last three games.
Q. Did you feel like you pass to score and run to win on this team in today’s game?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Not necessarily in the second half. I think in the first half we did. I thought we were
really efficient. We were moving the ball, we were attacking, all those things. You could probably tell
watching the game that’s what it felt like. Then in the second half I just think we got to execute better,
like I said. Whether that’s on first down, not having a negative play, whatever it is, not having a
miscommunication with me and Christian [WR Christian Kirk]. That’s something we’ve played a lot
together now. We have to be better, I have to be better at making things clear in that situation. They did
a good job, brought pressure. That’s the one thing you don’t want, in that situation to turn it over in our
territory and give them the ball back there. That’s the only way they have a chance is if you give them
turnovers, you don’t execute on offense. That was something we definitely need to clean up. That’s
something we can take away from to get better at. We did everything we needed to do to win. We took
advantage of the opportunities that we had. When we had a short field, we scored. That was kind of the
story of today.
Q. Last year you celebrated a playoff victory at Waffle House. For this season have you identified any
places where you might actually celebrate any of the key victories? How did you celebrate the two
London victories?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I haven’t picked the spot that we’re going to celebrate this year yet. It’s still early.
We got a lot of work to do before we get there. No, I haven’t. That’s a good question. My birthday was in
London. For the two London wins, didn’t really do too much. Trying to get back, get out bodies back on
this time here, five-hour time change, all that. We’re trying to recover and keep this momentum going. I
have some family in town. I hung out with them a little bit and Marissa [wife] obviously, so that was
good.
Q. Everybody knows that [OLB] Josh Allen is in a contract year. Can you even imagine a locker room
next year without him in it?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No, he’s a huge part of this team. He just brings a lot of energy. Has that intensity,
that look in his eyes every day, whether it’s practice, Sunday, whenever. Just brings a lot of energy to
our team, to the defense. He’s playing great right now. You need guys like that, especially pass-rushers,
guys on the D-line. He’s bringing that for us.
Q. How much respect does he [OLB Josh Allen] command because of the fact that he was here even
before you were?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I think guys respect players based on their work ethic, how they come to work
every day. Obviously, performance is a big part of that, too. To command the respect, you have to take
care of business on the field, too. He does all those things. He work extremely hard. He’s a great
example for young guys coming in. I knew he was that way when I came in. He’s a guy you can look to
that is going to do things the right way. He commands a lot of respect in that locker room, the way he
carries himself. Especially guys that have been here now for a few years have been through the good
and bad times, all that, I think they have a great perspective on I guess where we’re at right now. I think
that’s an important thing. We got a lot of guys that have been here for a long time that had that
perspective.
WIDE RECEIVER CHRISTIAN KIRK
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH, 2023
Q. You guys just won your first home game of the season, how does that feel?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: It’s big for us, you know, we were obviously disappointed with the two previous home
games that we had and the performance that we put on, that was a point of emphasis. For us, coming
back from London, being back in front of our fans and showing off for them at home. It was a big time
win for us.
Q. Three straight games you guys got off to a fast start, it has been a problem last year and earlier this
year, how good was it to see that carry over to Jacksonville?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah, it was great. Obviously, the defense has been setting the tone and they were able
to get a stop on that first drive after a long play drive, holding them to a field goal. Offensively, we were
able to do our thing and then just kind of feeding off one another. Like I said, they did a great job of
providing turnovers and we were able to take advantage of those.
Q. You got a four-touchdown game out of the offense, does it finally feel like you guys are moving
forward in that regard?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah, I thought we did a good job of putting the ball in the end zone, especially in the
red zone. Still, you look at that fourth quarter and it wasn’t clean and there are some things that we are
kind of kicking ourselves about. We just hold ourselves to such a high standard, it’s kind of easy for us to
be a little upset about. But anytime you are able to put thirty-seven points on the board, you can be
pretty happy.
