San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Sunday's 28-18 Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Here is everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Alright guys, injuries from the game: [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] had an illness today, tried to go, couldn't do it, never returned. And [WR] Brandon Aiyuk had a knee, we're worried it's an ACL. Not confirmed yet, but we'll find out for sure tomorrow. Go ahead."
Obviously, there's been injuries this season, but has it begin to, in your mind, does it accumulate emotionally taking all these injuries?
"Yeah, it always does for anyone associated with the NFL. I know a lot of teams deal with it. Not every team, but we're dealing with it hard right now and it got worse today."
What did you think, obviously, QB Brock Purdy is dealing with inexperienced receivers, WR Ricky Pearsall's first game, I think three interceptions. How did you think Brock dealt with all that?
"We didn't do anything really good on offense. I know he'd love to have all three of those picks back. Brock's been playing unbelievable this year. Done some good things on offense this year, but today wasn't that day."
On that second interception, was that a miscommunication or did Brock just miss the throw?
"No, he just missed the throw."
Obviously, not the result you guys wanted, but kind of excluding the performance. Just for Ricky Pearsall to make it back onto an NFL field today, what did that mean for you as his coach and for him?
"We kind of celebrated that almost all week with him, because it was great to have him back and he looked great in practice. He was going to get eased in a little today, it changed a little bit with Deebo going out, then it changed a bunch with Aiyuk going out. So he had to do more than we expected today and I was proud of him for handling it. Great to have him back."
Did Deebo get the sickness this morning, like did he just come in feeling?
"Yeah, this morning."
Can you describe what, was he just vomiting?
"Throat, stomach things, just real fatigued. Struggled to breathe, couldn't catch his breath. And so, he kept trying to fight through it, but once he was struggling with the breathing and everything, we had to shut him down."
Seemed to struggle to beat man-to-man coverage in this game. Are there things you can do as a play call, play designer to help get people open against those particular looks?
"Yeah, that's all we try to do. Thought a couple guys did pretty good on man, thought we got a good curl pump there, [WR Jacob] Jake [Cowing] at the end. I thought B.A. had a real good one that we just didn't go to, had a, one of the picks on it. [WR] Ronnie [Bell] did on the other pick. There were definitely times guys beat man and sometimes they didn't."
Looking at the defensive performance, what did you see in terms of how Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was able to torment them again?
"I thought the defense today, compared to everything else, gave us a chance. I thought they settled them down, but four-of-five in the red zone was the biggest thing. They scored pretty much every time they got down there. Mahomes just keeping plays alive with his legs. The 30-or-so scramble that he did, and then extended it by the sidelines, which we see over and over and everyone thinks they're ready for it, but then he gets another team again with it. Hats off to him, he's an unbelievable player. But we didn't play good as a team today."
Four losses and you have one more game before the bye week. What was the message that you delivered to the team? What do you want them to take away from today?
"I want them to say less today. There's no way to sugarcoat that. We got our ass kicked today. Lots of reasons for it, but those are things that they don't need to sit and think about today. We'll address all those tomorrow. We'll get together, we'll go through the truth of the whole tape, be hard on each other and find a way to put it to bed so we can come out here and make sure we put our best foot forward and find a way to get a win versus Dallas."
How much can you expect Brock to elevate himself given the circumstances?
"Brock elevates himself a lot. Regardless of whether guys are down or up, Brock's been doing that every game. He had a couple good plays today, but just overall, him, along with all of us on offense, we didn't do well. When you do miss your best players or some of them and they go out with injuries, it makes it harder on everyone. You hope that you can overcome that with some stuff with some of other guys, like Brock who is very capable of doing that, but just wasn't his best day."
Is there continued frustration with special teams and what can be done to kind of clean some stuff up?
"We're going to keep coaching them, we're going to keep putting pressure on us as coaches, pressure on the players. As you do get guys down, you can't just try the next guy. So, some of these guys are getting their opportunities because of injuries and we have to make sure that we get better at this. There are certain things that we have gotten better at but that big punt return, mainly, the one that stuck out to me. They're getting too much, and we just have to continue to work at it and not ignore it, which we're not."
How long do you guys expect to be without WR Jauan Jennings?
"I'm really hoping to get him back this week."
You've had some success running some screenplays. Why do you think you struggled defending those plays given that you've seen them before?
"Yeah, you see screens every week. That's what everybody does, hits a couple screens in the game. They got past our D-Line, sucked us up on that. I think they got us in a couple zone-coverages where guys were out of there and you need one guy to make the tackle and that guy misses and it opens it up. But they hit some good screens. It's what they do best, one of the best things they do and they got us on them."
Is there any reason to believe Brandon doesn't have a torn ACL?
