Broncos Postgame Quotes (Week Five)
Head Coach Sean Payton
Opening statement
“Obviously, a disappointing loss. I think it was pretty clear, at least in my eyes, when you look at some statistics—the turnovers come to mind. We talked about the red zone efficiency. Offensively, we had two drives in the first half [that] both ended up in field goals, and that starts with me. Two negative outside plays. We felt like we had a good plan going in, and yet, we ended up kicking field goals. The turnovers, and then defensively, it was a tale of two halves. I thought we played them well in the first half, then we allowed a big run in the second half, and then the running game becomes a problem. Three turnovers and a safety I think lead to 15 points—tough to win a game like that. I have to do a better job. It starts with me. We have a short week, and we have a quick turnaround. Any questions?”
On the role of the Jets’ running game to get back in the game…
“The first half of the game, I felt like we defended the run well. Then in the second half, some of the motions, some of the gap adjustments we’re making—we get caught out of the gap on the long touchdown run—I never felt like in the second half we defended the run the same way we did in the first half. So that was troubling. We put our defense in tough positions with the turnovers. Right off the start of the game, we get a three-and-out, we fumble the punt, and we force a field goal. That was good, relative to how we responded defensively. But when you look at the fumble exchange on the reverse, the fumble late in the game, the fumbled punt—it’s hard to win games like that. The concern defensively, obviously, was the second half and the way they ran the ball compared to the first half.”
On going 25 minutes without a first down…
“We start the first series in the second half, we have a penalty—I thought we were better with the penalties, but the minus plays put us behind the chains. I felt like we were third-and-long too much. The part that I’m frustrated with myself is that we became one-dimensional, and I know better. I have to be more patient relative to how we run the ball, and it was that type of game.”
On what changed defensively in the second half…
“I don’t know what changed, as much as what we saw probably changed a little bit without having looked at the film. But obviously, we didn’t play as well in the second half. We’ll look at the tape quickly and then see what the problems were. I know we have to pad the gap on the long run. That was pretty clear from the pictures.”
On if playing another game Thursday is good or bad…
“I think it’s good and honestly, it’s like I told them in there—no one cares about what ails us or woes us. They want to see production, and that’s the business we’re in. We have a quick turnaround, a lot of recovery work tomorrow, a lot of game-plan film tomorrow, and then we’re onto practicing for Kansas City. This one hurts. We didn’t play well. We certainly didn’t—we started off, I thought, fairly well, but we didn’t play well enough.”
On how badly the team needs a payoff…
“Part of this, is making something good happen, then part of that is learning how to avoid the bad things from happening. No one’s going to hand it to you, not in this league. I think we all know that.”
On comments he made regarding Jets Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and whether this game is revenge…
“They played better than us. I credit [Jets Head Coach] Robert [Saleh] and that staff. They won the game, and that’s how I look at it.”
On if he regrets the comments …
“I already addressed that, though. It’s a fair question, but I think we already addressed that the next day.”
QB Russell Wilson
On starting slow on offense after halftime…
“I thought in the first half we played great. I thought we did a lot of great things. We got in and out of the huddle – guys made great plays. I thought the [offensive] line did a tremendous job—[wide] receivers, tight ends, running backs. Obviously, [RB] Jaleel [McLaughlin] looked special tonight. [RB Samaje] Perine had some good plays, too, as well. In the third quarter, we are going against a great defense. They’re one of the best in the league. I think we had too many third-and-longs. We had third-and-14 and I think we had a third-and-8, or -9. We have to be able to convert on those when we can—finding a way. I think that was a big part of the game, the third quarter. We have to be able to stay on schedule and do those things. I think we had a chance when we crossed the 50-yard line and got the ball, and unfortunately didn’t go our way on the fumble and all that kind of stuff. We had a little reverse play. I think that was going to be a big play, it just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. That’s the name of the game. We have to be better in the third quarter.”
On the Jets defense limiting their passing ability to the wide receivers…
“The biggest thing is that they do a good job up front. They do some good things there. We were definitely looking for our guys and everything else but a lot of times, the underneath, the backs, and the tight ends and stuff like that was there. We did a great job of that in the first half. Hit a few good screens, a few things there. We want those guys to be involved more. We’re always looking for them. The drive to make the game close—where we scored 21 there. That was a really good drive. [WR] Jerry [Jeudy] had a great route on that one and got open. That was a sweet route by him. That was a big third down. I think it was third-and-9 or something like that. I can’t remember exactly the down and distance on that one. We have to get those guys going and they’ve done a great job all year. We definitely have done a good job with those guys. Listen, I think that this is a tough one. We have to come out Thursday on the road, and we have to go get that one.”
On what he saw on the play that resulted in a safety in the first quarter…
“Bad play, unfortunate play by me. I was trying to get outside to throw it away, but they got to me just right before I could threw it away over the flat’s head. There was a lot of game left. We still did a lot of good things in the first half. We did some good things there, but we have to be cleaner in the third [quarter]”
On if Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton’s message of no one feeling sorry for the team resonates with him a…
“I think there was a lot of good things today and some not so good [things]. I think we can play cleaner across the board. We have to clean those things up and get ready to go on Thursday night. A game on the road against a division opponent and go get it. That has to be our mentality. That has to be our focus right now.”