Q. Head Coach Doug Pederson said a lot about not letting that lull happen after and putting an
emphasis on coming out playing hard right out of the gate. Do you feel that’s what helped you guys
out with the way things ended, to get out to a lead so early?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah, it was a point of emphasis for us. Not to let whatever happened in London, for us
to lose that and have the ‘London Hangover’ is what we called it. So, I thought we did a great job,
coming out today and providing energy with the sideline and pregame and everything. Not letting up,
especially at halftime. We had a pretty comfortable lead but also being able to come out and finish it
out, that’s the main thing. So, I thought we did a great job with that.
Q. How much is there room for improvement for the offense? The second half wasn’t as sharp as the
first but how much more room is there?
CHRSITIAN KIRK: Tons. I still think that there is a lot of room for improvement for us. The potential of
what we can be is still there. I think there was still some mistakes that we are making in some moments
where I think we can be a little bit better. But we are taking the normal strides; it’s a long season and the
fact that they are happening now is good and we can get them out of the way and learn from it.
Q. How good is your defense playing? To be able to give you guys the situations you got in today?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah. Lights out. It was incredible to see what they were able to do, just the energy that
they are able to provide but also being able to create turnovers. It makes it easy on us when we are
getting the ball inside the 40 every time because they are getting interceptions and turnovers. They are
playing at such a high level and doing a great job.
Q. On the touchdown, did you guys see something there? As soon as [QB] Trevor [Lawrence] hit you,
he started pointing to the sideline.
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah. Give [Trevor] his flowers on this one. I know he is proud of it too. Earlier in the
week we saw something that they were doing Week 1. So, he brought me into the room and was like,
‘When we call this be ready, I’m going to pump the—we call it a hang route—and then I am going to be
able to find a window.’ We got the exact same look, he pumped the hang route and was able to and put
it on me right in the area of the defense, in the void, and take advantage of that opportunity. He did a
great job being able to see that, identifying it and telling the coaches that that is what he wanted to do
and putting it in the end zone.
Q. Any concern with [QB] Trevor’s [Lawrence] health coming out of this one?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: No, not at all. He is tough and I know he is dealing with whatever he is dealing with, but
I’m pretty sure he will be alright.
RUNNING BACK TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Were you guys told of a situation where that play might be called, or were you prepared for it to get
called anytime, at any point during the game?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: No, I already knew it was getting called. I already knew it was getting called.
But did the coaches say, in a certain situation, we may go to that?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: It’s the red zone, it’s a nice red zone play. We’ve seen it on film, I think [Ravens QB]
Lamar Jackson ran it. We had ran it in practice and the defense gave me a nice, good look, and I knew
when I ran it in practice, I was going to score.
When [QB] Trevor [Lawrence] goes out to play wide receiver, don’t you think the defense knows
something’s up?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Yeah, they know something’s up, but they still have to respect him being out there
because we can do a pop pass to Trev [QB Trevor Lawrence], and he can do what he does. It was a good
misdirection, me just potentially faking the handoff to [RB] Tank [Bigsby], because I can give it, so they’ve
got to respect him also. Just giving me space with the offensive linemen in front of me, I like the odds.
The momentum swing coming right after the big play by [OLB] Josh [Allen], do you think that turned
the corner in the game?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Most definitely. Just us going out there having had a big momentum swing, [OLB]
Josh [Allen] has been playing great, he’s been playing lights-out. Going out there and complementing
them with a touchdown, that’s what you want.
The offense had been struggling a little bit. You guys had gotten two wins (in a row), but now you
finally score four touchdowns in a game, get things rolling. Is this what you want to see going forward?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Most definitely, but I feel like we have to score more touchdowns. We had more
opportunities, we came away with points, which is a good thing, but you need touchdowns in this
league. You see the Colts get in a rhythm, kind of get going, and the game might seem closer than it
really was, and I just feel like if we had scored more touchdowns, we put them away earlier, and we just
need more of that.
You had those two touchdowns early, how important was that to set the tone for you guys, especially
when you’ve been having some slow starts and it’s a problem when you start slow?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: It was very big, just to go in there and get a lead early in the game, just trying to
build up the momentum. The defense was playing lights-out, they get stops, and we just try to go out
there and score more points.