"That's what it looks like, but we don't know for sure, just doing the tests and everything with our hands and with the trainers and stuff, all that. So that's what we fear. That's what it looks like, but we've been wrong before. So, praying that we are."
I know you've said past games don't mean much for this game, but what they were doing defensively, was it similar to some things you saw in the Super Bowl, or was Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo doing even other things?
"No, it's what they did in the Super Bowl. It's what they did the 19 games before that. It's what they've done all the games this year, so they've got a good scheme. They mix up a lot of 2-read-coverage, a lot of quarters-pressure, a lot of man-coverage and a lot of man-pressure. So, they kind of rolled those throughout the game and they're good at all of them."
There was a lot of emotion going into this game and everyone can say, "It's just another game, it's not going to make up your Super Bowl," but clearly it was important. What do you do now to kind of be able to put this behind you?
"It's why I try not to make it about that stuff. Obviously, we all know how much last year hurt. When you're studying that tape all week and stuff, it does bring up emotions and everything. And yeah, you would love to beat someone, but that has, if we beat them today, that wasn't going to change anything with the Super Bowl either. We would love to do it. We haven't been able to beat them, so that's something that would feel really good, but I'm not going to make that more than it is. It's why we try not to make it more than it is all week, whether we won or lost. We knew we were going to come in Monday and review it and know we were going to have a big game versus Dallas this week before the bye week. Our goal is to be leading our division after this bye week. I didn't even watch what happened today. I think Seattle won, but we have to keep it close here and find a way to get a win next week."
I know this is a hypothetical, but if Brandon does have an ACL, could you see being aggressive on the trade market for a wide receiver?
"I don't know, depends what's available, depends on the risk and reward with everything. We look into everything and every situation, but have to balance all that out."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
How do you evaluate your performance tonight and what happened on the second interception to WR Ronnie Bell?
"I think I've just got to play better for sure just with my throws and some decisions. That's pretty simple. I've obviously got to watch the film and stuff, but my instant reaction is I've got to play better. The second interception was on me again. Ronnie did his job. I thought he just got hemmed up. I didn't know where he was going to come out on his route, so I just tried putting it on him and then he ended up breaking out pretty good. So, Ronnie did his job. It was on me."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was talking to you at your locker just now for about four, five minutes. Can you tell us what the nature of that conversation was?
"We were just talking about some stuff throughout the game and just some moments throughout it and stuff and how we can get better and going forward. It was really just that."
The start of the game was so tough. The first quarter. Were they doing different things to you guys? Why was the opening so hard?
"Obviously it's tough to get the ball rolling when we're not getting first downs and things like that. So, it starts with that. I think we've got to convert on third downs and find a way, especially when our defense is doing a great job getting stops and getting us the ball back. It's on us, man, to move the chains and we just failed. Obviously, Kansas City is a great defense and everything, but we're a great offense in our eyes and we know that we can play at a really high level. And so that's on us to get the ball rolling. Not really sure. Still got to watch the film and see what happened."
Can you talk about the impact of losing WR Brandon Aiyuk and then the impact of getting WR Ricky Pearsall?
"Obviously just what B.A. does for our offense and who he is and as a teammate and a brother of ours, it's sad. Wishing him nothing but the best and praying for him. That's my guy. When he goes down like that, obviously we have other guys that can step up and do their job really well. Ricky having him back for his first game was awesome. Just seeing him back out there and making cuts and plays, he's a baller too. So, we're really excited for him and for his growth and to bring him with us. We're excited about that and thinking about B.A. and wishing him nothing but the best too. We've all just got to come together as a group, collectively, as the receiver unit and all of us. Guys just got to step up and they have. That's the nature of the sport, sadly."
I know quarterbacks are only supposed to do his job. Do you start naturally feel more responsibility when some of the bigger names, RB Christian McCaffrey, Brandon, and WR Deebo Samuel Sr. are out of the offense?
"I don't really think that. All I think about is what my job is, going through my reads, trusting in Kyle's play call and hitting the open guy. I think there was many opportunities tonight or in this game where I could have been better. That's just how I feel. Is there more pressure for me to put on a Superman cape and do more? No. I think who we have and the players that we have that step up in those positions, they've done a great job and we have a lot of talent in my eyes. That's on me and we'll just all continue to grow and fight on this journey together."
Do you feel your confidence was shaken at all during that game or did you feel you were going to come out of it any minute?
"Oh yeah, I think I was just trying to get into a groove and get a couple first downs, get some completions. As a quarterback, seeing those kinds of things are huge. I think their defense did a good job. But like I said, at the same time, I think there's some moments and times where I have to make the throws, I have to get the first downs moving and rolling. But, got to watch the film, see what happened and we'll go from there."
