HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Why do you think the team wasn’t ready today in anything you can put your finger on?
DOUG PEDERSON: I thought the team was ready. We failed to execute on the opening drive defensively
and we failed to execute on the opening drive offensively. That’s the part that is disappointing. Because
these guys were ready to go. To have the lack of execution like we did early in the football game, just
kind of snowballed from there.
Q. Last year against Detroit, this year against Houston you guys had similar games. Bounced back
played your best football both seasons. Why were you able to do that and do you think that’s in the
team to do this now?
DOUG PEDERSON: You know, I don’t know. We obviously got to look at ourselves in the mirror and
figure some things out, especially here at home, three of four games not very good. I guess the beauty
of everything is we still sit in the driver’s seat. We’re 6-3 and still a lot of football ahead and great
opportunity. This was definitely a humbling experience today.
Q. Offensively, do you think it was a matter of Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] rushing things, the
protection not being there, was there anything you could really pinpoint as to why it never got into
that flow on offense?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, possibly just maybe speeding some things up in his mind. Obviously, when we
failed to execute even around him, there’s problems there on plays that we should know. We run them
all the time. You can’t put yourself in the third downs like we did or turn the ball over like we did and
expect to do anything with it. You put the defense in a bind, you put special teams in a bind, and that’s
the disappointing part.
Q. Then just a quick health update if I could just on Agnew [WR Jamal Agnew] and then Tyson [CB
Tyson Campbell]?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, I talked to Ferg [Vice President of Player Health and Performance Jeff
Ferguson], we’re going to get further testing in the morning and see where they’re at. So hopefully we
will have a better answer for you tomorrow.
Q. You touched on San Francisco being ready out of the box. How much of that do you discount in
terms of your performance in terms of they had lost three in a row, they had been itching to get back
on the field and show that they were the Super Bowl contenders?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, I mean, there’s probably something to that. Obviously, we had some
momentum as well and it was disappointing to play like we did. But I’m sure for them I’m sure the
message was pretty simple: We have to play better, on their side and they did. They played an
outstanding football game and they got after us today, we got to look at this film and make corrections.
Q. If the word was right, that was a desperate football team, do you want your team to react with a
sense of desperation this week and do you think that helps a team get sharp for a game like that?
DOUG PEDERSON: I don’t think they’re a desperate football team, don’t get me wrong, they’re not.
That’s a good football team, so I don’t think it’s desperation. They know what they’re doing, and they did
it well today. For us, we’re still trying to get there. I told the team again, we haven’t done anything here.
We’re trying to be like that. We’re trying to have that consistency and to me this will be in some ways
good for our players. A little bit of a wakeup call, quite honestly, myself included, coaches, players, we
all have to think about what are we willing to give up these next eight games so we don’t do this again. I
think our players will rebound, they always have and we look forward to next week.
Q. Some of the stuff you talked about today was redzone turnovers and some other issues have sort
of been around all year. Is there a feeling of why can’t we get it fixed by this point?
DOUG PEDERSON: You know, yeah, it’s obviously turnovers can’t happen, they just flat out can’t happen.
And we gave them what, three of them today. You just can’t.
Q. Four.
DOUG PEDERSON: Was it four?
Q. Two interceptions.
DOUG PEDERSON: That’s right, two interceptions. You can’t do that; you just can’t do that. It’s a matter
of whoever has the football, take care of the football. That’s your job. Bring it back to the huddle, let us
play another down. We continue to stress it, our players continue to stress it. Until we figure that out,
it’s going to be, it’s long, you just can’t do that. Again, if you want to be a playoff team, you got to take
care of the football.
Q. Is the offense maybe sort of gripping the club a little bit too tight, trying to swing too hard, trying
too hard to make a play instead of taking what’s there?
DOUG PEDERSON: I don’t think he [QB Trevor Lawrence] was fighting. I think he was held up and the ball
got punched out. I don’t think it was him fighting for extra yards. But those are plays that, yeah, we want
to hang on to the football. Sometimes you’re asking questions that are really hard to answer because
the team’s ready to go, they have a good week of preparation, why we go out like that. I mean, nobody
wants to go out and coach that way, nobody want to go out and play that way, nobody wants to go out
and lose that way. We have way too much pride. These are great opportunities for me to coach this
football team and to lead this football team and to instruct this football team. We’ve got young guys
that are learning this for the first time, kind of going through a little adversity. Again, we’re trying to put
ourselves in positions to be a better football team in the AFC and sometimes it looks brilliant and then
there’s days like today not so good. Those are the things that each person has to look at themselves and
say, What am I? Am I studying enough? As coaches, are we putting our players in better positions to be
successful. Are the players doing what they need to do? Are coaches doing what they need to do? So it’s
a group effort, there’s enough stuff to go around. I don’t want to call it blame, but it’s everybody doing
their job. I know this football team and I know they will come back Wednesday when we get ready for
Tennessee; they will be focused and ready to go.
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Trevor, what is your reaction to this kind of a nightmarish day, not just for the offense, but for
everything all around you? Do you flush it or do you just let yourself wallow in it for a little while?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: That’s a good question. Yeah, I think both. I think you have got to feel the pain and
embarrassment of today, and that’s what it is. It’s terrible. It’s one of the worst games I’ve probably
played in my career. So, I feel that and I take responsibility for that and, yeah, we couldn’t do anything
right today, but you got to flush it too. That’s the thing, it sucks, but the reality is that a 31-point loss —
and that’s crazy to even say, but 31-point loss is the same as a 3-point loss and we lost today. We have
got to move on. We’re the same team we were five hours ago when we came in here today, and we
didn’t play like it today, we played terribly just across the board, including myself. So that’s where we’re
at, that’s the reality of it. Yeah, we’re going to wallow in it tonight and we’re going to watch the tape
tomorrow and kind of relive it, which is going to suck. Then we’re going to move on and we’re going to
get ready for Tennessee. That’s the biggest game of the year. So that’s where we’re at and, yeah, not
much else to say about it. There’s not much good to take from this one today.
Q. Four turnovers today. Obviously, you guys came in with the idea of not turning the ball over at all.
Did it sort of catch up, I guess, to you guys today in terms of turning the ball over and resulting in a
negative-point differential, things like that?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yes, it did. We obviously weren’t able to overcome those turnovers. They were
always at the wrong time. It seemed like right when we got some momentum, we turned it over.
I’ve got to be better, I got to hold onto the ball. I had a bad fumble near midfield. That can’t happen. We
were driving so that’s something where I’ve got to look in the mirror and fix that. That’s happened a few
times this year and it just can’t happen. I’ve got to take care of the ball. I got to play better.