Has anything changed, because the last three games, you guys have been jumping on people, and that
hadn’t been the case early? Better execution, detail, has anything changed?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: It just means more. We just started executing better, we started locking in on the
plays and we just started playing football. I feel like we simplified it and everybody started playing
football and everybody just comes out there and is all about your job. And we all do our jobs, we come
out here and play great.
This was a time of the year last year that you really started to take off. Is there something about this
part of the season where you feel like you get in a groove?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Not really. I’m trying to be in a groove week-in and week-out. This is a week-by-
week basis, and we play great defenses every week. And we just got to take what the defense gives you.
I’m just grateful to have my offensive linemen doing a great job for me and a great job for Trev [QB
Trevor Lawrence]. We feed off each other and we’re just happy to get this thing rolling.
A great couple of days in the Etienne family, isn’t it?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: We both got W’s. They [brother Trevor Etienne plays at the University of Florida] got
their first road win, we got our first home win, so grateful for that.
Do you have to manage things a little bit differently? Two games in London, I think you had 53
touches. Maybe not as many today, but you’ve got a short week. That’s a lot of football, so do you
have to do anything extra to take care of your body and manage it?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: No, I get paid to play football, and all I do is take care of my body and play football,
so I feel like I’ve got to continue to do what I’ve been doing, and as a running back, you want that. I feel
like this is why I play the game, to get those touches. So I’ve got to just lock in and continue what I’ve
been doing to stay healthy, that’s the biggest thing.
Any concern about Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: No, Trevor’s a warrior, he’s going to fight back.
Is it a sign of maturity with this team to do what you did in London and come back and take care of
business in this game, which starts off three games in 12 days? Is that a sign of maturity that you guys
did what you had to do today?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Yes sir, most definitely. I feel like the team has to take it one game at a time. I feel
like we can’t focus too far down the road, and as long as we take it one week at a time, we’re going to be
good.
Just a few weeks ago, you were standing here after that Texans game, can you talk about the change in
the locker room mentality of this team?
TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.: Oh, I feel like, after that Texans game, we didn’t feel good at all. I feel like we’d much
rather feel like this. And I feel like everybody in this locker room, a little bit more, just honed in. We just
realized, we’re playing football, we’ve been playing this for a long time, and just kind of got our nerves
from under us and have just been playing good football.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER JOSH ALLEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Talk about the strip sack and that leading to a touchdown on the next play.
(JOSH ALLEN): That starts with our film study. That was a formation based half formation and wanted to
make it (inaudible), but from the film study that we had on those guys, I took a shot and made the right
call.
How satisfying does it feel that you’re having this kind of year performance wise so far?
(JOSH ALLEN): My main thing is to be consistent always, I’m going to look at this tape. I think there’s still
a lot of things that I can grow from today, but for me, it just starts with preparation, how well I take care
of my body, how well I’m eating throughout the week and film study. If I can feel comfortable at those
things that I’m doing early in the week, it’s going to be prepare me to play like this every week so I’m
excited
How badly do you want to play here five years from now?
(JOSH ALLEN): Oh man, this is home. I want this to be home for me and for my family as well. But I have
think about next year too.
How does it feel to win at home with huge defensive takeaways throughout the game?
(JOSH ALLEN): I mean, it’s huge. They started off the day, their offensive drive, with a 15-play drive. We
knew right then and there, they were not going to beat us doing that. They were not going to score if
they kept deking and dunking. For us, it was finding that moment, finding that opportunity to keep them
to field goals and stop them on first down. Getting an opportunity for us to make a play and we just
capitalized on all of them. All of our opportunities. If we continue to watch the tape, continue to evolve,
we can be the defense that we know we could be. I think we still let something out there, 20 points. I am
disappointed that we gave them that. But there is still room to grow. We are not where we need to be,
but we are definitely heading in the right direction. I am excited for next week.
How good to it feel to have Smoot [OLB Dawuane Smoot] back out there?