49ers DL Nick Bosa
Clearly it's tough to lose any game, but does it seem a little bit tougher to kind of be up here today talking about it when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs and not kind of be able to get over that hump this year?
"Yes, we obviously want to beat a team that's had our number since I've been here. We just did not play well enough."
QB Brock Purdy walks out there, you know, with a lot of different players and different receivers. He himself said it is not time for him to put on the Superman cape. What do you tell him in a time like this when so many people are missing for him?
"I don't know if it's my job to tell Brock how to react. I think we have coaches and people for
that."
You guys got to Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes a little bit early in the first half with a couple of sacks. What were your impressions of how he was playing and how much of an adversary he is?
"Yeah, I mean they're a tough team. They know how to win in a lot of different ways. We were hoping for more opportunities to get to him in the second half, but you have to stop the run to do that and we weren't doing it."
49ers OL Jake Brendel
Any word on the injuries to the wide receivers?
"If it is true, it is a super big loss, but at the same time, that's why you have a roster of great talent. [San Francisco 49ers WR] Ricky's [Pearsall] shown a lot of good things in practice. Obviously, he had a crazy incident that he is coming back from. Obviously, we're glad he is back out there with us and he's only going to do better things every single week."
Were you privy to the plan beforehand? I would expect just given 49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr. was expected to play, obviously no one wants to see anyone get injured. He probable was going to be in a limited role and then he is out there snap after snap. Was that the plan for him to your knowledge?
"I honestly have no idea. We don't really discuss that stuff."
What are your thoughts on 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk going down and being injured after this?
"It sucks. I am still not sure what it is, but any injury like that to one of your weapons on offense and defense, it just sucks. I feel like as a roster, we just have to respond. Whoever's next on the roster needs to step up and make sure that there isn't a setback and productivity on offense."
How important is it, you have got Ricky Pearsall and now 49ers WR Jacob Cowing out there who might have to step into a much larger role?
"Yes. It's very important. Obviously, they are young players but they are on this team for a reason. I think the entire team has faith in them doing the right things out there."
49ers S Ji'Ayir Brown
Both you and S Malik Mustapha can get downhill so quickly and really hit in the run game. It seemed like the Chiefs wanted to attack you on that. How do you think you guys held up there?
"I think we did a great job."
What was HC Kyle Shanahan's message to you after the game?
"There wasn't much to say. We all know what happened, so there wasn't much to say."
When you see WR Brandon Aiyuk and WR Deebo Samuel both go out, how heartbreaking is that? HC Shanahan said he fears it's an ACL injury for Aiyuk. What are your thoughts on that?
"I didn't see them go out. I heard about it a little later in the game. It's tough losing two of our star players. Both are great playmakers, so it's tough."
49ers TE George Kittle
How exciting was it to see San Francisco 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall back out there with you guys and playing in his first career NFL game?
"It's awesome. To go through what he went through, then to be back seven weeks later and make an impact and really just get out there in front of the crowd. Probably had some jitters. I don't know if he did, but I think I would in that situation. He came out and made the play when needed to make a play. For the crowd to kind of give him a standing ovation was a really special moment. I'm happy for him to be back on the football field after we drafted him in the first round. He's an amazing athlete. He's a hell of a wide receiver so the more reps he gets - the more practice reps he gets - he's going to be a really good player for us."
Take me through what you think about this matchup. Is it something that was in-house, did it come down to mistakes and turnovers, or is it that they have your number as San Francisco 49ers DL Nick Bosa said?
"Bosa's not usually wrong. I'll say that when the score is 14-6 at halftime, I think our defense is playing at a really high level against an amazing quarterback and a really good offense. We went like three-and-out the first couple of drives where we didn't have a first down for what felt like the entire first half. You can't play like that if you want beat a team that knows how to win. They win gritty games and it wasn't the prettiest game for them. You know, [Kansas City Chiefs QB] Patrick [Mahomes] had a couple turnovers himself, but they win those gritty games. We just continually have turnovers, don't get first downs, don't run the ball, explosive [plays] like the way that we usually do it. It's really hard to beat good teams and I just think the offense - we just didn't play very well today and we kind of left our whole team out there. I think we let our defense and special teams down, really. I mean, we have to play better. [49ers WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] didn't play, we lose [49ers WR Brandon] Yuk [Aiyuk]. You look in the huddle and I'm standing next to Ricky, [49ers WR] Jake [Cowing], [WR] Chris Conley and [RB] JP Mason. It's a lot different than, Deebo, [WR] Jauan [Jennings], Yuk and [RB] Christian McCaffrey. So it's a little different, but we have the coaching staff for it. Our offensive line is still healthy and the guys in the building are really talented, so we get to figure that out and keep pushing forward."
