Quotes from:

Zac Taylor

Head coach

Initial comments ...

What were your overall thoughts today?

"Disappointing on offense. We've hung our defense out to dry a couple times in the first half three games in a row. To hold them to 14 points at halftime, seven of them coming off a turnover and short field and then starting the second half with another turnover and giving them a short field and points — that's my job. I call the plays on offense, I put this thing together. I've got to be better for this football team. It just hasn't been good enough. I put that on myself, and we've got to get that fixed. I'm confident that we're going to get it fixed. It's disappointing and frustrating that again that we've scored three points three weeks in a row in the first half. You're not going to win against these teams we've been playing against when you do that. So, that's my responsibility to get that fixed and find a way to score some more points and getting that done."

What did you think of Jake Browning's performance today?

"Again, put this on me. I've got to do a better job getting us into a rhythm, getting us to where we can sustain some drives and put points on the board. There's some plays that he's going to want to have back. I'm glad he hung in there. He made some plays for us down the stretch — three straight touchdown drives at the end of the game. I'm sure a lot of people wanted him on the bench at that point. I could hear it. We stuck with him and he comes back and has three straight drives for touchdowns, and that's the Jake Browning I know. He's resilient, has served adversity in the face, and you can count on him to keep bouncing back. Obviously, you've got to protect the ball better to beat a team of that caliber, so we're not going to run from that. But to sit here and say I'm not proud of our football team for the way that they fought back, that wouldn't be true. I'm extremely proud of these guys, the way they continue to fight in the face of adversity when it looks real dim, and all of a sudden there's some hope there that we can get this thing done, and that's what this team is made of. Five games in, that's what I'm counting on to get us through this, the last 12 games, where we can go win some games. I'm not oblivious to what goes on in the AFC and our division. There's going to be plenty of opportunity there if we can stick through this storm and stick together and find a way to put us in some better positions on offense together and score some points. I'm absolutely confident that we will get this thing turned around and fans will want to be in the stands, because I get it right now. They're going to want to be in the stands and I look forward to sold out crowds again — back to what we're used to. I promise you with every breath I got, we're going to continue to work to get back to that."

You said to put it on you. What do you mean by that?

"I call the plays. I've got to keep us out of danger. There's some things I've got to do a better job establishing. When the offense doesn't score points — when the head coach is the play caller, that's where it ends right there."

Did you leave Jake Browning in the game because you know you're going to need him going forward?

"I believe in him. I saw the turnovers that were happening. We've got to be better. We can't excuse him. What we saw with those three straight touchdown drives, he gave us our best chance there."

Do you still believe in Jake Browning going forward as your starting quarterback?

"I do. Of course, after a game like that we're going to look at all personnel to make sure we're doing the right thing. I won't shy away from that because it's a very fair question after the amount of turnovers we had. To say Jake can't win games for us, I believe Jake can win games for us. I do. We'll just continue to look at everything we can personnel-wise."

Do you feel you need to build Jake Browning's confidence back up?

"Yeah, I think anytime you go through some adversity, there's always some self-doubt. When you put in the work, which, he's put in the work, you know what to do and you know how to get back to it. Take our defense. It's an offense that puts a lot of pressure on you. Our guys gave us a chance to get back in that thing. We just came up short at the end. I wish we'd done a better job in the first half of again getting points on the board holding them to 14 on a short field. So again, there's a lot of things I've got to do better."

Is there anything that you and Jake Browning can take away from the fourth quarter where you found something on offense?

"I had a lot of games like that where it looks bleak and our guys find a way to respond. Jacksonville falls in that category. I thought we were going to win the game when we were kicking the onside kick, but they recovered there at the end. It just felt like one of those deals where we were going to find a way to go win the game. I believe in the guys in the locker room, that I've seen this happen with us before, and that we're going to figure it out and someone is going to step up and make a play and we're going to go win the game. That's how I felt until the very end there in the last two minutes."