(JOSH ALLEN): It feels great. I love Smoot as a brother. So that is just seeing him back out there for his
family. He’s a provider. He is not only providing for him, but he is also providing for us as well. I am glad
he made it through and that is one game under his belt. I think once we start getting into the swing of
things, he is just going to open an up and be unstoppable.
Where do you think you are with the defense after all these games? A lot of people thought this would
be a tough part of the team right here.
(JOSH ALLEN): I mean, definitely. The main thing as the defense is we want to stop the run. Coach
Townsend [Passing Game Coordinator and Cornerbacks Coach Deshea Townsend] tells us yesterday to
hold this team under 50 yards. I don’t know what we had. So, we did our part. Once we knew we could
stop that offense. It’s a run-heavy offense. Man, we knew the opportunities were just going to be there.
We just had to get home. I liked the way we rushed up front. I think it there were little opportunities that
we could get him down a little quicker, but as a whole, as a defense, we are excited. We are definitely
heading in the right direction to your particular point of stopping the run and rushing the passer. Smoot
is back like you said. We are excited. We are excited for this Thursday. Starting prepping tonight and
move forward.
You are one of the top teams in takeaways. How much do you guys weigh that as a badge to keep
working into the short week.
(JOSH ALLEN): That is huge. If you can take the ball away and give the ball back to the offense, I think
every defense wants to do that. Hopefully, we are number one now. We want to be the number one
defense. Personally, I want to be the number one player. Ray [S Rayshawn Jenkins] wants to be the
number one player. Everybody on our defense wants to be the best in the whole NFL. If we can continue
to motivate ourselves and keep pushing ourselves, this defense is going to be crazy. But I didn’t like the
way we finished. 20 points. I am happy we got the dub, and I am happy we got the takeaways, but you
know, we need to start smothering these teams and it starts this week.
Do you practice being one of the top sacks guys here? Do you guys compete with each other in
practice to be the top sack guy?
(JOSH ALLEN): Definitely. We compete against ourselves. We have to look outwards as well. I compete
with my rushes to get the sack before anybody else, but there is another step to that and that is the
whole NFL. Everybody knows what everybody else has. We are not stat chasing, but we know if we
handle our business, those opportunities come up and we can handle those to make a lot of plays for us.
SAFETY ANDRE CISCO
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Q. How important was it to come out and get going early, especially after that London trip?
S ANDRE CISCO: It was big. For us, that really is the key to success within all the games, coming out fast,
not playing catch-up. That was something we did a lot, too much, last year—always playing catch-up in
games. So, for us getting out in front, that’s probably the key to success for sure.
Q. Your third interception of the year, is that something you guys have been focusing on? Trying to
create turnovers like that?
ANDRE CISCO: Yeah, I mean, that’s our identity. Everybody comes from a turnover background when you
look at guys’ college careers and stuff. We’ve got guys that fly around— you know, Foye [LB Foyesade
Oluokun] and [LB] Devin [Lloyd], they’ve both got turnover backgrounds. So, that’s who we are. And
then [LB] Josh [Allen] getting us started, from there the QB [Gardner Minshew II] is in the pocket, he’s
worried about that and throws balls that we can intercept.
Q. Sweep the Colts and then go to first place in the division. Was that on anyone’s mind going in?
ANDRE CISCO: Yeah, absolutely. Just an early picture of the playoffs and things like that. We know the key
to getting home field advantage and all those things and it’s to win our division. So, wins like this—and
then win at home, something we hadn’t done this year— was big.
Q. How much is the next five days and getting ready for Thursday night just a mentality? Because
physically it’s probably pretty tough, three games in twelve days.
ANDRE CISCO: Yeah, I mean, we started preparing for it last week. Going into this week, we know we’ve
got a Thursday game coming up. During the week, Coach [Doug Pederson] took care of us and just
prepped us for the next ten days, [we’ve] got two games. So, you know, we’ll just be continuing the
process we already started.
Q. I think you know a lot of guys have said back in August “We can be a Top 5 Defense.” Are you
playing even better than maybe you thought in some facets against the run, getting turnovers, those
kinds of things?