How would you describe the importance of next week's game ahead of the bye-week?
"It's huge. Every game is huge. I think it's Sunday night football so all eyes on Levi Stadium which I'm excited about. It's a great rivalry - it always has been. We need to get a win and especially because it's an NFC opponent. We have to continue to stay in the hunt. We have to try and stay ahead in our division as best we possibly can and try to get a little bit better. I've said multiple times, 'you want to be a better team in October than you were of September, and better in November than you were October.' We did not get better today. We had some good plays, but it was not our best performance."
S Malik Mustapha
I don't know if Tom Brady actually knows your nickname, but he did say that you look like a missile on the field today. Did you feel some of those hits you were delivering in the first half?
"I felt I could truck later, too, so those hits really don't mean anything. They always remember that one play. I just try to do my part and those are some moments I got. I've got to learn to look in the mirror and do better."
They say adversity is when you find out a lot about a team. How do you feel that this moment, where you guys are at right now, coming off this loss, how is this going to propel you guys going forward? What can you take from this?
"We need to just go back to the drawing board. At the end of the day, we can't sit around moping about it. We've got to go back to work the next day. We're going to critique ourselves hard. There is still a lot of time to show what we want to make out of this season – only lessons, never losses."
Maybe one positive note is [WR] Ricky [Pearsall] was back on the field. How was it? Was it nice to have him back out there?
"It was a fearful moment a couple of months ago. Just to see him out there showing the world what he has to offer – it is a blessing, and I'm just happy for him. And it's only the start."
49ers WR Ricky Pearsall
You've played a whole career of college football and just one NFL game so far. What is the difference between trying to beat man coverage in the SEC versus what you saw today?
"There's a little bit of a difference, obviously. The NFL is the best of the best, so there's that difference. I still think there's similar techniques to beat a DB at the end of the day. I have to stick to those techniques and keep working on it and keep getting better."
What did it mean to you to get out on the football field today given what happened to you?
"It meant everything considering all the adversity I went through this past month. It was really good to go out there with my guys again. I think that's a refresher for me. When the incident happened, the first thing I was thinking about was the guys and coaches in this locker room and the entire staff. They did a really good job of rallying around me and making sure I stayed up. It was a huge blessing for me today."
When that happened to you, at what point did you realize that you would be able to play football again?
"They told me in the hospital when I was still asking that question over and over again. That was a common question coming out of my mouth when I was in the hospital bed. They ended up telling me after they saw the x-rays and the cat scans of the bullet path. There was also some nerve stuff that I had to make sure I was good on, so that's why I had to stay overnight. After that, the next morning is when the doctor came in and told me I would be good to play football again. That was my first question."
49ers LB Fred Warner
Coming out of this game, what are your initial thoughts on what happened today? Where does the team go from here?
"My initial thought is we didn't play good enough to win. I really want to move on. Look at the film hard and you can do one of two things. Like you can sulk in defeat or you can see what the reality is, fix it, move on, and get ready to win a game next week. There's so many things that are going to be said, obviously about where we're at and that team. At the end of the day, that's not going to help us move forward. That's not going to help us for next week. We have to just look at the reality of what it is, flush it and move on and win a game next week."
When you look at next week, what would it mean for this team to get a win against the Dallas Cowboys and then have the bye, and go into that with a win?
"Yes, it would mean a lot, obviously. We have to move forward. We got to prepare hard for the Cowboys, win a game at home in a primetime game and get back on track going into the bye."
What gives you confidence that you can turn things around and go on to run the way you have so many times before?
"The guys that we have in this building. Everybody that's come up here and spoke at this podium. The guy who's going to speak after me. Obviously, I put a lot on myself through the wins and the losses to be the player that our team needs me to be, and a leader that our team needs me to be. So we have everything we need going forward to right the ship."
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
Opening Comments:
"Thank you to our fans for being here amongst the red. We brought some more red. Overall, I thought it was a good team performance. There were a lot of good things that happened on the defensive side, the offensive side and special teams. Offensively, one hundred eighty-four yards rushing. Who would think we'd be talking about [QB] Patrick Mahome's runs, but he had a couple nice ones. All three running backs did a heck of a job there. The third downs worked great. [Offensive Coordinator] Nags [Matt Nagy] had a great plan for these guys as we went forward: eight for fourteen on third down. We were better in the redzone than what we've been with four out of five passes there and scores. That last drive, just bearing down, putting the hammer down on that was important. That was physical. None of this can take place without the offensive lineman on the offensive side and getting [WR] Mecole [Hardman] involved both on special teams and on the offensive side was great. And I mentioned [RB] Kareem [Hunt], but seventy-eight yards at twenty-two carries. He's a beast in there, as were the other guys. Defensively, we played great football and had three picks, three turnovers, against a really good offense there. In some categories, they were first in the National Football League. That led to fourteen points. So three turnovers, fourteen points, great thing. [S] Justin Reid is just playing likean All Pro, which he is in our mind. He came out and had the eight tackles and again, leading the team in tackles and interceptions along with [CB Chris Roland] Wallace and [DB Jaden] Hicks, two young guys contributing in their third downs and two for eleven. Again, against a good offensive team. And then special teams.. that's a reason you have to take your hat off to him with the field position part of it, it's so important in this league. He did a nice job. He was back in California, so he was using all that air out there."