What's the message right now?

"To stick together. I don't like giving a message three weeks in a row. While I appreciate the heart and we're sticking together, I don't like that. That's not what the NFL is about. The NFL is about winning games and moving on to the next one and creating momentum for yourself. We're allowed to create momentum at different parts of the season. It hasn't been these last three weeks. We have to start now. I believe in these guys. That's what I just told them. If I'm betting on this team to find a way at 2-3, five games in, to find a way to be in contention for everything that we wanted to do, there's a lot of football left and I believe we're going to get it done."

Why did it look so different in the fourth quarter than it did during the first three?

"Turnovers certainly hurt us there. Those first two turnovers in the first half — there wasn't a chance to get into a rhythm. The second half, we just got into a rhythm. Jake (Browning) did a great job protecting the ball, got some tough yards. There's not a lot of easy runs against that group. I thought we found some tough runs over the course of that game and just found some rhythm. That's the Bengals. When you get into a rhythm on offense, you score points."

You talk about no stone being left unturned. What do you look at over the next couple days?

"It's still a seven-day week and we have the Packers to be ready for. Every week we have personnel discussions, what scheme have we been relying on that maybe isn't good enough for us, so again, it's difficult to define that in this room. We'll address everything we've got to address."

Are you seeing any hope today versus the last two weeks?

"I know that we went into two difficult road environments and turnovers killed us in the first game. It's a completely different game if we don't turn the ball over four times in the first half. Last week, we hung in there. I did not manage the game in the first half well. It should have been 14-3 with our defense trying to get a stop to come out in the second half to keep that a better game. There's a lot I've got to do better as a head coach to make sure we can build on some of the things we are doing positively. I'm going to sit here and say it whether people want to hear it or not, our defense has given us what we needed the first half of these games. It's hard to sustain that over four quarters when there's turnovers, there's punts, there's no points going on the board, especially against teams like that and Denver, who can do a little bit of everything. They keep you off balance and when their play caller sees it's 21-3, what's the worse thing that happens if I call this play and it doesn't work? You're still up 21-3. So, we put them in an incredibly difficult bind and all they have done is bow up and do everything they can to keep our team in the game. I have to do a better job as a play caller to bail them out."

You say the defense has done a good job in the first half but in four of the five games the opponent has scored on the opening drive ...

"The first drive is tough, but beyond that they've done a good job."

Is there anything you change about the opening drive?

"It's something we're aware of. It's disappointing, but again, that's not something we can run from."

When you look at all of the turnovers, is there a theme that you're noticing?

"We're throwing into some coverages where the ball can go elsewhere. That's the simplest way, trying to think through what some of them looked like, and Jake (Browning) would sit here and say the same thing. It's not something we're going to hide. We've got to take care of the football. Punting is not the worst thing in the world. I don't want to punt, but sometimes we're going to have to punt and flip the field. We just feel the field position is really never in our favor early in the game. It's like we're always backed up inside the 10 (yard line), so we've got to do a better job. We've got to win the turnover battle, we've got to dominate penalties, we've got to win field position, we've got to do those things to beat some of these teams we've been playing and we have not done that."

What did it mean to see Ja'Marr Chase finish the way he did?

"He's got some heart like our great players. Everybody on our team — I look there and there's no one giving up, no one feeling like 'Here we go,' when we're down whatever the score was at it's worst, 28-3. And you're sitting there at the end of the game (and thinking) ,'We've got a shot.' We recover an onside kick and they're going to tighten up. So, I am proud of our group for how they fight to find a way to win. I'm very confident that's going to happen."

You talk through the week about overcoming adversity. Did you see anything in the fourth quarter that speaks to that?

"This team has character. That is something that will carry you through an NFL season. We have talent, we have character. Our head coach has to do a better job managing the first half and giving us a chance to play with the lead in the second half. It is as simple as that."

**JAKE BROWNING**

Quarterback

How do you fix and improve upon the interceptions in the game?