ANDRE CISCO: No, I think it’s just manifesting things we already talked about, envisioned. It’s just
happening on the field. And for us, it’s expected so it doesn’t even feel as crazy while it’s happening,
because we just really expect it. It just shows up on the stats sheet however it does.
Q. Four takeaways against an AFC South Divisional opponent, what does that mean for the defense?
ANDRE CISCO: It’s crazy, you walk off the field knowing that you left so much out there and it’s hard to be
so satisfied with it. But, four takeaways, [we] could’ve had fiveo Jenks’ [S Rayshawn Jenkins] that got
blown dead. But it’s just who we are. For us, it says a lot to the teams that are going to be playing us,
they’ve got to take care of the ball because otherwise [inaudible].
Q. Is there competition in the room on who is coming home with the most takeaways at the end of the
year?
ANDRE CISCO: We haven’t talked about that at all, honestly. Who is it right now?
“It might be you. It’s you.”
ANDRE CISCO: Yeah, the competition in the room is always great.
Q. The vibe of this team, when you went over to London, was just really different. Can you just
describe the turnaround you guys have had? And who has kind of sparked it?
ANDRE CISCO: I mean, I think everybody, it’s hard to point to one. I think you could definitely point to the
leaders on the team. Anybody you identify as a leader, they’ve done their part to take their group. We’ve
always been close. That [Houston] Texans loss, we knew was a fluke, we knew it was just a slow day for
us. But, it was definitely a wakeup call. Early on in the year, that’s what you want. Get it out of the way—
and we were rolling from there.
Q. A lot of passing from this Colts team, dinking and dunking a lot. Was that something you guys
thought was coming? Or did you figure they were going to run the ball a lot more?
ANDRE CISCO: Game plan was to stop the run. They came out dinking and dunking. We knew that’s not
something you could get successful all day in this league. You can’t just dink and dunk and drive the field
every time. Especially against a defense like us. But we [were] taking away the shot plays and stopping
the run. That’s kind of what they had to resort to.
HEAD COACH SHANE STEICHEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
SHANE STEICHEN: First off, injury wise, [WR] Alec [Pierce] has a shoulder and then just debriefing the
game. Obviously, we got ourselves in a hole there with the turnovers. We got to do better there. It starts
with myself doing a better job there, but I thought our guys fought hard and fought until the end.
Obviously, we kept getting ourselves in a hole. I got to do better, like I said. And hats off to Jacksonville.
Q: Too soon for anything on Alec [WR Alec Pierce]?
SHANE STEICHEN: Yeah.
Q: You had a good drive coming out the gate. What do you think you have done that for consistency?
SHANE STEICHEN: I think we had the turnover on the next one, on the sack fumble there and then we
ran it there a little bit, you know. Early on, they did a good job against the run and then got the
interceptions, and we ended up having to throw it 50-plus times there to try to get back in it so, again,
hats off to Jacksonville.
Q: You guys’ kind of came out throwing. Was that because Jacksonville is much better against the run
than the pass so far this year?
SHANE STEICHEN: Yeah, I think the flow dictates that little bit, down and distance, how we’re feeling
and what I am thinking in those situations, and they came up for a little bit there early and got the three
points which we scored on that first drive of the touchdown but, again, hats off to Jacksonville.
Q: You’ve guys have had such a nice run game this season. What was so difficult today do you think?
SHANE STEICHEN: I think, you know, early on, we had a long drive. I think there were what? Two
possession there is in the first quarter, is that right? It was something like that. Yeah, two possessions in
the first quarter, you know. And we were running a little bit, throwing it on pass situations a little bit
there and, you know, like I said, they got some turnovers there and, you know, we were trying to get
back in it with some of the passes and that’s how it played out today.
Q: With Jacksonville, if you look at the box score, there is not a ton of yards in there. I don’t know how
you calculate all of that, but do you think they took advantage of some of those turnovers?
SHANE STEICHEN: They had 17 points off turnovers, so.
Q: With [QB] Gardner [Minshew II], he’s typically so judicious with the football, so what was different
about today? Was it the way Jacksonville was playing?