You talked about the better play in the redzone. Was there a reason you wanted to put your finger on there?
"No, we did it. The place we did well was on no penalties. That ends up being important when you get down in there and you don't take anything away from yourself. That's kind of hurt us in the last few games. But it was a great scheme. It was schemes that we used in there. The guys executed well in there, so all around it was good."
You guys had only two interceptions all season before today. Each of them seemed to have its own little story to them that seemed to do really well, and drop off on that CB Chris Roland-Wallace interception. Could you elaborate on what enabled that?
"[Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] Spags does a great job with the different schemes and the different personnel. You think about two rookies being able to jump in on this thing and being a part of it and then putting them in position to make plays. He's the best in the business of what he does. He did a great job with the scheme part of it and the players love all that stuff. They all get to be a part of it and contribute."
I don't know if you would've seen, but it looked like QB Patrick Mahomes got literally punched in the throat on that interception. Did you see? He's always fired up. Did you see any changes in his demeanor after that?
"Yeah. You probably noticed his voice isn't very…No, he didn't say anything. No, I didn't see anything."
Because of injuries, you guys had to change your strikes a little bit on the run game. When that happens, is that a challenge, or kind of a joy a little bit, or is it frustrating?
"You're going against good coaches, good players, two good football teams that have a history together. [San Francisco 49ers Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does a great job with his staff and their players. You love that part of it. You love the competition part. As far as the run game, you're going to do what's working and try to mix it a little bit to keep them off balanced. That's a tough group. 54 [LB Fred Warner] doesn't allow you to keep them off balanced too much. He's a pretty good football player along with 97 [DL Nick Bosa]. They're both really good."
CB Jaylen Watson and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, do you think those are any kind of long term issues?
"Yeah, I think [CB] Jaylen [Watson] will be, but we will see what the MRI says. I don't think that's going to be great news."
I think Chris Roland-Wallace had only one catch this season before. What does it take for the guy to be in the right place at the right time?
"He's a really smart kid. We saw that in training camp. He picks things up easy. He's got a great feel for the game, had that in college. He was able to transfer during camp. Again, my hat goes off to [General Manager Brett] Veach for getting these guys. We're playing a lot of different folks and the guys are stepping up. Roland is a good football player.
You guys are the only defeated team left in the AFC West. Can you put that in perspective when considering the adversity, the injuries, the other challenges that you've had?
"We have plenty of room to improve on things. Eventually, guys will start coming back. The thing I appreciate the most is guys stepping up and then the other guys trusting them to step up and believing in them and the coaches just coach 'em. They each bring them in and coaches coach 'em. I appreciate that to put us in this spot right here. There's a lot of things that go into it, but I appreciate the attitude of the guys."
Patrick Holmes looks a little bit like a running back on his touchdown with the middle, lower shoulder kind of trucked the guy.
"Yeah, he did. He caught him just right. That guy's a good player and a good hitter, but Pat was able to drop his shoulder on him and get in the end zone. He wasn't thinking it was going to be like that, but he caught him off balance a little bit and that happened."
You talked about this before, but I assume you prefer Pat to avoid contact instead of seeking it out?
"Yeah, especially on those shoulders. But that's all right."
With San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey out and then WR Deebo Samuel Sr. and WR Brandon Aiyuk also being injured during the game, is there anything from that Super Bowl game plan that carried over to today? Was it pretty much a game plan for a completely different team?
"They had different stuff. We had different stuff. Both teams are doing what they do, but there's wrinkles in there. Obviously, matchups, injuries, and so on, but I wouldn't tell you it's just a completely different offense or defense.Kyle has a lot of guys. He's going through that same thing, trying to make sure guys can get in and go. [RB Jordan Mason] 24 is giving him some real healthy yards there, running hard. He's doing a heck of a job with what he's got there and guys are making plays for him. That tight end had a few big plays today. He's pretty good."
Chief QB Patrick Mahomes
You guys were four of five in the red zone. What was it different about today?
