Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
On what went into the decision to waive WR Diontae Johnson
"Yeah, with Diontae, unfortunately, it didn't work out and we're onto the Chiefs."
On TE Cade Stover's injury
"Cade had a shoulder injury and he'll require surgery, so Cade will be out for the season."
On an update on LB Christian Harris
"Yeah, Christian is doing good. He's working his way back. Again, Christian has missed a lot of football, a lot of time, so we're working him back in slowly but surely. And Christian is a guy who's been a team player. Whatever we've asked him to do, he's been very diligent with what we ask him to do and wherever and however many reps he gets, he's going to out and play his hardest play his best. So, he's continuing to do what he needs to do to help our team win."
On if there was something Kansas City was able to do schematically that didn't allow their pressures to turn into sacks in Week 16
"It's very hard to get sacks on [Chiefs QB] Patrick [Mahomes]. He does a good job of getting the ball out. They do a good job of getting all five eligibles out as well. And if check down is there, he's not afraid to take the short pass and that's what makes him very unique. He won't hold onto the ball long just to hit a deep pass down the field. He'll take what you give him. Even though you apply pressure, you still have to be sticky in coverage, because the ball will come out in the short area very quickly. So, we'll try to mix it up as always. We try to mix it up as much as we can and guys just have to – you have to remain sound in coverage. Even if you're getting pressure on him, understand you still have to cover these guys twice because he's going to make a move, make a guy miss and still, he can create in the pocket."
On the connection he and Defensive Line Coach Rod Wright have that allows them to get everyone on the same page
"Coach Rod Wright has done an outstanding job since he's taken over with the defensive line. Just his rapport with the guys, him just being a former player. I think he has that instant connection with the guys. They respect him, they love him as a coach. He does a great job of motivating those guys, getting them going every single week. And I can't thank him enough for the job that he's done with our defensive line. We wouldn't be where we are right now with that unit if it wasn't for Coach Rod and [Assistant Defensive Line] Coach Nate [Ollie] as well. Those guys working together in tandem, they do a great job of bringing energy to the room each and every week you hear the D-line. They're loud, they're rowdy. The energy is always up in that room and they're great teachers. That's the one thing about both coaches, those guys are great teachers. They get the message across to their guys and guys go out and play lights out every single week for us. So, can't thank them enough for the job that they've done."
On if he knows all of the defensive linemen's nicknames
"All their nicknames? I know [DE Will Anderson Jr.] Terminator and [DE Danielle Hunter] Cyborg."
On what he has seen from DE Denico Autry
"Seeing Autry and the season that he's had through all the ups and downs of missing time. Just seeing him just stay with it, I couldn't be more proud of a guy. Could've went left a couple times, but he's stayed with it. He's been very persistent and you talk about a tough man who's been through a lot, a lot of adversity, he's overcome it and I think, right now, he's just hitting his stride. Watching him this last week versus the Chargers, seeing how effective he was not only in the passing game, but also in the running game, seeing him play with power, seeing him change the game for us on special teams, that was our vision when we decided to sign Denico. And he's a big-time player for us and when he's healthy, when he's on, he's a lot to deal with. And you throw him in the mix with our other guys, it makes us a very tough front. So, really proud of Denico just for him continuing to persevere through all the ups and downs of the season to be at this point right now, to be at his best when we need his best, it's really great to see him come through."
On the most important quality that has gotten the team to this point in the postseason
"I think the most important quality for our team is just perseverance. We've had some ups and downs throughout the year. We've went through some difficult times where, again, everybody was not believing in us, which is good. You have that adversity from the outside, we're trying to, on the inside, make sure we're doing things the right way, playing the right way. Games didn't go our way all the time. We've been in tough games, we've had tough losses, we've had wins at the last minute. So, we're battle tested as a team and I think that's hardened us to be exactly in this spot for that reason. We're battle tested and we're ready to go to battle against anyone, any type of way the game can go, we've been there. We, unfortunately, we've been on the downside, we've been on the upside, so we know what it takes to win and that's what I love about our team. We've learned a lot of lessons throughout the season. We've grown closer together as a team and I wouldn't want to be with any other group."