On the frustration about not pulling out wins in close games…
“That’s the truth. We really should and could be 4-1. But ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ is not good enough. The good thing about it and the perspective of it all is that, as we continue to go throughout the season, it’s a journey. There’s still a lot of good things ahead. We really believe that. We showed a lot of energy today. We did a lot of good things. We just can’t hurt ourselves. That’s the biggest thing. Those three, four games that we’ve lost, we’ve hurt ourselves in some form or fashion. The best thing that we can do is continue to learn, continue to get better, stay focused on what’s next and that’s us going on the road.”
On what happened on the play that resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown…
“[Jets LB Quincy Williams] made a good play. Obviously, he got me from behind. I was trying to scamper out and was looking for [WR] Courtland [Sutton]. They kind of bailed out over there so I was trying to run away from it and just trying to get something positive there. It didn’t work out and obviously, we had to move onto the next drive and hopefully try and get a chunk [of yards] and get a field goal or something. That was really the focus moving forward.”
On how complicated it is to fix what needs to be fixed…
“It’s not complicated. It’s just—I think we’ve played some really good ball. We want all three phases to play together. We’ve done that. We did that in the second half last week, we did that, I think in the first half, for the most part, this week. I think that’s the part that we all have to—I think, just, little mistakes—little mistakes that really do matter throughout the game. Game-altering plays that we can really be clean on. When we get momentum, continue that momentum and keep going with it. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that for the most part, but I think we have to continue to try to catch fire with that. Like I said, there are a lot of good things on the film. There are a lot of good things we did, but there are too many little mistakes that we have to clean up and fix those.”
OLB Nik Bonitto
On another close loss…
“I felt like we had a great practice all week, and we put ourselves in position to win. It is the same thing over and over again. Eventually we are going to have to find a way to win these games.”
On holding the Jets to field goals…
“We knew they were going to move the ball a little bit. They have a really good running game. We were just trying to be stout and hold them to field goals instead of touchdowns. That was the main goal.”
On his multiple first-quarter sacks…
“I could tell they were kind of getting the ball out a little quicker the rest of the game. They were running it for real. They were not really trying to hold it in his hands that much.”
S Kareem Jackson
On the defense…
“It’s got to be a collective effort, [all] 11 guys. Everybody has to execute the gameplan and do what it’s supposed to be. Got to be sound defensively when the team started with the ball. Obviously we have to watch the film and see what exactly happened but there’s got to be all that.”
On the early second half touchdown…
“Obviously it was one of those wide zones. He cut back. I’m a middle guy so I have to [get him] down in that situation. But we gave up. I just said it has to be a collective effort.”
On not letting the frustration boil over to the next game
“I don’t know. We have a short week. Obviously, in situations like this, short weeks are good. Another opportunity comes a lot sooner than playing on Sunday. So for us, we’ve got to get better. You’ve got to get better. Right now as a defense, we’re putting together half a game. Last week, we played a [good] second half. This week, we played a good first half and played [poorly] the second. We’ve got to put a complete game together and it has to be all 11 guys. You know, run game, pass game. We’ve got to put it together. Until we can do that, stuff like this is going to keep happening.”
WR Jerry Jeudy
On the team’s struggles after the successful opening drive…
“I do not know. We just have to look at film, learn from our mistakes and find a way to fix them.”
On the frustration with offensive struggles…
“It does get frustrating, but I believe in the coaches to find ways to keep the momentum going and find ways to keep drives going. We have to watch film to see what we did wrong and fix it.”
On the feeling after CB Pat Surtain II’s interception…
“We all keep that. Until the clock hits zero, we always feel like we have a chance to win. When [CB] Pat [Surtain II] got that pick, we felt like we had the momentum to go down there and score.”
ILB Josey Jewell
On quick turnaround against Kansas City…
“It is a 24-hour rule on this one, maybe a little less. I am going to watch it tonight. I am going to diagnose it, see what we did wrong, see what I did wrong and move on from it. Then tomorrow, I am going to start watching some Chiefs’ film. We have to move on fast.”
On how to stop the run…
“We are going to have to find out. We will have to look at the tape. I am not exactly sure what happened. We had a couple guys out of place every single time it seems like. We have to deal with it. I think we have to have better communication, execution, stay in our gaps and play football.”
On the feeling after CB Pat Surtain II’s interception…
“I definitely thought we were going to go down and win it right there. We always have faith in the offense. It did not happen today.”
T Mike McGlinchey
On work in the red zone…
“Situational football is what wins in this league, and we came away with six instead of 14 [points]. That’s beside the football game. And then, on top of that, you turn the ball over three times, and you give yourself no chance. We have to be better in the red zone especially because we got down deep in there. We have to put points on the board. There is no excuse for that.”