SHANE STEICHEN: You know, Jacksonville did some good things, obviously it starts with myself. I got to
be better for him in those situations.
Q: For [RB] Jonathan [Taylor], you put him out wide for a play. What did you think of getting him out
in space?
SHANE STEICHEN: Yeah, it was good. It was a third-down play, caught in man coverage. He caught it and
run across the field to a man and hit a big one for a big play there.
Q: Felt like it was more 50/50 issue in terms of snaps for him [RB Jonathan Taylor] in how the way he’s
ramping up?
SHANE STEICHEN: Yeah, he’s ramping up, he’s going to continue to ramp up each-and-every week.
Q: [WR] Josh Downs, five catches his first touchdown. How special was it to see him getting into the
end zone for the first time in his career?
SHANE STEICHEN: It was awesome. It was a great route by him. He had been working hard at that route
in practice, how to return it different ways. The way he ran it in the game was awesome, getting that
reception, getting his first touchdown, it was good to see.
Q: With him [WR Josh Downs] and [CB] Juju [Brents] getting his first interception, are you at a point in
the year where rookies have to be counted on to do things rookies not do anymore?
SHANE STEICHEN: Yeah, I think with any rookie, you put the guys you think are going to make plays out
there, whether a rookie or a five-year vet. Put them out there and let them play.
Q: Juju [CB Juju Brents] specifically, he went from not to playing early to playing all the time, so what
have you liked about his progress?
SHANE STEICHEN: I like his tenacity. I love the way he fights, the way he plays man coverage. He’s a
strong, you know, longer guy that competes at the top of routes and I just love his energy.
QUARTERBACK GARDNER MINSHEW II
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023
Q: What was tough about how they were defending you? Obviously, three interceptions is pretty
abnormal for you.
GARDNER MINSHEW: Yeah, they did a good job. You know, they got some pressure, but at the end of
the day, I was careless with the ball. I didn’t do a good enough job taking care of it. I put our team in a
really bad spot, you know, and it’s not fair to the rest of the guys, so I’m really going to look at those,
hold myself accountable. We’re not going to tuck our tail. We’re not going to drop our chin. We’re just
going to keep rushing through and learn from it and we’ll come out the other side better.
Q: Was it the pressure they were getting?
GARDNER MINSHEW: Uh, I mean, two. The one to Pitt [WR Michael Pittman, Jr.] I sailed. The other end I
sailed, and there was a fourth down, coverage zero, I dropped, and I tried to lay a ball up there and I
should have thrown it more outside. I’m going to learn from it and get better from it.
Q: They were a really good run defense. Is it on you or the receivers to try to loosen them up front to
try to allow a little more space in the run game, and why weren’t you able to do that?
GARDNER MINSHEW: Yeah, absolutely. They did a good job. I thought they had a good plan. They were
base 11 for a lot of it, so some tough matchups from the ball so when they do that, we do have to make
them pay outside and, you know, I think personally we’ll all take that personally as a challenge and I
think we’ll respond right away.
Q: How do you think [WR] Josh [Downs] responded, getting his first career touchdown, a big career
accomplishment but a 17-point loss?
GARDNER MINSHEW: Yeah, no. It’s great, it’s fun. I remember the same thing here. It was a blowout. It
feels great to lose yourself for a little bit because it’s the coolest thing ever and then it’s dang, we are
losing by three scores.
Q: Do you feel like you had a little bit of momentum after that touchdown and also the [CB] Juju
[Brents] pick right after.
GARDNER MINSHEW: Yeah, we got to go, man. Just kept shooting ourselves in the foot one way or
another. Personally, I was not good enough, I got to be better and give us a chance to win. As the game
went on, it kept getting closer and we just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities.
Q: This is your first game back in Jacksonville, you came back here as a starter today. Does that mean
anything to you?
GARDNER MINSHEW: It’s tough, you know, obviously it was great to see everybody here. A lot of great
memories being here. Obviously, you want to win every game, so that hurts. But, yeah, I was definitely
touched come back here and play today.