On why the defensive line was effective against the Chargers and how they can have that success against the Chiefs
"For us to play well every week, it's going to start with our D-line, it's going to start with our offensive line, that's the challenge. Right now, here in the playoffs, for us to win a game, we have to win up front. It'll always start there, so if we come out of this game and we can say our offensive line and our defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, they played physical and they dictated the tempo of this game, then we'll come out on top victorious. But it all starts up front and that won't change."
On how impactful DT Folorunso Fatukasi has been despite missing time due to injury
"Foley's another guy, similar to Autry, he's had some up and down moments throughout the year dealing with injuries. But he worked in the background when no one else was watching, he was working to get himself back healthy to help our team and as soon as he gets back out, you instantly see the impact he has when it comes to, first and foremost, the run game. We talk about playing physical up front in the run game, he made a nice third down stop versus the Chargers because of his physicality on the interior of the D-line. And we've been missing that and that helps when you can have a guy play stout, play physical as Foley plays, it helps us to play really good run defense and that's always the number one key. When we line up, we have to stop the run to make teams one dimensional and having Foley has been a huge reason to why we were able to play good run defense last week."
On how vital it is for QB C.J. Stroud to continue his execution of quick and short passes against teams who are trying to take the explosive plays away
"Offensively, we just have to continue to play efficient and when it comes to the quick passing, getting the ball out, getting completions, allowing our playmakers to make plays, that's part of being efficient. And that helped us last week, it'll also be a key this week as well, not only the quick passing game, but also running the football. You want to play well in the playoffs, you have to run the ball well. So, both of those will be key for us. And C.J.'s just commanding the offense. We know it's going to be loud, we know it's going to be rowdy there, so we have to be great with our communication. Everybody has to be very attentive in the huddle, making sure we're getting in and out of the huddle fast to make sure we're operating efficiently all the way across the board. When we do that, we're a really good offense."
On the challenges warm-weather and indoor teams have when playing in outdoor stadiums at this time of the year
"The weather can be a challenge if you allow it to be a challenge. For me and for our guys, it's something we can't control. You don't control the weather. Wherever we have to play, we're ready to go play. We understand we'll be on the road, it's going to be cold, that's what we have to deal with. And it's not a challenge for us, it's just something the other team has to deal with as well. So, we're ready to go. There's no excuses about weather. We've got to go suit up and we've got to go play ball."
On what goes into his interactions with the officiating crew before and after games
"When it comes to the officiating crew, we meet prior to the game. They'll come in and they'll ask if I have any questions on anything that I've seen on film from the other team. They'll give me feedback from anything that they've seen that possibly that we're doing that we need to correct. So, it's been really great communication with the officials, just making sure we're on the same page before you go in, the simple things. You have anybody reporting, captains, all the standard things you go over. But mainly just to answer – they're available to answer any questions that I may have prior to the game and our officials have done a great job of communicating during the game as well. So, guys have been doing a great job of just keeping the lines of communication open. Any time we have questions during the game, the head ref, he's available and he's ready to come over at any time to answer. So, our refs have been doing a good job."
On how much Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik will tap into him to game plan the offense based on how he saw the Chiefs defense compete against them in Week 16
"When you go against a team for a second time, there's always that chess match of we know they're going to bring some type of pressure. We don't know what it's going to be. We just have to make sure we're executing our rules, we're playing with the proper fundamentals and we're on it mentally. That's what this game will be about. If we're on it mentally, we'll be able to handle whatever they bring. We know they're going to pressure us and we just have to operate efficiently on offense and make the right reads, make the right throws, make the right decisions wherever pressure is presented."