On keeping the frustrations from building…
“By being a professional and trying to get better. There’s only one thing that heals losing and it’s getting better and winning. There’s no point to be frustrated. Obviously, you’re going to be frustrated. The emotions of this game ride high and low all the time, but you have to stay within the process, and you have to stay focused on the mission of this team and individually and be a professional and get better.”
On five straight series without a first down…
“We turned the ball over three times and that hurts any time you do that. I think we got behind the chains quite a bit and when you start drives first-and-20, or second-and-15, or things like that your percentages of converting first downs dramatically drops. We didn’t stay on schedule enough coming out of those drives to start and we shot ourselves in the foot. I mean credit to the Jets. Their defense is a hellish group. They play hard. They rotate in and out all game. They’re very deep and it presented a good amount of challenges for us, especially in that second half. We have to be better.”
WR Marvin Mims Jr.
On having a chance to win after the CB Pat Surtain II interception…
“For sure, you always want to think we have a chance. At the end of the day, if you have a chance, you have to keep fighting. That is the mantra of this team.”
On the muffed punt…
“I caught the ball and then he hit me. I did not really have time to catch it and secure it. He just caught me at a bad moment and then it slipped out.”
On after a loss if it’s good to have a quick turnaround and play on Thursday…
“That’s a great question. I don’t know how Thursday schedules work with this being my first time doing it. But at the end of the day, we have to turnaround quick and play on Thursday.”
RB Samaje Perine
On the third quarter offensive performance…
“We just kept beating ourselves. Got to give credit to [the Jets]. They made halftime adjustments, and we didn’t make good enough adjustments and that kind of showed. We just kind of shot ourselves in the foot over and over again.”
On when he moves on from this game and moves on to focusing on the Chiefs game…
“It’s over now. We’re already on to Kansas City. We know that’s going to be a big one. We have to find a way to win games like this.”
On double reverse pitch to WR Marvin Mims Jr….
“It was just a bad pitch. I have to do a better job. At worst—it would have been second-and-10, and we could have made something happen, but the pitch was too high and it was my fault. I just have to be better.”
S Justin Simmons
On missed assignments and gaps…
“It is a number of things, and I can’t pinpoint it to exactly one deal or one thing there. We just have to be better. As a leader, I have to be better. You know, it could be checks that I’m getting us into but it’s going to start with the leadership and ultimately myself and the linebackers are responsible to get guys lined up. I have to be better with that in that regard. That’s what it is going to take.”
On keeping the team together…
“I’m not worried necessarily about the guys in the locker room. I know it’s been tough and, it’s been tough for the fans and for Broncos Country in general, but we have the right guys in the locker room, and we just haven’t done our [job] defensively. That’s it, point blank period. We talked about all the other stuff that went on in the game, but we just didn’t do our job, way too many rushing yards. We still had a chance to win it at the end there, but we didn’t do our job consistently throughout the game.”
On regrouping for Thursday’s game…
“We have to do that. Might be tough, but no one really cares, honestly. Now we have to go down there and find a way to win and that would be a big one for us.”
ILB Alex Singleton
On what changed after the good start…
“Nothing, we choked. Coming out in the second half, we have to create that momentum back and not let them take it. We have to find a way to keep the momentum we have.”
On his feelings after the team falls to 1-4…
“Obviously, we do not want to be here. We have a short turnaround and have to get ready to play Thursday.”
On feeling after CB Pat Surtain II’s interception…
“We want to be able to do that. Creating the turnover and not giving up a field goal gave us a chance to go down and either kick a field goal or score a touchdown. We have to do it sooner. We cannot give up the big play before that and just get off the field.”
CB Pat Surtain II
On what the key is to playing a complete, full game instead of one half…
“It’s all about execution, understanding the gameplan and just a tremendous amount of effort on both sides of the ball. That’s what helps teams to win. Obviously, we saw the lost energy sometime through the second half. That’s what lost us [the game]. I feel like we came out firing and all that. The second half, we came out sluggish. That’s something we need to work on, being a full, complete team in all phases.”
On his first interception of the season…
“I knew it was a crucial part of the game and obviously, we needed a key stop or a play to be made. I had the opportunity to make a play, and I capitalized on it. [We had to] get the ball back to the offense. Just possessions like that, key and crucial moments throughout the game. Making key stops and big-time plays. In my mind, I thought about making a play.”
On the momentum swing after his interception…
“I think we had a tremendous amount of momentum going into that drive. Obviously, I wish we could’ve finished it, but we have to control our destiny. Like I said, we have to find a way to finish. Some parts of the second half, defensively, we were allowing too much in the run game and the passing game and it hurt us. We just kept a tremendous amount of effort going towards the end of the game.”
On Head Coach Sean Payton’s comments about Jets Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett…
“Obviously, there was a little talk before the season but as players, we look past that. We’re focused on winning. We know ballgames because in this league, wins matter. Not the offseason. Not all [of] the noise externally. The only thing that matters within this organization is winning. That’s what we’re focused on.”