And then we had a tipped pick that — another one. It’s like then that just didn’t go our way. It tips right
to the safety, and he makes a play on it and it wasn’t a great throw by me, but then I had one late in the
game, fourth down trying to make a play. That’s the worst position I think in football to be in just for an
offense, is when you’re getting beat like that and you’re still out there and you’re having to try to force
shots.
So that stuff’s going to happen, and I think most of our turnovers were on the plus side of the 50. So
that’s stuff — like you said, it did come back to bite us today and we didn’t play complementary. When
the defense got a stop, we didn’t do anything with it. Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot I could go into, talk
about, but it seemed like everything went wrong and right when we got momentum, we just shot
ourselves in the foot. So, I take a lot of responsibility for it. Played really, really bad today.
Q. Did you feel sped up throughout the course of the game and did that give into that snowballing
effect? And then, secondly, from the jump, did they do anything schematically that maybe you guys
weren’t expecting along the defensive front?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: They got in some exotic looks early in the game, the first and second drive. We had
some answers for it, but we had a miscommunication, we had a penalty in the first drive. Those were
back-to-back plays and obviously the penalty backed us up, and then the sack and the
miscommunication.
So that’s stuff that just can’t happen early in a game, especially when you’re playing a good team, you’re
playing a good defense, a good offense on the other side of the ball. You can’t give ’em momentum and
give ’em the sack. You get their pass rush going. All the stuff that we talked about during the week of not
doing, we did. We started off with a three and out, gave them the momentum, they got the ball. I think
they went and scored. I can’t remember now. Then we got the ball, had another three and out.
That’s just not how you want to start the game against a team like this. They’re really good, especially
playing with a lead. Their offense is kind of built for that. They have a great scheme. They held onto the
ball today, we didn’t. We were minus four in the margin, I don’t know the last team to win might be us
in the playoffs I guess not to be ironic, but you don’t win when you’re minus four, so, yeah.
Q. A couple three and outs to start the game. Did you feel like the energy was off, did you guys come
out flat do you feel like?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No, I don’t think so. Honestly that’s what’s most frustrating is when you play like
this and you can’t point to something during the week, I thought we had a great week of practice, we
had the right mindset, obviously there was some disconnect at some point to play that way, but I
thought the energy was really good. We were all amped to play we knew this was a big game, knew this
was a good team coming in here and we felt like we could take advantage of this opportunity and beat a
good team and we didn’t. We played our worse game of the year. So, I don’t think it’s anything like that,
I just think that we have to be better at handling adversity, something that we’ve done really a good job
of in the past but we have to be better about not letting things snowball. When there is a mistake early,
bounce back, someone else make a play and make ’em right. Whatever it is. Instead of just kind of
letting ’em all pile on top of one another and then you find yourself in the game that we had today
where it’s like nothing seems to go right because we all just made our mistakes at different times at the
wrong time. So, we got to be better at overcoming those things because you’re going to have mistakes
in games and you can’t let ’em change the game and let ’em change the momentum completely. We
didn’t do a good job of that today and they did a great job of capitalizing on the momentum shifts of the
game.
Q. What is the offense doing consistently well if anything?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I mean it’s tough to say after today. We didn’t do anything really well today
honestly. I thought we actually hit a handful of big plays out in space I thought we did a great job. We
had some nice screens, we got the ball in space on some plays. But we played the whole game from
behind, so it changes your whole plan at that point when you get into the third quarter and you’re down that much because you haven’t got anything going we’ve had so many three-and-outs, second-and-
longs, third-and-longs, you don’t get to play the game the way you want to because it’s not the same circumstances. You’re not in second and medium you’re not this third and medium, third and short. We
got to be able to overcome those because those are the situations we’re going to be in sometimes so we
got to do a better job of overcoming the tough situations. But when you constantly put yourself in that
situation every drive it kind of changes how you want to play the game. I think that’s what happened
today and I think we’ve been pretty consistent at getting the ball out, getting the ball in space, taking
what the defense gives us, being efficient, this season, we weren’t today. I think there’s a handful of
things that I missed today that I have to be better, that just you guys, I didn’t play being honest, I didn’t
play well and it’s you’re not going to winch in this league when the quarterback doesn’t play well. So
yeah I got to watch the tape and check some of that stuff out.
Q. Nine games in the offense has yet to hit the stride that we saw you guys in at the end last season. Is
there a feeling or worry that it’s not going to get there?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No, not at all.
Q. How hard is it to function if you’re not connecting on first down, I think it was like 19 plays, 38
yards today on first down.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: It’s really tough. Like I said, it changes the way you call the game, the way
sometimes you play the game, when you are behind the sticks and I mean this year honestly he though
we’ve been pretty good at being in second-and-long and making it third-and-short we’re getting the first
down and putting ourselves in manageable situations but we didn’t do it today. So that was something
where we got to go back and look at it and see what we could have done better. There’s a handful of
plays where I didn’t make the right decision, or I didn’t get the ball out quick enough or I didn’t find the
right guy and I knew that coming off the field. I got to fix those. Then the other stuff we’re all just going
to have to kind of take accountability. There are things out there on every play that we’re all doing
where we can be better and it’s just all kind of it all kind of hit today at the same time.
Q. How much adds to the frustration collectively or anger that it’s happening here, you’re 1-3 and two
really ugly performances at home?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, it sucks because for all the good things we’ve done this season, we’ve played
really well at times, and we’ve had some big wins and they haven’t been here and that sucks when you
can’t experience that with your fans and the people that support you. It’s important to win on the road
but it’s really important to win at home. So, we got to figure that piece out we got to play better here.
But we can’t hit the panic button, we can’t make it more than it is. We played terrible today we laid an
egg, nothing went right we didn’t do anything right and we got to bounce back and play better next
week we got another home game next week so we got that opportunity to play well it’s a division game
too, so we got to flush it quick and we will. The leaders on this team, we’ve been talking, we are made of
the right stuff. You got to handle a little adversity along the way and that’s what this is, but, yeah, we got
to win at home. That’s good going to be key if you want to go on a run in the playoffs and you want to
have home field advantage and you want to play at home more you got to win here.
WIDE RECEIVER CHRISTIAN KIRK
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Christian, last year the Detroit game, this year the Houston game, you guys came off of both of those
and played your best football in the next stretch. How were you able to do that and how do you think
you can do it again?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Yeah, you know, I definitely have some confidence in this team and what we’ve got.