"I think just execution. Obviously, we were able to run the football. That was big. That's a really good defensive line and the o-line stepped up and we were able to run it down there. We found a way to get in the end zone and when you get in the end zone, you get points on the board. Now it's about cleaning up the turnovers and think if we could do that we can start hitting our stride."
It looked like San Francisco 49ers DT Malik Collins either punched you or grabbed your throat on that play. Can you tell us what happened and it did seem to kind of fire you up even more?
"I mean, I don't. I'm hoping that he didn't intentionally. I don't think he intentionally tried to hit me in the throat. I think he was trying to just push me in the chest there and he's taller than me. So, I threw the pick. I don't know if I was fired up from that or if I was fired up because I threw my second pick and kind of hurt our defense there in that situation. So, we continue to just make strides in the right direction, but at the same time, we make those these mistakes, especially me. We're winning football games, which is awesome, but we're going to try to continue to get better."
When you ran for the touchdown were you still kind of feeling that fired up and did you kind of seek the contact?
"No, I actually was not trying to lower my shoulder. I was trying to absorb the hit because I knew I was going to be right there in the end zone. And that dad body man. I had enough weight on me where he went down. So, it wasn't like I was necessarily trying to seek out contact. I was trying to absorb it and get in the end zone and just ended up looking good for me."
When was the last time you were able to lower your shoulder? Can you remember?
"The last time I lowered my shoulder was against Iowa State and I had an AC sprain and then Iowa State beat me by 56 points. So, I've stayed away from that."
Did your dad body help you on the scramble down the sidelines?
"Yeah, I was stopping and was going to try to just get the first down and I haven't seen the play, but the dude either overran or got a little bit of a block there. So, once I got on the sideline it opened up and I was able to get down there and I thought about cutting it back but, I'll save that for the playoffs. Right now I'll just continue to run out of bounds."
What's the benefit of playing these games that have this high level of intensity?
"Yeah, I think you get the best of the best and that prepares you for the playoffs. I think that's the biggest thing. I's obviously fun to win and score a lot of points, but whenever you play these high tense moments against the great teams in the NFL you see where you're at. We were able to find ways to get a win today as our defense continues to play special, honestly. Offensively we're able to run the ball and find a way to get in the end zone. I think we can get so much better. So we're going to continue to work at that and try to continue to get better as the season goes on."
I know you don't do a lot against the ones during the week, but CB Chris Roland-Wallace, I assume you played against in practice. What have you seen from him?
"He's a good football player. He's been like that since training camp, and you can see it. Some guys just have it, and you can see it from day one and he's gotten better and better. You can tell he really listens to [Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] Spags to [Defensive backs] coach [Dave] Merritt to all the coaches and the players. So he sits there and he listens to [CB] Trent [McDuffie] talk and he's gotten better and better each and every week. He stepped up today and whenever his number was called and I think there were two rookies who got interceptions if I'm right. So, it was cool to see those guys to get in the game and make plays."
You guys are 6-0, but nothing seems like it's come easily for you all. Is that frustrating or does it make it that much more rewarding when you're able to find different ways to win?
"I don't want to say it doesn't come easily because we're winning games against good teams by a good amount of points and that's not easy for the NFL. But I just don't think it's normal for what you've seen from us because there's not a lot of passing touchdowns. There's been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. So, I think it's just showing the versatility of our team. It's not just about me, it's not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It's about playing team football. I believe that if we continue to work we'll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field. Until then it's nice to know that we have a great running game, we have a great defense and we're able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games."
The interceptions, any common threads there from your perspective?
"The first one the guy was open, [TE] Jody [Fortson] was open on the slant. It was going to be a catch and tackle trying to just gain some back because we were in second and long and their D-line made a good play. He got his hands up, knocked it up in there and made a pick. Then the second one was just trying to go to my matchup with [WR] Xavier [Worthy]. Obviously you saw the feet got tangled up there and he ended up losing his balance and falling down and that guy made a good play. I feel like in the interceptions, I was going to the right direction in the right spot. Just you get unlucky sometimes, but, I've got to still clean it up. There's too many interceptions that put our defense in bad spots. So in order for us to even take another step it's going to be about me taking care of the football, scoring those touchdowns in the red zone like we did today, and then letting our defense really eat and letting Spags be spags."
It seemed pretty chippy overall today in a lot of ways. I wonder, on the touchdown, it looked like you had something to say. Are we gonna hear you on mic'd up saying something?
"I don't know what I said. I think I just said I hope I scored a touchdown. I got pretty hyped up there just because it was fourth down and got in the end zone in a big moment. But, I don't remember exactly what I said."
On the play to WR Mecole Hardman, how similar was that to the play in the Super Bowl?