On how much time he takes to enjoy the moment when preparing for and playing in games each week
"Every day is a great day. I enjoy every moment, every meeting, every opportunity I get to spend with our guys. I enjoy every day and I implore everybody to enjoy every day. That's what we have right now, today. So, be present, be where your feet are, enjoy the fact that we're one-of-four teams in the AFC still working and still have an opportunity to go reach the goal that everyone – when you start off in training camp, the goal that everyone wants to do is you want to get to the end. And we're still here, we're still fighting, we're still competing for that. And I'm always thankful, grateful to be in this moment, excited about it, excited about the guys I get to work it to go do it with. So, it's a blessing each and every day. Man, I never take that for granted."
On the impact LB Azeez Al-Shaair's leadership has had on the team since he returned and the impact he will have in the game against the Chiefs after not playing in the Week 16 contest
"Azeez has been a great vocal leader. He always shares a great message. He's great at articulating those messages to the players and the players are really attentive when Azeez is talking. When Azeez talks to the team, it'll always come from the heart. It's heartfelt, it's sincere and you can tell how much he cares about the guys just with his messages. So, I know it resonates with the guys and it's what a team is about. When your team leaders are standing up giving the messages, they go a lot further than what I have to say because they know my messages don't change. It's the same thing from when we started in training camp to now. We're going to be consistent in messaging from me and what I expect of our guys because you want to – I believe in winning. It takes a certain way to win games and that doesn't change from day one to where we are now. So, really thankful for Azeez and his leadership, thankful for [QB] C.J. [Stroud], [DE] Will [Anderson Jr.], the guys who step up and lead when it comes to being vocal leaders. You need that. You need guys to do it the right way, but at times, players need to hear it from each other and it means a lot more when they do that. So, we have a lot of guys who aren't afraid to speak up and speak their mind to each other and pour out their hearts to each other."
On how rare it is to have a rookie safety like S Calen Bullock who can produce takeaways while also improving in tackling
"Calen's – he's done a great job. To see a young player like him continue to ascend to get better, it's pretty cool to watch. And any time the football goes up, I'm looking on the sideline like, 'Man, did they try him again?' He has that knack for the ball. It's something you can't coach. Some guys naturally just find the football and Calen is one of those guys. He has to make sure he gets it. But he's done a great job of improving his tackling, him being back in the deep part of the field tackling is the most important piece for us. Getting the ball is one thing, but if something breaks down, he has to be the guy to erase the play and get guys down. And I feel like he's grown throughout the year in his tackling. So, excited with his growth."
On what it meant to have WR Tank Dell on the sideline on Saturday and the team wearing T-shirts with him on it before the game
"Tank means a lot to our team. As you see with the guys, seeing him on the sideline, seeing the T-shirts, it's real love. And everybody loves Tank. And I love Tank. We miss him. We miss [WR Stefon Diggs] Stef, we miss all of our guys, [TE] Brevin [Jordan]. We miss all of our guys that can't be out there battling with us because we truly care for one another. So, it's cool to see the shirts. They didn't give me a shirt though, what's going on? No, but it's a – we have a lot of love for Tank and we're wishing him a speedy recovery."
Quarterback C.J. Stroud
On what it would mean to him to be a part of the first time the franchise has made it to the AFC Championship game
"That would be huge. I didn't know that, but I think that will be a huge accomplishment. This team is really motivated to go up there and play some good ball and a great Kansas City team that has been in these moments forever. It is going to take all of us and take a lot of execution to get that done so we have to be on our A game."
On what it is like being able to compete against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round
"It is moments you dream of. You watch them growing up and dreaming of the moments to be sharing that field and be competing in those moments, so I am very excited and ready to roll but you have to have a good week of preparation. But I am definitely exited for it."