They say any given Sunday for a reason, and we did not lift ourselves up against a really good football
team and continue to just shoot ourselves in the foot. We did not match their intensity, and didn’t do
anything that we planned to do. But pros, coming in tomorrow, they’re critical and see where they can
get better, and we need to focus on what we can do to come out and have a better for performance on
Sunday.
Christian, the red zone turnovers, can you just put a finger on why it keeps creeping up?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: It’s just one of those things where I wish you could. Mine, specifically, it’s just, you can’t
do that. You’ve got to hold onto the ball. It’s just every intention to try to get into the end zone, but it’s
just those things that have gone up as the reason we’re coming up short. So those can’t happen. We
can’t expect to be a good football team when we’re turning over the ball, especially in the red zone. We
just have to do a better job on having emphasis and better ball security from all aspects. We’re looking to
get better in that area, and we have to be able to do it for all our games.
Christian, the offense nine games in is still having the same issues. Is it desperation at this point?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: No, I wouldn’t say so. I think they came out, and they just simply beat us. They beat us
in all aspects in every single phase. And like I said, we didn’t help ourselves out with the turnovers. It’s
just going in and being critical, because it’s all there. We felt it, and we’re going to watch it on film. It’s
just all about executing. Especially when you play teams like that, you have to execute. And when you get
behind early, that’s a team too that plays well when they’re out in front and they have the lead. So we
just didn’t do ourselves any favors.
You had Etienne wide open there. How much were you just kicking yourself after that one?
CHRISTIAN KIRK: Well the corner had fell off, and the guy who had actually hit him. So it was kind of me
just trying to keep the ball low and giving him opportunity to run underneath it. Obviously, I would’ve
loved to have thrown a better ball, and we’ve completed it every time we’ve run it in practice. It was just
another one of those plays that you wish you could complete, and we didn’t execute.
LINEBACKER FOYESADE OLUOKUN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
What was the biggest factor in today’s loss?
FOYE OLUOKUN: We didn’t execute. They came out, they were able to establish the run, do the boots on
the misdirection and stuff, reverses to 19 [49ers WR Deebo Samuel] and all that. Kind of knew that’s
what they were going to do, but I think the first couple of drives we really had to establish ourselves. We
played a lot slower, mentally a lot slower. When you second guess against that team, it’s going to be a
long day. Go back to the drawing board, really correct what we need to correct, but I’m ready to get back
to work. We know the team that we’re capable of being.
Is today’s loss an eye-opener for the team?
FOYE OLUOKUN: It’s not an eye-opener, we know the type of team we’re capable of being. I was telling
the boys late in the fourth, thank God it happened. We’re ready to go, but should’ve been ready to go
from the bye, but the NFL will humble you. The NFL will humble you. We went on a litle run early, it’s
about how you finish the season. Let’s finish the right way, starting off tomorrow.
How do you think the team will be able to bounce back from today’s loss?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Our backs against the wall, we fight. That’s not the kind of football team we want to be
right there. We got to start fighting and we got to start working, we will be beter. Looking forward to
coming in next week, I’m ready to work.
You said thank god it happened….?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Not that we wanted it to happen, but blessings for everything and we’ll learn from it.
Do you feel like the team wasn’t ready to play today?
FOYE OLUOKUN: I think we had a good week of practice, but I’m telling you, every week is week-to-week.
The energy you bring into the game, when you think this stuff is just expected to happen because you
practiced it, you got to bring the right energy to the game and go out there to make those plays happen
before it brings itself.
Do you think this will be a focus on the whole group now that Houston is on your heels?
FOYE OLUOKUN: We got nothing to do in this locker room but get closer and work. It’s a long season,
we’ve got to work to win. Week-to-week business, we got another product to put on tape next week.
They were averaging seven or eight yards a play, you guys just weren’t executing there?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Really not executing. They’re going to do a lot of eye candy stuff. We have to be where
we are supposed to be every play. They’re going to find a matchup that they might like. We have to get
to our spots and execute.
Why do you think the team hasn’t played well at home?
FOYE OLUOKUN: I really can’t put my finger on it, we’ll just handle it. I know on the road we get closer
because we have nowhere else to be, maybe eliminate distractions but I know we’re pretty focused as a team, it has nothing to do with outside of Jacksonville and stuff. Just come together as team wherever
we are and just play.
HEAD COACH KYLE SHANAHAN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
KYLE SHANAHAN: No injuries right now. I’m sure there will be some tomorrow, but there’s nothing right
now.
Q. What impressed you the most?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Just how we overcame a bunch of stuff. I didn’t think we played perfect ball by any
means, which you never do. I was just happy that the mistakes we did make, we always overcame. I was
real disappointed getting those first two turnovers and not scoring on either of them, having to punt.
Then when we get the third turnover, we actually score ourselves on defense but we have to call it back,
and that was strategic so we could let the offense do it. Finally, we were able to do one, and being able
to get that fourth one was cool. It was playing complementary football. Took us a while a little bit back
and forth, but I thought once we were playing well on both sides, that’s when the score became what it
did.
Q. Would that penalty not have been strategic if you hadn’t been one of the ones on the field?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Was I one? Yeah. No, I would have been mad at whoever did it. I was mad at myself. I
thought the play was over. We couldn’t see, and everyone jumped up, so when that happens you’re
getting out there to start to congratulate people coming back, and they’re not coming back to
congratulate us, they’re running back at us. We know the rules, definitely. We know you can’t go on the
field. I personally thought the play was over. They ran right by us, and it was very unfortunate because it
was a good learning experience for our team. We do show that stuff. But it was short lived because we
ended up scoring. We can live with it, but good learning example for us.
Q. I’m not sure if you went back to it, but that first play was a five-man front on defense. Was that
something that you had charted out over the bye?
KYLE SHANAHAN: No, and I think we’ve mixed that in a little bit throughout the year at times. I think we
did it versus Pittsburgh on one of the first couple plays, and I know we did it versus Minnesota, I believe,
on Mooney’s pick there in the first quarter. It’s something we mixed in, but no, I thought their playing
was real good today, and it seemed effective.
Q. What did you think of [DL] Nick Bosa today?
KYLE SHANAHAN: I thought he was great. I think Nick has been playing great all year, but for him to get
the sack and stuff, cause a turnover, I know how much he loves playing in Florida, too, so it was cool to
have a big game for him today. I thought all of them played big.
Q. What was it like having [49ers Defensive Coordinator] Steve Wilkes on the field?
KYLE SHANAHAN: I mean, I ran into him a couple more times. I hear his voice wherever he is. I enjoy him
down there. We’ll ask the players how they thought. Excited to talk to Steve on the plane, see what he
thought. But that’s nothing against you guys or anything, but I’ve been coaching a long time, and I think
that’s one of the most overrated things in the world. I enjoyed him down there today.
Q. What was your thought process on trying to get [49ers RB Christian] McCaffrey a touchdown there
at the end?
KYLE SHANAHAN: 18 games in a row is a big record. If we had a chance to do it, I was going to try to do it for him. It’s a little nerve-racking. Last thing I want to do is get him hurt, but it was big-time for Elijah
[49ers RB Elijah Mitchell] to run the ball like that to get us down there. Brock and I think Ronnie [49ers
WR Ronnie Bell] made a huge third down throw, I believe, that gave us a chance, and once we got close,
we told him to stay loose because we were going to try. We got close. Wish we could have done it for
him, but I think that was a pretty big accomplishment to do it for 17 games straight.
Q. Did you have to explain it to Doug [Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson] at all?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, he said he knew. Right when I saw him, I was like, hey, I hope you know why we
were trying to do that, and he was very well aware. He said they were talking about it. Hopefully it didn’t
offend him too much.
Q. You know some people here may have freaked out if [49ers RB Christian] McCaffrey got hurt. You
were ready to assume the risk and take the heat if that happened?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, I try to make decisions not based off of having to talk to you after the game. I try
to make it on what I think is right for the team. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong. But I’m not
going to think about you until after the game. Then I can just deal with it.
Q. Has Ambry [49ers CB Ambry Thomas] made strides in practice to give you the confidence to make
that move today?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, Ambry has made a lot of strides even going back to training camp and stuff. It
was nothing against anyone in particular. Just wanted to see Demo [49ers DB Deommodore Lenoir] in
the nickel a little bit. Demo has got kind of a knack for that, and it’ll be fun to go watch him on the plane,
see how he did. But for us to make that choice, Ambry was the next man up outside.
Q. What were your initial impressions of [49ers DL] Chase Young’s impact?
KYLE SHANAHAN: From what I saw there, it seemed like he had a big impact. I know watching him and
Nick [49ers DL Nick Bosa] there on that same play, I’ll see when I watch the tape, but just having them
out there and allowing our rotation to go, and from what it looked to me, I thought we rushed
collectively the best that I had seen. I’ll tell you guys tomorrow after I watch it on the plane, but just
watching it live on the sidelines, it seemed collectively our group had their best game yet, and that’s the
goal.
Q. The sequence at the end of the first half, beginning of the second half, I know you always strive to
do that, but could you breathe a little bit easier after basically a 10-point possession?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, that was our first time this year I felt like we did it right, that we scored on the
last play of the second quarter and we started out with it in the third quarter, and then we got that touchdown. That’s what we try to do every week. We were successful this week. It was very nerve-
racking watching them ice our kicker, then the TV network ice our kicker. I didn’t know what was going on. That third kick was a little tight, too. But it worked, so I’m glad.
Q. On [49ers QB Brock] Purdy’s first touchdown pass, was that like a no-no-yes?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, that was honestly, I can say this because he played his ass off, he played well,
but that was like one of his worst decisions I think he’s made since he’s been here, and it took me a
while to get over it. I thanked him for the touchdown, but that was not a good decision. He was
fortunate with it, but he made a lot of really good plays, and if you are going to make a bad decision and
it’s still a touchdown, in the grand scheme of things, you can tell me it was a real good decision. But he
knows that. He knows what he did wrong. But he made them right.
Q. Spinning it into a positive, the fact that — too many picks, too many mistakes by Brock [49ers QB
Brock Purdy], the fact that that was the first drive but he obviously still wasn’t scared and was still
slinging it, does that tell you something that he still wasn’t playing scared despite the adversity?
KYLE SHANAHAN: I think he’s been playing the same way all this time. You don’t feel it from him at all.
That’s why I know he’s had some turnovers here on our losses, but you ask anyone who’s watched all
those games and stuff, he was one of the best players on the field in those games. You’re always
responsible for those turnovers, but there’s sitting there saying he’s taking too many bad decisions. That
was one definitely. It’s going to happen with guys. But I love having a guy who isn’t thinking about that.
He’s trying to make the right decisions, letting it rip, and he’ll live with the consequences and try and get
better when it’s not.
Q. You guys held [Jaguars Head Coach] Doug Pederson and [Jaguars QB] Trevor Lawrence off a bye
without scoring. Is this what you envisioned your defense to look like, and is it as simple as you guys
winning early downs?
KYLE SHANAHAN: I think it’s just playing one game at a time and not getting caught up in anything. They
had a bunch of big plays. It seemed like it. They got a number of plays going with their screens a number
of times. We had some big penalties that hurt us. They had some explosive plays that got down there.
Every time it seemed like they got going, our guys just never stopped. You don’t get points until you
cross the goal line or kick it through the uprights, and our guys made so many plays when they were
getting down there, they just were relentless today, and kept going for that ball, and eventually
everything took care of itself.
Q. How close was the decision on Trent [49ers T Trent Williams], and how do you think he performed?
KYLE SHANAHAN: It was real close. He was adamant that he was going to play. He was able to do enough
to, I’d say, whatever the percentage is, 80 or whatever, but it is tough because last thing I want him to
do is go out there and reinjure it or make it worse so he can’t play next week. It was tough. We talked about it a lot, all the coaches and him. We were going to keep a hard eye on him as it went, but I
thought he performed well under the circumstances, and the biggest thing was just talking to him there
on the sideline. He didn’t zing it, got out healthy, and had no setbacks.
Q. What did you see on the touchdown when it looked like [49ers QB] Brock [Purdy] was working with
zero room with the line in front of him?
KYLE SHANAHAN: Yeah, it was a look we were hoping for, it just takes a while. BA [49ers WR Brandon
Aiyuk] is running the in-route, and George [49ers TE George Kittle] is running out route, and it takes a
little bit of time to get down the sidelines with the leverage I believe that 33 had on him, and Brock just
tried to wait for it and waited as long as he could. I was so pumped he got it off, but he had to throw
with some anticipation and didn’t know if George was going to be able to get to it because he had to
bow around a little rub of man coverage, but beautiful touch on the ball. George has the skill set to
explode through it, and that was a huge play in the second half for us.