"It was a different play, but a similar motion just based on how they guard the motions. I kind of threw it and then my next read was coming across the field. I think he was wide open, so he slipped and he was going to be open and it's not there. It's just about finding a way to reset back, and get to your next read. I'm still going to be able to throw a touchdown even though we didn't exactly show it exactly how it was drawn up."
Chiefs LB Nick Bolton
This is a big win. How does that feel?
"Yes, I think we kind of came in ready for this game. From here on out we're going to get grittymatchups. Today, I think both defenses started off the game playing very well. We had a coupleof turnovers, but we got them behind the sticks and that helped us out early in the first quarteragain. It was a gritty football game. I'm a defensive player so we love it that way."
Did you see any parallels to Super Bowl 58 though, with that kind of slow offensive start, where the defenses have to step up?
"Honestly, the way the game progressed we were not even really thinking about the last one, the last Super Bowl. It's just kind of obvious. We saw certain similar plays that we didn't defend very well in the Super Bowl and they ran them. We defended them a lot better this time especially in the first quarter. We had about four or five plays that we didn't run very well last time we played the 49ers. They came out and ran those plays. We defended them pretty well and got behind the sticks. So I think that's kinda the only thing I kind of got from it."
Speaking of the Super Bowl rematch, you also next go to Allegiant Stadium again. What will that be like?
"I think that will be a great environment to play in. We understand what happened last time. We understand that's The [Las Vegas] Raiders home stadium and they're going to come out and play hard for sixty minutes. It's going to take all four quarters. It's going to take all 53 guys on the roster to go out there and find a way to win."
Chiefs S Bryan Cook
You said you needed to show better restraint?
"For sure. Obviously, like a situation where I didn't think the play was as clean. We're sitting here talking about sportsmanship, but I didn't retaliate in the best way either. So I can fault myself. Who am I to judge? At the end of the day, I take full accountability for my actions. I can do better moving forward."
Do you think you frustrated the San Francisco 49ers? You guys have beat them five times in a row. Do you think that comes with frustration?
"Maybe, but at the end of the day, what do you want me to say? You've still got to go and put on a pair of pads on any given Sunday. It's not really what happened in the past. It's always a moment thing."
You guys talk about next man up. What did your secondary show today to have next man up?
"Having the rotation, having a trust in those guys and not having a drop off when they come into the game is a big thing for us. And then honestly, we trust even if you do mess up and you do have a situation, like me. I didn't have a perfect game either. I missed a tackle in the middle of the field that I needed to make. I can't sit there and dwell on things. It's more like, 'Hey, next play.' You're going to be fine."
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman
What is it about you against the 49ers? You're either a Super Bowl hero, you scored three touchdowns [in a 2022 regular season game], you scored a touchdown in this one.
"I don't know. I guess it's just one of those types of things that happen. We had a good game plan coming in and I took advantage of the opportunities."
Did you know earlier in the week you'd be a bigger part of the game plan today?
"A little bit. It just all depends on how the game is going and what coach wants to call. I knew I could get in there a little bit. But, like I said, I just wanted to make most of the opportunities."
You've had so much success in the horizontal game. Can you take me through your comfort level and why you've grown so comfortable in running those horizontal jet sweeps and things of that nature?
"I think it's just something that comes naturally – jet sweep me on the edge and try to turn the corner and make a move. I've been doing that most of my whole career. I did it at Georgia a lot, and I came in and did it here when I first got drafted. It's just a natural thing for me, but hopefully I can start getting those across the middle balls. I'm trying to make one man miss and take it to the house. I'm trying to develop that into the game, but for right now I want to just take advantage of what they give me."
Chiefs DB Jaden Hicks
Is there a better way to get ready for a game than obviously going through it like that? Have you tried to understand what that moment could be like?
"You can imagine it but you never know exactly what it is going to feel like. The Super Bowl rematch is one of the biggest games, so coming out here and dominating again is a good feeling. We worked hard and we worked a long week for this."
Did it feel like this game had a different intensity to it?
"No, we just keep it rolling. We don't really focus on one opponent, we just do one at a time. It didn't feel much different."
Did you know the route combination he was looking for, or was it just matching his eyes to where the ball might go?
"It was more matching. It was my responsibility to keep my eyes on one. I saw he turned out to the corner so I looked back to the quarterback and that's where the magic happened."
Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt
You're really settling in. Are you feeling more comfortable out there?
"I'm definitely getting more comfortable each week. I demand myself to get better and better. I give it up to the O-line for helping me get the pushes to get in there."
How do you evaluate [Kansas City Chiefs QB] Patrick's [Mahomes] running back skills?
"He's good at making people miss in space. He's just a playmaker. Whenever the ball is in his hand, he can make the plays with his arm or his legs."
You had the two short rushing touchdowns and a couple of other guys had one each. What's the key to running the ball down there?