On what it is like facing a team for the second time this season and if it helps preparation
"Yeah, you definitely have to go back and see things that worked and things that didn't work and I think that definitely helps playing them so recently but they also have that advantage as well so we still have to be able to have a new game plan and do things that are new. It definitely does help to see a familiar team again and they do a lot of great things. We didn't really see a whole bunch of it, I think there are some exotic things so I wouldn't be surprised if that stuff started to show up. It definitely does help that we have seen them not too long ago."
On how important it is this time of year for the team to be on the same page and share the same mindset
"It's huge. You think about it and there are only eight teams left. It seems like you are lonely at practice, not saying that you are ever worried about anybody else, but you always knew other teams were practicing and now it is only seven other teams. It is kind of unique. It feels a little weird but it kind of feels like when you are in youth ball and you play all the way to Thanksgiving, because you usually don't play that long unless you make it to the championship. It is kind of how it feels, and it is cool because we get another week to hang out with one another and go spend time with one another off the field. I think that definitely will be nice, but these types of games are about who stays tight knit because crazy things happen in the playoffs. Just like last game, crazy things happen. Whoever can gel together are usually the ones to win."
On what this season has been like having RB Joe Mixon
"Joe [Mixon] has been doing great. He has been helpful to all of us, making our alignment right. Our linemen have been doing a great job in the run game, giving him the opportunities and he takes them every time so its been cool to watch. Sometimes I hand it off and watch him go to work. It is nice to have that and not have a whole bunch on my plate all the time. Even when our run game isn't working, I know he leans on me so it is just playing off one another and playing complimentary football but it is very helpful to have someone like Joe."
On his personal relationship with RB Joe Mixon
"Yeah, me and him are very close and come from a similar west coast stereotypical background and love being from the west coast and definitely bond over that. He gives me a lot of advice not only on the field but off the field as well."
On how important it is to get back to Kansas City and get past the emotional aspect of the last game they played there
"It is an emotional sport we play, especially when you have been with somebody so long. You see how hard they work and how much they love the game. To see Tank [Dell] go out like that was very tough and even seeing him this weekend at the game in better spirits and smiling again gave us a boost of energy. Now we have to go do it for him away in the same stadium he got hurt. We have to find a way not to get emotional and channel that and I think we will be able to do that. Just be more inspired than anything and try to get it done for him."
On if there are any preparations the team does this week to prepare for the temperatures in Kansas City
"I don't really have anything up my sleeve. That is kind of one of the reasons I went to Ohio State was to play in the cold and get used to that. I have played in cold weather games before. It is different but it is better playing than when it's wet and then it snows, which is better than if it rains. I am kind of used to it but at the same time, we don't play in the cold here but I definitely have been trained by it in college."
On who came up with the WR Tank Dell shirts the team was wearing last game and how special that moment was for the team to wear it
"I like that, but it reminds me of the funeral shirts and it is kind of what we do back home. I would rather be there for somebody than wear a t-shirt. But I don't mind wearing the shirt. Our equipment staff gets them for us it is a good way to remember somebody that year. But I don't want them to think they just own a shirt, I actually do check up on my guys who aren't playing anymore, care for them more than just wearing a t-shirt. They are dope though, I hope they liked it but I don't know if I would want to be up on a shirt. I think it is amazing that we do that and everyone shows respect to the person that is out for the rest of the year, but thank God they are not on the other side."
On if the turning point of the game was the catch by WR Xavier Hutchinson
"I kind of answered that, I don't really want to go back. It was a crazy play, it was a great job by 'Hutch' [WR Xavier Hutchinson] by continuing to run and I tried to do my best to salvage the play. It's ball and that is kind of how it goes sometimes. It is not how you start it is how you finish, like I said. Things like that spark energy, execution sparks energy, plays spark energy so those things are definitely helpful."
