Steelers-26, Browns-22
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Nick has a very significant knee injury, which you feel for the person. He is a great football player as we know, but he is an even better person. So we will support him every step along the way. Then Greg Newsome has an elbow injury.
Then you're not going to win games turning it over four times. You're just not. That was the frustrating part. We didn't play well enough as a team to win the game. Doesn't mean the guys didn't fight. Doesn't mean it wasn't great effort. It was, but we just did too many things that contributes to losing.
Again, we have to take care of the football, and that's all of us. That's coaches, players. It's everything. We have to take care of that football.
Good news is we've got a short week. Good news is we get to be out there in front of our fans, and we don't even have to wait seven days. So that's where our focus goes after this one.
We've got to own it. We've got to learn from it. Makes us better in the long run, and then we have to be ready to roll Sunday at our place versus the Titans.
With that, I'll take any questions.
Q. There are reports from NFL Network that Nick has suffered multiple torn ligaments --
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Without imaging, I can't say. Significant knee injury.
Q. Do you anticipate him being done for the season?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I do.
Q. You've talked about him being the heart and soul of this team.
KEVIN STEFANSKI: It's hard. It's no excuse for performance. Nick, if he was here, would be telling that team they have to -- there's no licking wounds. You have to move on.
Q. It looked like Deshaun lost his cool a couple of times. What are your thoughts?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I would have to look at them. I don't know if it was losing his cool. He felt like he couldn't get his arm out of there. They were grabbing his arm.
Again, the penalties, not fielding the punt, turnovers. It's hard to win on the road, period. Then it's real hard to win on the road if you make it hard on yourself.
Q. How do you think the team responded in the wake of Nick's injury?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Yeah, I think the guys knew what they had to do. Again, you know, you feel for the people in this case.
In Nick's case you feel obviously for Nick, but I know Nick, and his teammates know Nick, and you have to move on in football. You have to move on and try to go win football games. We just didn't do enough things that contribute to winning today.
Q. How did you feel like the quarterback played?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: We just didn't play well as an offense. Obviously have to look at it. There were some throws I'm sure he wants back. There are some play calls I want back. It's really just not good enough as a team.
Q. In terms of the struggle for the passing game, what were you seeing on that?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I don't think miscommunication. They did a nice job. They do a nice job of combining rushing coverage. As you know, they can rush the passer, and you have to find ways to move it. Found a couple in there. They did a nice job.
Q. It looked like you tried everything to help the two tackles, but nothing worked.
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Yeah, they have two very, very good rushers, as you know, so you try to do your best to slow them down. So, yeah, that's the challenge, but bottom line is we just didn't do enough.
Q. Do you think that Deshaun was pressing, especially with Nick out? Do you think he was trying to do too much?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: No, I don't think so. I think you're in there in the game. Obviously at the end it's disappointing what we did prior to that to put ourselves in a hole. Again, the give-aways are killer.
Q. Will your offensive plan or structure have to change significantly without Nick?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I think it's early. Obviously we have backups that are ready to contribute when necessary, but those are all things we'll talk about.
Q. Were you trying to still run your game plan even though you had lost Nick, and then what did you think of Jerome and Pierre?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: You can't change your game plan completely. Now, obviously you can pivot into different areas when you lose Nick, but I thought those guys did their job. Obviously Jerome had a great play there on the long run. Pierre did his job.
Q. The play where Nick Chubb got hurt we saw different angles of it, and there was criticism potentially of targeting for his leg. Do you take exception to that hit?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I'm not going to comment.
Q. How do you think Ford did overall just in terms of catching a touchdown pass on the next play?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Jerome, as we've told you guys all along, he studies hard, knows what to do, runs hard. There's a reason we like him. There's a reason he is a big part of what we do, and obviously his role will increase. I think he is ready for that.
Q. What can you say your football team when you lose a man of the magnitude of Nick Chubb? What do you say to them?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: What I tell them -- and we'll see Nick here shortly. Obviously not here right now, but what would Nick say in these situations?
You know, Nick is a team leader. He's not one to back down from anything. He is not one to feel, woe, is me in any way. So he is going to make sure that this team continues to fight.
Q. Did Judge just not get off the line of scrimmage fast enough?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I would have to see it. I don't know. I don't know.
Q. Is Nick still here?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I don't believe he is still here.
Q. Is he at the hospital?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I don't have all the details. I don't.
Q. How do you think Dawand did?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I think he had one penalty maybe, but for the most part I thought he did okay. Again, tough task and tried to help as much as you can, but he'll continue to get better.
Q. Do you still feel like all of your goals as a team are reachable?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Yeah, absolutely. It's a team game. Nobody is bigger than the team. I don't say that to discount the person, the player, the teammate that Nick Chubb is and what he means to this organization. I'm not discounting that, but this is a team game.
It's the greatest team game there is, so we have to rally, and we'll rally without Nick. He'll be in the building, I'm sure, when he is back in, and he'll support his team just like we're going to support him.
Q. Is it especially difficult losing him after losing a two-time All-Pro running tackle Jack Conklin? These are pretty significant losses.
KEVIN STEFANSKI: You know, Mary Kay, that's football. It's part of the game that all of us hate. Nobody likes it. I don't -- I don't know that anybody, fans, players, like injuries. Unfortunately, it's a part of this game.
Q. (Indiscernible).
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Yes.
Q. On top of all of that, Watson had the ball midfield with 2 minutes to go. How did it not work out? Was it protection alone, or was it him?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: No, it's never one person. We'll look at it, Tony. Yeah, disappointed. We felt like we were going a little bit there. It takes all 11, including coaches. We've got to put those guys in position to go make plays.
Q. You mentioned that punt bouncing all the way to the 10. Looked like Donovan had a hard time all night judging those. Do you know what was going on?
KEVIN STEFANSKI: I don't know. I don't know. He has been very dependable in that role, so I don't know.
Q. It just seemed overall from start to finish, obviously the pick-6 on the first play, it just wasn't a disciplined game with turnovers and just uncharacteristic.
KEVIN STEFANSKI: Obviously disappointing. You want to start fast. The previous week the team came out and started fast, and that's what you want to do in this league.
We didn't do that. We did not do what we set out to do. And, again, four give-aways is just very, very, very difficult to win in this league, as everybody knows.
We'll get back on it. I'm sure there's plays that are there to be made that we will make. I promise you the guys will continue to work, and again, we're very lucky that we got a short week coming up.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports