Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
On how on explosive play can change the game and help overcome offensive struggles
"When you have struggles in the game, player, coach, offensively, defensively, special teams, it is a matter of just continuing to stay persistent and understand that's why the games are four quarters. You just have to stay the course, understand where those mistakes happen, and how you get approved, but it's a matter of everybody continuing to believe in each other and do the things we need to do to play well. Everybody knows when you make mistakes or you're inconsistent, they know what the issues are. It's just a matter of getting them fixed within game, and we were fortunate to be able to overcome some mistakes that we had in this last game with the turnovers. We were able to answer, get some stops defensively. Kamari [Lassiter] was able to go and get a takeaway after one of them, so just a matter of the team continuing to play around each other. That's how you overcome those."
On how one play can transform an offense
"When you have the big play that C.J. [Stroud] made it does lift everyone. I think just the energy, the morale of the entire team, even though it's not going great when you see that one play, it sparked the energy, sparked the enthusiasm for our entire team, it was a difference maker for us and our guys fed off of it."
On first initial impressions of CB Kamari Lassiter and how far he has come since then
"Kamari has been consistent. He's a tough, hard-nosed player, old school. He's a corner who loves to play physical, which is rare these days. Kamari likes to tackle, and he brings a different intensity out on the perimeter than most corners, because of his physicality, but also just his smarts intelligence and his playmaking ability."
On thoughts on the opportunity to make franchise history by getting a win this week
"We're excited about the opportunity we have. We understand what's in front of us. Great team, 'KC' [Kansas City] has done a great job for the past few years of really dominating the league, being there at the end. Great coaching staff, great players, great team, all the way across the board, so it's a really tough challenge for us. We're excited about the opportunity we have versus 'KC'. We know it's a tough, tough team to beat. It's going to take everything that we have. It's going to take all four quarters. Similar to our last game, we just have to stay the course, remain persistent throughout the game, and find a way to win in those critical moments."
On what he takes from facing Kansas City earlier in the season going into this game
"Different game, I don't take much from it. It was that game, that was that week. It's different circumstances that happened in that particular week. Now it's a new game for me, fresh start, new game. We will attack it just like it's our first time playing these guys again. So we'll go in with a fresh set of eyes and see the things we need to do to be better, the things we need to do that close out the game. I always go into each game with a first set of eyes, not really harping on a lot of what happened in the previous game."
On the challenges Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes creates for defenses
"Whenever you're tasked with what we call playing 11 on 11 football with a quarterback who is able to run the ball, it just presents different challenges. You have to be sticky in coverage. You have to plaster. That is the thing, you think you cover guys once and the play is still going on, and you have to look to cover them twice. So, guys have to be very disciplined when you're playing in coverage versus when you are play [Chiefs QB Patrick] Mahomes, because we know his escapability. Not just him running the ball, but also the threat of the run and him still being able to keep his eyes down field and make passes. Guys are wide open a lot on their film because of the threat he poses, and he just requires so much attention because he is such an elusive guy in the pocket. He is such a unique playmaker with the different angles and the way he can throw the football, the way he gets the ball out. Whether it is underarm, sidearm, however he wants to get it out he has the confidence to get the ball to his playmakers."
On CB Derek Stingley Jr.'s ability to track the ball and if it is like anything he has ever seen
"Derek [Stingley Jr.] has done a great job all year of when people challenge him down the field, he has a great ability to track the football and go make the play. Not many guys have that ability to track the football so a lot of guys play DB because they can't catch it but Derek does a good job of playing with great awareness but also having great hands to finish the play and make teams pay."
On what RB Joe Mixon brings to this team off the field
"[RB] Joe [Mixon] provides confidence. He brings it every week. The way he goes about his business, what he has to say to the guys all throughout the week, he provides confidence. You see a confident guy that is trying to exude that confidence off on his teammates and that is what he brings. Confidence, he brings positive energy to everyone and that is what you need at this point and time of the year. You have to believe, first and foremost, and Joe brings that belief. If you don't have it, you hear him talk and you will get it really quickly."
On how much of a boost it is to have a special teams unit who makes big plays
"The special teams unit came up big for us making some impact plays. Any time special teams can affect the game where it is taking the ball away, blocking the kick, it changes the game drastically. Our guys have made some plays throughout the year whether it is executing a fake punt, blocking kicks, getting great returns. It is all about winning that hidden yardage battle and our special teams has done a really good job all year of that."
On the differences between the practices in the beginning of the season compared to the last two weeks
"With our practices the past couple weeks, the difference, for me, has been how locked in our guys have been. When our guys work the right way, it shows up in the game and we have practices where we're doing a lot of repeats or guys are not quite on it, it shows up, the inconsistencies show up in the game. So, for me, I've always been a stickler for the work you put in throughout the week, it'll show up in some way, some form or fashion on game day. So, I just always implore our guys to our first day out, there's no time to waste. There are no wasted reps. We don't need to waste time when we're in practice because all those things will show up later in the week. So, it's important to me that we work the right way and when I talk about being relentless and effort and all the – physicality, all the things that I preach to our guys, I want to see it throughout the week when we exhibit that throughout the week, it helps us to play better on game day."
On the players that stood out during the game against the Chargers
"Going back and watching the tape versus the Chargers, I could name everybody on our team who stood out and who contributed and were a big part of us playing well in that game. First, I think upfront, I challenged our defensive line to play well and [DT Folorunso Fatukasi] Foley, him being back and that was the reason why we played well in the run game. I thought he impacted the game there. [LB] Azeez [Al-Shaair] making a huge play on the third-and-2, physical play. Getting them to fourth down. Azeez – [LB] Henry [To'oTo'o] was consistent with where he was supposed to be all day in coverage. [CB] Myles Bryant stepping in playing nickel, he was – he helped us with guys just with the communication, getting guys aligned, being where they had to be and him just being able to do his job consistently. Just a lot of guys all across the board helped us to win this game. So, and that's what team football is about and that's what you need now going down the stretch. You need everybody to contribute. And I always tell our guys, 'Our best players have to play their best.' If you consider yourself our best player, then we need your best and that's everybody who suits up is our best player, all 48 guys who suit up. So, I need everyone's best, we need everyone's best, so we can go out and compete at the highest level."
On what he has admired most about what Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid has accomplished in Kansas City:
"What I've admired most about Andy is the consistency at which he's led his teams. He doesn't change in his approach, but it's been effective. Guys love to play for Andy, I loved playing for Andy. He's a great head coach, smart coach, puts his players in positions to thrive. You see him kind of tailor the offense to fit [Chiefs QB] Patrick [Mahomes]' abilities and it's worked out well for him. He's been very successful, has a lot of good coaches around him as well. Andy does a great job of just finding a way to win. Whatever it takes to win games, Andy is going to find a way to do that and that's why he's been one of the most successful coaches in our game."
On if the defensive line's performance against the Chargers was something he envisioned they could accomplish all season
"Seeing all nine guys we have on the defensive line who were up on game day, they all help in some form or fashion. But when it comes to the run game specifically, the run game isn't stopped without our D-tackles and that's [DT Folorunso Fatukasi] Foley, that's [DT] Mario [Edwards Jr.], [DT] Tim Settle [Jr.], [DT] Tommy [Togiai] stepping in, [DE] Denico [Autry], all those guys contribute. Aand with them playing with great awareness, they're smart players. So, that allows us to play. It's not just firing off the ball, playing blind, they play with great awareness and they put us in position to make a lot of plays in the run game by eliminating space. So, that D-line, it's about a collective effort from all those guys and them working together. I know a lot of praise goes to our edge rushers with [DE] Will [Anderson Jr.] and [DE] Danielle [Hunter], but a lot of those things that they are able to do is set up by the games on the inside. So, the way those guys continue to work together and feed off of each other, that'll be important to our success moving forward."
On how much he needs all of the receivers to complement WR Nico Collins' production
"Very proud of Nico for what he's been able to accomplish just all year, everything that he's done, even when everyone knows the ball is going to him, he still makes the play. So, excited for him and just his trajectory as a pro and he's done an outstanding job this entire year. And when it comes to other guys around him, for us, it's just about how we need to move the football to gain yards. Whoever is tasked with getting the ball, just want guys to protect the ball and press forward. It really doesn't matter if you get it, do your best with the football."
On the biggest reason why the defense has games where they force numerous takeaways against good quarterbacks
"We're able to force a lot of takeaways because we have a lot of good players. It's not about me, it's about the players out there making the plays. And guys have done an outstanding job, that's our main thing that we go into every week is talking about attacking the football, taking the football because we know, when you take the football away, it just raises your percentages of winning the football games. So, every week our goal is to win the game. So, we want to win the game and we take the ball away, it's the defense helping the team win the game. So, our guys have done a great job of owning that. Not only – again, I talked about practice earlier, but they have to do it in practice and we emphasize it in practice and it shows up on gameday."
On who on the defense leads the S.W.A.R.M. mentality
"You really can't go out there if you're not about it. And that's what's unique about our defense. It's not one guy. If you want to talk about one guy, you can talk about [DE] Will [Anderson Jr.] as the guy who leads you. You talk about [LB] Azeez [Al-Shaair] as the one guy. You can talk about [CB Derek] Stingley [Jr.]. I can name all those guys because each one of our guys, when you play defense the way I believe in playing defense, if you're not about the SWARM mentality, then it's going to be hard for you to play defense for me because I see it one way."
On the challenges a healthy Kansas City offense presents
"They present a unique challenge because when you talk about their skill position, they have five guys who are all elite playmakers. Everybody they put on the field as an eligible has a chance to create an explosive and make plays. And it's not always the explosive play down the field. It can be [Chiefs WR Xavier] Worthy just on a one-yard pass and him turning it into an explosive. So, they present, probably, the biggest challenge we've faced all year. And it takes everyone. That's why I talk about our defense. It's going to be a collective effort from everybody. It's not just stopping one guy. It's not just stopping [Chiefs TE Travis] Kelce. Their running backs are really good. I don't think [Chiefs RB Samaje] Perine gets a lot of credit, but he's a guy who is one of the smartest guys when it comes to pass pro, protecting, blocking, running routes, he's another guy they have that you can't sleep on him as well. So, they do a really good job of – I think [Chiefs QB] Patrick [Mahomes] does a really great job just distributing the football to whoever's open. It just reminds you of – everybody makes the analogy of a point guard in the NBA, but that's what he is. He's truly point guard and he's dishing the ball to whoever's open and it's not only down the field, it's the short passes that guys open, he's getting the football and those guys are converting and creating explosives. So, everybody, sideline-to-sideline, we have to play with great awareness, great eye discipline. We have to tackle really well."
On the challenges of not seeing all of Kansas City's offense on the field at the same time this season due to injuries
"No challenge. We'll attack what they do and we'll see how it turns out."