On if he grew up watching playoff football and if any games stuck out to him or players he looked up to
"I definitely looked up to a lot of guys growing up. I watched these type of game growing up and I remember watching Houston play in Kansas City some years back and went up early and they end up coming back. I am not saying that is how it is going to go but I remember watching that one. I remember watching all the AFC Championships with [Bengals QB Joe] Burrow and [Chiefs QB Patrick] Mahomes, I watched the one with [Bills QB] Josh Allen and Mahomes. Those were all great games. I have always wanted to be in these type of moments which is amazing that I am able to do it in Year Two again. I am definitely not taking it for granted and definitely going to earn my op[portunity] and try to run with it."
On what they captured on tape last game offensively that they would like to carry over this week
"Just execution. Just owning the little things and finally we have been able to get some practice with some guys because we didn't really have those guys in training camp or OTA's. Now we are able to get some guys in that we have been here for a couple weeks now and moving guys up from practice squad to get more time and reps down. That showed in the last game, and we try to take that over and just execution."
On if he has had a chance to watch any other football
"Yeah, I watched all the games this weekend. I watched [Commanders QB] Jayden [Daniels], he got his first playoff win. Super proud of him, super happy for him. I watched a little bit of the Bills game, took a nap during it but it was a good game. Josh Allen played great, I thought [Broncos QB] Bo [Nix] played good too. I watched this weekend, yes."
On how LB Azeez Al-Shaair's leadership has had an impact on this team
"He has been a leader since day one. That is first and foremost, he has always been a leader and just because he was out doesn't mean he wasn't leading. He was leading even when he was out. I think just in life until you make a mistake you can't gain wisdom. When you are on the stage you make mistakes, you are held to your actions, and you learn from them then you move on. One thing I am happy for him is that he is not living in any guilt, any shame and I am proud of him for that. For just coming back and playing really good and he played great on Saturday. We need him to play great again and he knows that. His wisdom and his leadership and the ups and downs he has been in in his life. The background he has that he grew up in, a lot of people don't know Azeez's [Al-Shaair] story. Azeez doesn't really come from much and you look at somebody like him who is the oldest out of a lot of kids and his family he has had to take care of a lot of his siblings. It hasn't been easy. You make mistakes and it's all about how you answer it, no matter what the mistake is so I am very proud of him and he's going to be huge for us."
On what impact using his legs had on this offense and the conversation with RB Joe Mixon about using his legs more in games
"He had been talking to me about that for a long time and I feel like I have kind of been able to do that this year. I think throughout the year I ran for like 60 yards against the Jets was part of my career high which I thought was kind of cool. It is not something I have ever been opposed of but I think I am elite in throwing the ball in the pocket, but I have been able to extend plays this year. I think that is a good thing for us and when it is need be. It is not something that I am looking for all the time but definitely something that I think can help us get an edge on the team. I am more than able and more than capable."
On if he was surprised by the Chargers when he took off and ran the ball last game
"Not really, they kind of showed us looks throughout the week. There was one third down, actually the one I threw the interception on, I looked and I was like dang there is a wide open, nobody accounted for me. I looked at it on the iPad and those are learning moments right there. I am still learning. Year Two for me and I think I am ahead on a lot of things, but I am definitely not perfect. I don't think I ever will be. I'm always willing to learn and make mistakes from them so I am glad I was able to learn from that and see that look and take off from there."
On how much he will utilize his football IQ heading into this Kansas City game
"It's huge. Their 'DC' [defensive coordinator], he is amazing. He does a lot of great blitz packages, plays a lot of sound coverage. A bend don't break type of defense. They make a lot of plays, they attack the football and they are playing at a high level. They have been able to uphold their team a lot this year and keep the games close. It starts upfront with [Chiefs DT] Chris Jones, amazing player. Then [Chiefs LB] Nick Bolton, great player. The whole linebacker team communicated very well. [Chiefs S Justin] Reed in the back doing his thing. [Chiefs CB Trent] McDuffie, I think I told you this before, one of the best corners in the league in my opinion and plays nickel too. They do a lot of great things, and their coaches know how to put them in positions to execute at a high level so we have to be on our A game and try to do our best to withstand the surge early on and chop wood, carry water throughout the game."