"It's a mentality. Everybody's got to be on the same page. Everybody has to try and push and finish the the guys in the end zone. You don't want to make many cuts. You put your head down and drive."
Chiefs DE George Karlaftis
Preparation for this game, did you guys follow it to a T defense wise?
"I would say for the most part, yes. We had obviously a few big plays and stuff we wanted to eliminate, but I thought it was a great defensive win. A great team win for sure."
You guys have Vegas next week. What is the preparation plan for that? What do you guys feel like you need to work on going into next game?
"It is always going to be about the details. Ironing out, making the corrections, and all the stuff we need to improve on from this game. Watching it, learning from it, and being a better team next week."
I know this is not the Super Bowl, but it's the rematch and everyone hyped this game up. How does it feel to come away with a win against a team like this?
"It was awesome. Just like you said, they were in the Super Bowl last year, they are a great team. Obviously we have a lot of respect for them. They have play makers at every level so it was great to come out here at their house and win."
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
What was the message that Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid told you all coming in to today's game?
"It's about us. It's about us getting better throughout the year and how we can keep getting better from our previous game to now. I think the message was, 'let's go out there and play together.' There's a lot of doubters in terms of what we can do offensively right now with the guys that we've got and I think we showed everybody that we can put up points today."
What does it say about the quality of your teammates having to step up with the injuries you guys dealt with today?
"Man, I love them. I love every single guy on this team because that's the mentality - next guy up. Everybody feels their role and they want that opportunity to get out there and show the world that we've got everybody we need right here to win the championship. I think it's going to keep expanding. Everybody's role is going to keep expanding throughout the season."
Next week you take on the Raiders – what are your initial thoughts on that matchup?
"I think we found out last year that if we don't have the right mindset going into this game, this team can beat us. That's every team in the NFL, but I think this rivalry in the AFC West, that's always a big game no matter who we're playing in the division. Sure enough the Raiders, they're always a tough opponent."
Chiefs S Justin Reid
You talked a minute ago about extreme emphasis on starting faster defensively. What does that look like? Do you guys talk about it more? Do you do something in practice to emphasize that?
"It starts with stopping the run first. We pride ourselves on our run defense. It starts with stopping the run and then it's just eye control and discipline and communication, making sure that we talk to each other, no coverage busts, no missed tackles in the opening drive. We don't want missed tackles regardless, but no missed tackles in the opening drive because we don't want to allow the other team to get going and then start to get those wheels spinning and then turn it to a situation where you're trying to stop the bleeding. We'd rather try and smother you now."
Where did that formula thing come from? Who came up with that and what's the meaning of that?
"That was actually from last season heading to the Super Bowl. That was a [TE] Travis Kelce saying, talking about our identity and what we've done to get to the point to get ready to play this game in the Super Bowl. And just remaining consistent to who we are, not changing who we are, following the process, buying into the program that [Head Coach Andy] Reid sets forth before us and just continuing to do that. And it became our model. It became a calling card and became our motto this year."
Do you as a defense in particular use the motto?
"Absolutely. We used that motto. We used another motto saying, 'Demand better,' which is again, in comparison to last year that we did some good things, but not to get complacent or get comfortable, but find ways to be even better than what we did last year. And keep raising the bar week in and week out."
Chiefs G Trey Smith
What are your initial thoughts on this matchup and coming out here 6-0?
"Every win in this league is extremely tough. There's a lot of parity in this league and win margins, whether big or small, we'll take them. At the end of the day we just keep finding a way to win. There is a ton of stuff we need to get better on and keep improving as a team. Ultimately, we know what our goal is as an organization and what we want to work and strive towards. I'm obviously happy to get a win, but we're going to go right back to work."
What are your thoughts on your teammates stepping up today?
"It's a next man up mentality. We do a great job of finding talent with our front offense, they did a phenomenal job. Our coaches do a great job of coaching each and every one of us up so when any situation arises, we are ready for it and out there ready to perform. The guys who stepped up big today all get paid to do it and they did a phenomenal job at it. Like I said, we just keep finding a way to etch out a win."
What does it mean for your teammates to be able to come out of this game with QB Patrick Mahomes still being unharmed, everybody still up, and you all being undefeated?
"It was a monumental task to play offensive tackle this week- really to play offensive line this week. They keep doing a great job at it. Like I said, we have great coaches, [Kansas City Chiefs offensive line Coach] Andy Heck and [Kansas City Chiefs assistant offensive line coach] Corey Matthaei do a phenomenal job of making sure we are prepared week in and week out and our guys keep battling. We keep finding a way and at the end of the day, as a unit, we just keep learning. We keep finding ways to grow and play complimentary football with the defense. If we keep on doing that, we will love the results."