"Yeah, I mean obviously today I did not play well enough to win the game. There were a lot of players that did play winning football, and I did not. Three interceptions that put our defense in a tough spot, and our whole team in an awful spot. I don't have an answer right away, but obviously I need to find a way take care of the football better, start faster and make better decisions. I've put our team in brutal situations due to bad decision making. So, yeah, I need to figure it out."

Were the interceptions potentially being forced plays or misreads?

"I think most of mine were trying to force plays. You know, frustration ... wanting to push the ball down the field, and I've got to pick my spots better. I threw three picks that were just bad and there's no hiding from that. It was just bad football from me."

Can you take us through the first interception?

"Yeah, the first one I felt like the guy had outside leverage on Ja'Marr (Chase), so I tried to throw it inside to where his leverage would be and have Ja'Marr beat his leverage, but he got undercut and he got the pick. Bad decision. Bad ball placement."

Is there a theme to the interceptions that you're seeing?

"Just trying to force stuff. Trying to force things that aren't there and as a result just completely screwing over the team. It hurts, but there's no way to hide from it. It hurts. I did not play well enough to give us a chance to win. It's just brutal."

When Zac Taylor came in here, he was taking a lot of the blame. What do you make of that?

"I'm not sure, I haven't spoken to him. But no, that's on me. You know, I appreciate him saying that, but I need to play better. There's literally no hiding from that and I don't care if every person on the team says they need to play better —— it starts with me playing better at the quarterback position and not putting our team in difficult situations. There's no hiding from that and it is what it is. I appreciate him saying that, but it's not on him. It's on me and I need to stop throwing interceptions."

Do you feel like you need to get back and prove again that this is your starting quarterback job?

"That's a Zac (Taylor) question. I mean, for me, all I can do is respond and try to work as hard as I can during the week to put myself in position to help this team win games and avoid these disastrous plays. And so, that's my focus, is just how much time can I spend on tasks this week to just double down and try and improve and help the team by making better decisions and not putting the team in difficult situations."

Were you seeing the field differently in the fourth quarter?

"I think I got into a rhythm and played better, really after the third pick. But I mean, when you throw three picks in the NFL, you're going to lose. I'm sure there's outliers and we had an outlier this year, but I need to take care of the ball better. I found rhythm later in the game that kind of made it seem like it was closer than it was, but I played awful with it. I did not play well, and I need to play better."

Can you break down the first touchdown to Ja'Marr Chase?

"Yeah, just went to extend (the play), saw him running across the field and gave him a chance on the sideline. Try to just put it somewhere where only he could get to it. I didn't see the throw, but it was good to score points and stop throwing turnovers."

You threw in between three defenders on that touchdown ...

"Yeah, I appreciate the layup trying to talk about a good throw, but I didn't have enough good throws today and it's why we lost."

What led to the bad throws today?

"I think it's just getting too aggressive and not taking what they give me. I think some of that is just, you get frustrated. You're not scoring points and then you press, and then you put three picks. That's why we lost the game."

How much of the struggling do you think is mental?

"I think there's a decent amount of it. I need to know when the opportunities are to push the ball down the field, and know when they're not there, and just check it down and be OK with that. And I think a large majority of it is mental, but so is playing quarterback in general. I think everybody at this level can throw well. So, the whole thing comes down to decision making, whether in your good games (and) you make good decisions, (or) in your bad games (and) you make bad decisions. I made some bad decisions today."

Do you feel like there's anything you can take away from the fourth quarter?

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow. But right now is when it hurts and I feel like I let the team down. Yeah, we scored some points in the fourth quarter and later in the game. But, like I said, when you throw three picks ... I'm sure there'll be some takeaways from that tomorrow, but right now, this one hurts. I feel like I let the whole team down and I feel like I let the fans down. And like I said, there's no hiding from that. I did not play well enough to win the game today. I need to find ways to improve, and I will. I'm never going to fold or anything like that. I'm going to spend a lot of time in the facility this week, trying to find ways to get better and put us in a situation where we can win some games."

Does this loss feel worse than the last two losses?

"I feel like I let the team down. I feel like my turnovers put the defense in a difficult situation. I didn't allow the offense more opportunities to make plays. So, I don't know about comparing losses. Yeah, it hurts right now for sure. And I think it should."

On the length of season giving you hope to have plenty of time to get right ...

"Yeah, I'm looking at it one day at a time. Like I said, just spending as much time as I can on tasks to try and find a way to make some better decisions, start faster and play better. And so, whether it's a bunch of games or not that many games, you have to take it day-by-day. It's a long season. I felt like my sense of urgency was high this week, feeling like we got to play better. And it's even higher now. I need to play better."

How are you feeling physically after taking some fourth quarter hits?

"I feel fine. Mentally, I'm just extremely frustrated with my performance."

On the strategy with the score 14-3 at halftime ...

"Yeah, like I said, there are a lot of people in the locker room that played winning football today. I think I put our defense in some awful situations, and to only give up 14 points in the first half was impressive by them. At any point in the game, it's not like I'm not going to sit out there and quit. So, just keep pressing on, pressing on, pressing on — trying to get some momentum on offense. And we did, but it was too late. But yeah, that was the hope going into halftime, to double up. Trying to get a touchdown on that first drive and make it 14-10, and then I threw a pick when I was trying to force something that wasn't there. It was stupid."

What is your approach with your teammates after a game like this?

"I think we got a good locker room that 've been in for a while. I know a lot of guys, and I feel their support, which I appreciate. Everybody's been very supportive. But at the end of the day, this is a results business, and I need to play better. I'm not going to really say anything to teammates. I think they know that I work really hard at this. It's not a lack of effort. I just made some bad decisions and lost the game."

Where has Mike Gesicki been in the offense?

"Mike (Gesicki) is obviously a go-to target for us, and I need to find a way to get him the ball more. You know, some of that is personnel stuff, whether he's out there or not. That's the coaches' decision. But I feel comfortable with Mike in there winning against his man. So, yeah, try to get him the ball more."

Were Andrei Iosivas' targets matchup dependent today?

"They were doubling Tee (Higgins) and Ja'Marr (Chase) a lot, so Dre (Andrei Iosivas) and Mike (Gesicki) had the one-on-ones. I think that's where it probably came from."

On responding to his self-critique of his own performance ...

"I think something like this hurts, and it should, because I care and I want to play better. I work really hard at this, not that anyone should really care that I work hard or not as this is a performance-based league, but yeah, it hurts and it should. You know, I feel a great responsibility to get back on track. I think for me, anytime I'm going through something difficult, it's just double down on work ethic and seeing it all the way through. Whether it gets better or not — that's to be determined, and that's the unknown. But it will not be because of lack of effort and lack of dedication to trying to get better and put our team in better situations to win."

**JA'MARR CHASE**

Wide Receiver

What type of boost did you guys get from the offensive output in the fourth quarter?

"Just finding ways to get the ball down the field to the top playmakers. That's the things we do."

Does it give you a boost to score on three straight drives after struggling earlier in the game?

"I wouldn't say it gave us a boost. We've got to take advantage of every drive, even the first couple of drives. We just made a late run at the end (and it was) too late."

Did that remind you of what the offense is capable of?

"We know what we're capable of at the end of the day. We've just got to get there. It's all about getting there."

What was the difference in the first three quarters versus the fourth?

"Penalties. We had penalties, we had turnovers. We couldn't get the ball over the 50 (yard line) at all. In the second half, we changed it up a little bit and got the ball moving."

Three weeks in a row, we've asked you what needs to change to be more productive on offense. If you could draw it up and change something, what do you think is the biggest thing that you guys can do, whether it be players or coaches, to make it happen quickly?