QUARTERBACK BROCK PURDY
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Can you walk us through what you saw on the first touchdown and how it played out?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah, I mean, it was just a normal keeper that we had up. I got the edge. I just felt like I
had a lot of time. The smart decision was probably just continue to run, try to get as many yards as I can
instead of putting the ball up like I did.
But I saw BA in the back of the end zone sort of run-in space, George, as well, and I just put it up towards
the back, and BA came down with it.
Yeah, I’m not necessarily proud of that play, honestly. Yes, it was a touchdown and everything, great. BA
made a great play. But I’ve got to be smart with the ball, and if anything, I should have ran the ball.
Q. Kyle termed it among your worst decisions ever.
BROCK PURDY: Yeah. (Laughter.) I agree.
Q. Were you moving your head trying to throw off the defense?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah. I just felt space on the left side, so I sort of nodded to like going right, and he
literally went right. I was trying to like get the defense to think I’m going to throw back right but then
have him go left. It’s just something that we’ve got to get on the same page about.
Q. One of the decisions you’re probably happy about was the touchdown to Kittle. How much do you
feel that pressure that’s coming around you? What does it take to stand in there and deliver that ball
knowing you’re probably about to get hit?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah. I mean, they were playing man, so I knew George just needed some time to get
outside one-on-one with that backer.
Knowing that and then seeing the safeties cut and take BA over the middle, I was like, all right, this is
George one-on-one. I had some pressure and stuff, but I’ve just got to get George a chance, and George
did a great job getting underneath it and going all the way with it. It was sweet.
Q. How big was this win for you guys? Just how much did you need this?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah, it’s huge. When you lose three in a row, obviously it’s like, man, you want to get
back on track. But honestly, we’ve taken every single game very seriously, and we come to work. We
never got complacent or anything. There’s some things that haven’t gone our way, a couple plays within the last game, last couple games, but for this one, came with the right mindset of backs against the wall
in a sense, and let’s play like hungry again.
I think that was the mindset, but overall we’re just trying to play Niner football.
Q. Were you feeling it coming off those three losses? Were you feeling maybe a little bit more
pressure, a little bit more on you?
BROCK PURDY: I guess a little bit. When you lose games in the NFL, it’s like there’s a standard, especially
with this organization. We all demand a lot out of ourselves.
I was more feeling the pressure just within myself, like man, I need to play better because of how I’ve
played in the past, and so that’s where I was at with it.
But I came into this game with a clear mindset of man, I’ve got dudes around me, got a great defense,
be smart with the ball and make plays. Play free in terms of cutting it loose. But all while still playing
within the scheme and being smart with the ball. That’s where I was at and I’ve got to keep playing like
that moving forward.
Q. Do you feel like this was the offense’s best performance of the season? You guys didn’t have a
single turnover, you didn’t turn the ball over. Was it the best performance of this team so far this
season offensively?
BROCK PURDY: Man, it’s tough to say. I haven’t really watched the film or anything yet.
But I think there’s still some stuff left out there that we could all learn from.
I think the Dallas game there was a couple drives where we were off, but I felt that one was pretty good.
This one, too, like yeah, once we’re clicking, like today we felt good. Putting points up on the board,
defense getting stops, turning the ball over. It was just really good team football.
We felt that today.
But still, there’s some drives out there that can be made, and we’ll learn from it still.
Q. You guys talk about complementary and team football. Is there a tangible boost that you feel when
the defense had that stop with the three-and-out to start the game offensively? Can you feel that
moment with your own unit?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah, especially coming and starting off the game with some momentum. Defense gets a
stop, three-and-out, boom, and then we are moving from the get-go with the first couple plays. We just
felt the momentum was huge.
Our defense has done a great job with that. Anytime we’ve had success, our defense is always — the side
of the ball to really start something up I feel like, getting a turnover it, getting a three-and-out, and then
it encourages us to go out and do our thing. Very blessed to have our defense.
Q. Positive spin on that — positive because it was a touchdown, but the throw to Aiyuk, the fact that it
was one of your first throws that you have been scrutinized, you’ve got to be careful with the ball, you
know that better than anyone, the fact that you obviously weren’t scared and you still flung it — I
guess did that show your mindset is still, yeah, I’ve got to be careful but I’m not going to lose that
mentality?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah. The biggest thing is I think just playing within our scheme, how Shanahan is calling
plays, how Griese is coaching us up with just our reads, our footwork, our progression, everything,
playing within that, and then there’s opportunities where if stuff breaks down, let’s go play some
backyard football-esque type of plays.
But to say I’m searching for those kind of plays, that’s wrong.
So yeah, going into this game, you’ve got to play like that. I still play football. I’m aggressive with what I
do and how I throw the ball. I still have to learn times in game situations where I’ve got to be smart with
the ball. That’s something I’ve got to continue to learn.
But at the same time, they do a good job of not just handcuffing me. They let me play quarterback in an
aggressive way and get the ball to our guys when they’re open.
Q. (Indiscernible) was on you when Christian was about to maybe score. How badly did you want to
get him in there?
BROCK PURDY: Yeah. Well, after the touchdown to Juice, I sort of felt bad. I was like, we came off the
sideline and guys were talking about it. I’m like, oh, man. I’m like, dangit, like I was mad sort of.
Obviously scoring a touchdown is the biggest thing, but then the next drive we were like, all right, let’s
drive for Christian and try to get him a touchdown. This is huge.
Yeah, at the end, man, it’s like, we all wanted it for him. Every guy on this team wanted it for Christian,
and then obviously I think Christian wants it more than anybody. He’s a humble guy, wants to win. He
puts the team first.
In that moment, everybody wanted it for Christian. It hurts, but at the same time, he’s got a long career
ahead of him, and I told him we’ll be able to do it again.
RUNNING BACK CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Did you do some lobbying to get back out there?
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Yeah, I suck. Everyone else on the team scored except for me. No, that means a
lot to me for them to keep me in at the end of the game there and try to get me that record, but hey, I’ll
take a huge win.
Q. How bad did you guys need this win today?
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Just as bad as every other week, but definitely this one coming off of three
losses. I think what I liked is it wasn’t perfect, but we just stayed with it. We kept going, kept going, and
defense came up huge with a bunch of turnovers, and offensively we’ve got a lot of things that we can
still get better at, which is exciting. I think we learned our lesson these last three weeks of just — we
have to play good ball every week. We have to execute. We have to minimize mistakes and go out there
and do what we know how to do.
Q. What does [WR] Deebo Samuel bring to the offense that we can’t quantify?
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Yeah, I really don’t think you can quantify it. It’s a different energy, a different
burst. Just having him on the field, I’m not a D-coordinator and go play defense, but he’s somebody you
have to focus on, and then what he can do when the ball is in his hands whether it’s in the receiving
game or the run game is special.
Q. It did feel like there was more lanes to run, bigger holes to —
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: I thought the O-line did a great job all day. That’s a really good defense. That’s a
good rush defense, too, and they have the numbers to show it. I thought our guys did a great job, and it
was good having 71 back out there, but I thought all five of those guys, the tight ends, Juice, they did a
hell of a job sticking with it, sticking with the run game, getting some of those gritty yards, and then in
the second half start to pop some of them.
Q. What were your impressions of how Brock [QB Brock Purdy] played?
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Awesome. Brock played awesome. He did what he knows how to do, and that’s
play well, play beyond the Xs and Os, and I thought he did great.
Q. You say you learned your lessons the last couple weeks. The bye week, was that well situated for
you to do some reflection?
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Definitely. The bye week was huge. I think everybody needed a little mental,
emotional and physical rest.
Q. Did you wish Juice [FB Kyle Juszczyk] could have just gone down to the one —
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY: Yeah, Juice really wanted me to score, unless he could score. I’m so happy.
Anytime Juice can score, I’m probably the second most excited guy on the field other than him.
TIGHT END GEORGE KITTLE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Did it feel like 49er football today?
GEORGE KITTLE: When you can sustain longer drives or explosive drives, whatever it is, and you don’t
have penalties on 1st and 2nd down, you’re not turning the ball over, yes, that’s Niners football. We
usually do a really good job protecting the ball and not getting penalties, and that’s what you guys saw
today.
The last couple weeks that’s all I’ve been saying is as long as we don’t turn the ball over a bunch and we
don’t have penalties on 1st and 2nd down, we’re going to score a lot of points.
You saw that too in the first and second quarter, whenever it was, where we had — I think we kicked the
field goal, then we had to punt because we had the penalties on 1st down. As long as we can eliminate
those things, our offense has enough really good football players to get yards, stay on the field and
sustain long drives.
Q. This was the first time that Brock had got into a game with — a few games where he had made
some turnovers and kind of had his back against the wall a little bit. How do you feel he responded to
that challenge?
GEORGE KITTLE: I just go back to this, Brock started like 40 plus games in college. He had highest of
highs, he’s had the lowest of lows. He’s dealt with mistakes. He’s had bad games in college.
His confidence is still there, and that’s all I wanted him to continue doing. He knows how to bounce
back.
I don’t think Brock played poorly the last couple games. Yeah, sure, there’s a throw or two he probably
wants back, but you look at the tape, he’s still playing at a high level those three weeks that we lost. Just
this time we were able to not turn the ball over, not have penalties, so we were able to be out there,
and you can see the type of quarterback Brock is.
Q. On the long touchdown you’re running a route, but did you have a chance to watch how Purdy was
able to hang in the pocket?
GEORGE KITTLE: I have not seen it yet, but all I know is that Brock is really good in the pocket. When he
has confidence in his skill players, he’s going to sit in the pocket and give you an opportunity, which is
what he gave me.
Q. Can you talk us through that touchdown?
GEORGE KITTLE: You know what’s fun is you come in at halftime, and you sit down as an offense and
Kyle brings up like hey, these are the eight to 10 plays that I want to get ran this half, and that play was
the second play of the half, and that was not on those. That was not up there.
I don’t know if Kyle talked about it, but he’s like, 2nd and 1, they always go man coverage, and so motion
over there, we’re in 22 personnel, so two tight ends, two running backs and a wide receiver, and it gives
me a one-on-one versus a linebacker, which I’ll take that any day of the week versus anybody. It was a
great call by Kyle to get us in the right play, and it was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was exactly
how we drew it up. I’m just thankful that Kyle called that play.
Q. Are you tired? You walked in the last like 25 yards.
GEORGE KITTLE: It’s really difficult to get that open. I saw him fall, I knew it was man coverage, too. I was
like, well, I knew the safety went the other way because he was covering someone else. Just had some
fun going into the end zone. I probably won’t ever walk in again because I’m going to get yelled at for
that. But at least I didn’t drop the ball before I got in the end zone.
Q. Is that the most room you’ve ever had between you and a defender in your career?
GEORGE KITTLE: After he fell, yes. Yeah, that was really fun. We should do that more often.
Q. Talk about the emotional journey of the touchdown pass that went to Brandon over your head.
GEORGE KITTLE: Yeah, kind of talked about this, but I’ve heard like three times, was that a great decision
by Brock. Well, since it worked, it was a great decision. But like every time I see a quarterback rolling out
to his left and throwing back to the right, I just think about Brett Favre and the Vikings in the playoffs.
It’s one of the biggest no-nos except when it works.
It was funny, too, because Brandon is running the corner, I’m running across, and Brock is like nodding
his head for us to go back, but he was like — I was talking to the defense — I was trying to sell it to the
defense. I wanted you guys to keep running. My bad, Brock. Me and Brandon both fell for it, too.
It went over my head a little bit, and I was like hopefully there’s someone else there outside of the
defensive player. I look around, and Brandon is scoring a touchdown. I’m happy for Brandon to get back
in the end zone because he had two against Pittsburgh, and it’s been kind of a dry spell for him.
It’s a fun day when all the skill positions score. Unfortunately not Christian. But when your tight end and
fullback are scoring, that’s great football.
Q. How do you think Brock scrambled, like his legs — he’s created a lot of plays for you guys this
season. What does that bring to your offense?
GEORGE KITTLE: When you have a quarterback who can run a little bit and he is a threat in the run game
and he also believes in his legs and he can outrun guys, it just allows plays to develop a little longer. Not
everything has to be a three-step, five-step drop seven, step drop throw. When you can do a little bit extra, it’s really hard to play defense and cover guys for five seconds. It really is, especially if there’s not
a lot of pressure and the quarterback is out on the side. That’s where you get all the illegal contact,
that’s where the get the pass interferences. If you’re playing man coverage, it’s really hard to guard guys
that long.
It just allows our offensive players, our skill guys, like I said, they’re very talented, it allows us to work a
little bit longer and get open.
Q. Can you explain the impact of having Deebo and Trent back in the lineup?
GEORGE KITTLE: What Deebo brings to the table is a lot. Especially where we line him up. When you can
move him and Christian, you interchange them, the defense has to account for a lot of stuff, and then
you take in all of our motions and all that stuff, there’s a lot going on for the defensive process every
single play.