"I'm just a player. That's more of a Zac Taylor question. I just give my inputs on what I see during the game time, what I see on what coverages I'm getting so I can make a play. That's all I can do. Anything else (regarding) making changes for the whole team or the organization, that's not my decision."

What did you see out there?

"They were playing us in two-man (coverage) — a lot of man. Throwing us some two-man in there. Then they would throw cloud (coverage) at Tee (Higgins)."

You had two touchdowns today and Tee Higgins had one, all in the fourth quarter. Does getting the offense going begin with getting you two guys the ball as much as possible?

"We've been doing that. I just think it's a tough task when everybody knows what we're doing. Maybe we've got to work harder to get the ball to us, and we've got to work harder as a unit to make it look easier for Jake (Browning).

**Trey Hendrickson**

Defensive End

You had two sacks today. You are a big team player, but with your average near a sack per game, how does that align with what your goals are?

"(The) goals are to win the games. There's a lot to correct on film. It's just one of those things — we have a resilient group, so we're finding that team identity. There's a lot to be proud of on defense and there's a lot we need to correct on defense. Keep chopping wood, it'll break. It's the National Football League. Hard work works. I'm a firm believer in that. All glory to my lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without him, I would be nothing, and my wife has done a tremendous job of helping me get ready on Sundays or Mondays or whatever day we play. So, anything that's good on the field is God's glory and my wife is God's gift."

The NFL is a grind, playing against the best players in the world week after week. What do you do to take care of yourself and keep yourself in shape?

"I'm very thankful to have a good group around me. Joey (Boese), our strength coach, keeps this team in great, tip-top shape. He did a great job with Ja'Marr (Chase) last year and me this year, and the rest of the team as well. Sam Hubbard did a great job of leading by example in that way with diet. He has a lot of connections with taking care of your body off the field as well. Credit to him and a guy back in New Orleans, Thomas Morstead. He was a leader and led by example of how to keep your body in tip-top shape. It's a blessing to say that I am."

You're a captain and leader of this team who guys look to for counseling and to make plays. How do you like that role? Is it something you appreciate?

"It's a tremendous blessing and something God wanted me to do. That's one of the steps in the journey, to bring guys along with me. I've done a good job at taking care of my business, but that's not necessarily (all) that it takes. We've missed the playoffs the last two years and that's not where we want to be, so that is a responsibility I don't take lightly. It's a team vote and something that I hold very special to my heart and obviously, I want to win as a captain and lead these guys where we're supposed to go, so we've got a lot to fix. There are some things that are good on tape — pat yourself on the back for a second, and then let's look at the plays we need to fix. (Those that have) played in this league know you've got to forget the good things quick and forget the bad things faster."

Chase Brown

Halfback

Can you give us a sense of how this team is feeling after three straight losses?

"Offensively, we need to step up early. We can't put too much pressure on the defense. They're getting us stops and balls back. As an offensive unit, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and figure out how to get started faster."

Zac Taylor said he still believes in this room. Do you guys still believe in yourselves?

"Yeah, of course. We're just always one drive behind. We lost the turnover battle. When you're not playing complementary football, we need to make the most of the turnovers. When you're two drives behind, it's hard to come back."

You had high expectations for yourself and the running game. Now that it's been five weeks, how frustrating has it been?

"We just need to find consistency. Obviously (we had) high expectations, but it's a long season and we can get things going. Just take one week at a time."

Tee Higgins

Wide Receiver

Zac Taylor said this was "on me." How do you pick yourselves up?

"He can do all he can to pick us up, but you can't put it all on him. He's the one calling the plays, but we're the ones running them. He can take the blame, but it's a collective team effort. Defense played their (tails) off, they did what they could to win the game. Us on offense just didn't show up."

Is there something you can do differently in the first half like you did in the second half?

"It's there. The spark is there, we just need to get it going early."

How do you do that?

"We just need to figure it out. We just need to come out and come out fast."