When you have that capability, it just gets the defense kind of on their heels a little bit. Then you can
attack them with Deebo, you can throw a route to Christian.
That’s huge for our offense, just to have that diversity, whatever you want to call it.
Then you go — look at Trent Williams, and what Trent does is besides being a first-ballot Hall of Famer
left tackle still playing at a very high level, his confidence that he brings into the huddle is fantastic. The
way he gets guys hyped before drives, in the middle of drives, he’s incredibly encouraging. Just when
you have a guy like that who’s a very vocal leader, too, in the huddle, it just brings everybody up around
him.
Then also he doesn’t really need any chips or anything like that. He just manhandles anybody that he
goes against, and it’s very fun to play with someone that’s probably the best to ever do it at his position.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN ARIK ARMSTEAD
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Did you have any conversations with Steve Wilkes on the sideline during this game?
ARIK ARMSTEAD: A little bit. I felt his energy. He came up to us, congratulated us on some plays, and
that voice telling us to keep going and don’t let up. So yeah, I definitely felt him on the sideline.
Q. Nick Bosa has played well, but he hasn’t been filling up the stat sheet. Did you feel something
different from him today?
ARIK ARMSTEAD: Nothing different. Nick [Bosa] has just been doing what he has been doing — we finally
had a quarterback who held on to the ball for a little bit, and we were able to show up in the stat sheet
today. But Nick has been playing great all year.
Whatever the criticism that comes with getting a big contract, Nick has been dominant in the pass and
run game. He has been all year.
It showed up in the stat sheet today, but he’s been doing that all year.
Q. Trevor Lawrence has been one of the quickest this year at getting the ball out. What was working
that had him holding the ball longer.
ARIK ARMSTEAD: Really tying the front and the coverage. The guys on the back end were — we were
disguising things. We were mixing it up. Guys being sticky in coverage allowed us the extra hitch, and
confusing him, and once we confused him, he was looking to scramble, and our job was to keep him in
the pocket and get him down.
Q. Do you see any change in him? You guys got a couple right off the bat on 3rd down. Do you see
anything in him where this is going to be one of those days —
ARIK ARMSTEAD: When it starts out early, it could turn into one of those special days for you up front,
and we definitely had a good day up front, but got a lot more to go.
We can continue to get better, and we weren’t perfect out there, so it’s a great feeling to get a win.
Haven’t felt that in a while, and it was great to play well.
But turn the page for sure.
Q. On the one play where it looked like you took one in the shin —
ARIK ARMSTEAD: I didn’t take one in the shin. He tripped me, kicked me in my knee and kind of messed
up my day.
Q. Did you guys feel that you had something to prove after the criticism you might have been hearing?
ARIK ARMSTEAD: I mean, we know who we are. We know what we’re capable of. We have an extremely
high standard for ourselves, bigger than any people or outside people can put on us. We want to be
great. We want to be dominant, and we want to play at a high level.
We know our team is going to need us to do that if we want to get to where we want to go.
We already put pressure, and a sense of responsibility on ourselves to go out there and put the team on
our back and win games.
Q. Is it just a bruise or something?
ARIK ARMSTEAD: Yeah, I should be straight.
Q. Did you say something back to him when he —
ARIK ARMSTEAD: I didn’t know what happened. I have a lot of respect for him, but tripping me, kicking
me in my knee, could have got seriously hurt. It was just a dirty play.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN NICK BOSA
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. How would you assess your performance today?
NICK BOSA: [It was a] really good team win. Just complementary ball all around, and a good kind of reset
for us to keep going.
Q. Could you feel that Chase [Young] brings a little bit more juice just because of his numbers that it
creates for your D-line?
NICK BOSA: Yeah, I mean having him is such a big threat. I think we played off of each other well. Me
and him are really excited to keep going.
Q. On that sack early in the second quarter, at that point did you guys feel that you had that game
under control?
NICK BOSA: Yeah, I mean, I think it was only a touchdown lead at the time, so definitely didn’t let up at
all. Our back end did an unreal job mixing things up and kind of confusing Trevor [Lawrence], and I think
we got more ops (opportunities) than we’ve had all year, by far.
Q. Beyond just the opportunity, did you feel like the coverage being tied to the pass rush, was it at a
better level than it had been for most of the season?
NICK BOSA: Yeah, I mean, sometimes match-ups work certain ways. Not a lot of teams have done what
we just did to them. We just have to keep improving, keep taking it one game at a time because we’ve
played really well as a D-line in certain games throughout this year and not so good in other games, but
when you have these opportunities, you’ve got to make the most of them.
Q. Kyle [Shanahan] said you especially like coming and playing in Florida. Did you feel that?
NICK BOSA: I did. Right when I stepped off the plane, I felt the humidity, and it was just so, so good.
WIDE RECEIVER DEEBO SAMUEL
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. How did it feel for you just to get back out there and help the squad end this losing streak?
DEEBO SAMUEL: It felt good. Like being a month away and just not getting those wins that we were
supposed to get and just coming back here and just seeing we went out on all phases, just come out
with a big win.
Q. Do you feel like this was the team’s most complete game of the season?
DEEBO SAMUEL: Looking at it from the sideline, yeah. Defense holding them to three points, four
turnovers, special teams played well, and offense put up 30 points.
Q. Discuss your touchdown that you got and how the play went —
DEEBO SAMUEL: You know, it was kind of like a reverse. I came around the edge and I didn’t see nothing
but white jerseys and two blue jerseys, and I’m like, ain’t no choice but to get in the end zone right now.
Q. Seems like when you guys score, the other person celebrates more than the person that scores. Do
you notice that in practice?
DEEBO SAMUEL: I didn’t really notice that. I think everybody be excited to see whoever get in the end
zone score.
Q. You mentioned this week you felt like Monday’s practice was like day one of training camp. Did you
feel that energy kind of carry over to this game, like there was a little extra urgency on this one?
DEEBO SAMUEL: I think so. I think everybody was just fresh coming off the bye week. We lost three, and
we were just trying to get back on track, and that’s what we did.
LINEBACKER FRED WARNER
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. Did you notice the defensive coordinator on the sideline?
FRED WARNER: I guess that’s the answer right there, huh?
It was good. It was good having him down there, and the communication was flawless. Yeah, it was good
having him down there.
Q. Were you in his ear at all during the game between series?
FRED WARNER: You know, I think it was pretty similar, honestly. I think the thing was just kind of like us
being — just going into it, we wanted to make sure the communication was good in terms of the
microphone, him getting the calls to me, and I thought he did a great job.
Q. Was that the first time he could directly speak to you?
FRED WARNER: Yeah.
Q. Any difference in what that was like?
FRED WARNER: There’s always going to be an adjustment period. I don’t know if he’s ever done it
because I know he’s always been in the box. I think he did a great job being down there today.
Q. Did you guys come out today feeling like you had something you needed to prove as a unit?
FRED WARNER: I mean, I’d say so. Obviously there’s been — we had three games that just wasn’t us. We
had to get back to playing 49er football, especially on the defensive side. I’ve spoken on it. We had to
take pride in what we were putting on tape, and today I feel like we did that.
Q. Do you feel like the defensive line set the tone in today’s game?
FRED WARNER: Yeah, I think as a group, I think we played complementary football. I think obviously up
front we got a lot of pressure up front to make his life difficult, and in the back end using our disguises
and being sticky in coverage. I think that’s kind of what made it a little difficult for Lawrence.
Q. Could you elaborate on that? Morris gets the ball out really quick usually and he was patting it a
little bit. What were you doing on the back end to force that?
FRED WARNER: I think early on just giving him different looks, not just — we wanted to make sure we
gave great disguises in the back end to give those guys up front more time to kind of make him pat that
ball and just giving a lot of different looks throughout the game.
Q. You talked about the defensive line and the back end, but the second level, you have some decent
players there, too. Dre Greenlaw was banged up the last couple weeks. Did you notice more of a pep
in his step today?
FRED WARNER: Absolutely. Anytime we got Dre out there early, it completely changes the defense. He’s
such a great player, love playing alongside of him. The physicality that he brings, the hunt to the
football, playmaking ability, he does it all. It was big having him back out there healthy.
Q. How did you think Chase Young fit in?
FRED WARNER: I think he fit in great. I guess that was the missing link right there to playing dominant
defense again.
It was so good having him out there. He brings such great energy. He’s obviously such a physical and
dominant player. I’ll have to watch the tape to see how he truly did, but it felt like his presence was felt.
Q. Toughest interception you ever made?
FRED WARNER: Yeah, that was pretty tough. I have to say, Trevor Lawrence, he throws a good ball. It
came a nice spiral to me. That’s my bad. I shouldn’t say that.
Q. You could sense it was coming the way the pressure was getting to him?
FRED WARNER: Yeah, just kind of the flow of the game. I felt like all game I had been jumping the check
down when we were in zone coverage, so later in the game kind of got to have a situation I sunk back a
little bit in that dig window, and he just threw it.
Q. What are you seeing from Ambry Thomas in practice throughout the week?
FRED WARNER: Man, just confidence. Confidence, and that’s truly the difference right now. I feel like
he’s been getting better and better every week, just waiting for his opportunity, and I think he made the
most of it today. Obviously made that big play on the sideline, but I think he just competed his tail off all
week and then leading into today.
TACKLE TRENT WILLIAMS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023
Q. You didn’t seem too confident on Friday like you’d be able to play.
TRENT WILLIAMS: Yeah, I wasn’t. Like I said, it was truly questionable. I know a lot of people say that,
and over the years in my career, every time I’ve been questionable, I pretty much end up playing. I know
it’s what you guys expected.
I wanted to play, but like I said, Thursday and Friday went okay. It didn’t go as well as I expected.
It was truly questionable. Long flight, a couple days, Friday got some rehab, Saturday got some good
rehab, and today I decided to give it a go.
Q. Did you use something on your ankle on the flight?
TRENT WILLIAMS: Yeah.
Q. What exactly is that?
TRENT WILLIAMS: Just compression, what we call game ready. You put a little cold compression on it, try
to keep the fluid out.
Q. How do you feel you came out of the game health-wise?
TRENT WILLIAMS: I don’t think I took a step back. Definitely didn’t get any better, but I think — close to
75, 80 percent. I think I’m still around there.
Q. When you’re out on a lead block or somebody is coming to your side, how do you not cringe that
they may just roll up right behind you?
TRENT WILLIAMS: I just run as hard as I can. I know if I’m not running, there’s a good chance I get rolled
up. If I just get out there and run, still a chance you get rolled up but less likely when you’re keeping your
feet moving. Especially when I’m out in front I can tell the ball carrier is behind me, I try to run and apply
pressure on whoever that defender is, and hopefully the running back can make him miss and avoid me
getting rolled up on.
Q. Did you see Deebo coming around?
TRENT WILLIAMS: No. It’s kind of weird because 31 turned around and ran. I ain’t never seen that.
Yeah, I knew he was close because I could just tell the reaction of the guy in front of me. But anytime — I
feel so comfortable with 2, 3 and 19 out there in the open field. I just got to get in the way long enough
for them to make a decision, and once 19 gets a head of steam, it’s really tough to bring him down.
Q. How big was this win for you guys?
TRENT WILLIAMS: I think it was huge. I think it was huge. Losing four straight would have been… I think a
lot of people would have wanted to turn the panic lights on or could have had a proverbial back against
the wall.
I think coming out, getting this win on the road against a really good team that’s been rolling, a really
good defense, really good players all around the field, to come out here and get a good win, I think it’s
definitely what we needed.
Q. Is that why it was so important for you to play — it was only week 10, but to play in this particular
game?
TRENT WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah. Then I miss it, man. I miss it. Obviously being out there — not being out
there the last couple weeks and not being able to contribute, help my team, it really sucks. You feel
useless around the building when you’re not out there contributing in a physical way.
Yeah, it was important for me to get out there, and I told coach a week ago if I got to 70 percent, 75
percent, I think I was going to give it a shot.
Like I said, it was tough. I hadn’t had any physical contact since Cleveland, so I’ve already been on the
shelf for the last month, and I still wasn’t able to get any physical contact in practice because obviously
we were just wanting to see how it felt to get out and run.
Today I knew it would be tough. I knew I would be rusty because obviously you just can’t wake up after a
month off and pick up where you left off.
Q. Your new left guard in the line today, how did you feel like his preparation was during the week
and how do you feel like he performed today?
TRENT WILLIAMS: I feel like he performed well. Like I said, I’ve got to watch the film to actually give you
my honest opinion, but from what it felt like out there, I felt like he played well. [Jon] Feliciano is a vet.
He’s not somebody who we just signed off the street, an undrafted rookie. He’s there for depth. He’s
there for situations like this because we know he can come in and still give high-caliber left guard play or
center play or right guard for that matter.
