Chiefs 29, Steelers 10
Q. On the interception, can you explain the concept? Were you counting on George to go vertical and carry that safety or can you explain that for us?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, you know, I think he was going to go vertical, but at the end of the day it can't happen on me. I was trying to give Pat a chance. He's done a good job for us down in the red zone, and they made a good play.
Q. What does this offense need to do to get going?
RUSSELL WILSON: I think that, first of all, we just have to play cleaner. That's going to be the first part. I think the second part is we're going to have to study the film and see where we're doing things really well. There's some moments, we scored a touchdown, got called back. Those things that happen in key situations. Then I think at the end of the day, there's going to be adversity in every season, and it comes in different spaces and places at different times. I'm betting on our guys and who we are and how we're going to respond.
I really believe in who we are, the character of guys, the mentality that we have. It's been a tough road, obviously, the past three weeks, and we haven't been able to overcome some of the challenges along the way. That's going to be -- we've got to make that a good thing for us.
At the end of the day when you look back at it all and when we get the chance to play in the playoffs, it becomes 0-0. You know what I mean? That's the truth of the playoffs and the opportunity that we have.
So I think before we get there, though, our belief can't waver. As a matter of fact, if anything, we've got to turn it up even more on our belief, and I think that's a key part to how we respond in the midst of adversity. The adversity can break you down. The adversity can challenge you in such a way that you start thinking negatively, start speaking negatively, start thinking woe is me, this or that, or the adversity can challenge you in such a way that there's growth, and then adversity can challenge you in such a way that you try to find the next moment.
I think that with any game, any next moment, you have to believe that this one is going to be the best one, and how we do that is going to be by really great fundamentals, really great communication, really great execution. Like I said, we did some really good things today, but we also did a lot of bad in a way.
How do we remove that and just get better? I think that's got to be our focus as a team, as a whole team. We've got to get better, and it starts with us in my opinion, and just trying to find a way to capitalize on moments.
Q. The pass rush that they generated, were you surprised they were able to get that much going without Jones and did they do anything schematically that you weren't expecting?
RUSSELL WILSON: No, they didn't do anything schematically necessarily that we weren't prepared for. They did a little bit more five-three-three and different things that they did, but to be honest with you, I just think that they made more plays than we did. I think that it was a battle out there for sure.
I tried to use my legs a little bit more in certain situations when something wasn't there or whatever and just tried to get 1st downs and keep the ball moving.
I think at the end of the day, like I said, it's a simple game. They made more plays than we did.
Q. What did the Chiefs do up front to make more plays? Were there things that you guys could come back and you could say, hey, we had to pick this up better? Were there things they were running to get you guys off rhythm?
RUSSELL WILSON: Honestly, I've got to watch the film of it. But like I said, they did a good job. They played better than we did as a collective effort, as a collective team. They capitalized on moments and stuff.
We were 3rd and long too many times, especially in I think the second half. We just had too many situations where we were kind of backed up and couldn't get a rhythm in certain moments. Score is 16-10 coming out of half, and we have a great opportunity to go down the field and try to make something happen, and nothing really happened for us the right way.
We've got to figure that out and study that and just see where we can get better. I still love how we competed at the very end of it. I think despite it all, guys not giving up and giving in.
Q. Third straight game you guys haven't scored 20 points. What are some of the themes you guys are able to identify and say, hey, these are the key parts that we have to adjust to turn things around?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I think it's going to be all about us making plays, staying on schedule. I think that's the name of the game, especially offensively. We're going to have to be able to do that, and moving forward, obviously, we've got a big one at home next week, and that one is going to matter to us in a lot of ways.
It's going to matter in a lot of ways because we want to catch that momentum going into the playoffs and how we play the right way. You have to be singularly focused.
You look back, and no matter what the circumstances are, you can look back and if we had won all three games and everything else, you look back and you go into the playoffs and you're not prepared and you don't play right, and it's over. Or you can lose these three games and respond the right way and be ready to go.
I think that there's highs and lows in every season, like I said, and so we've got to make sure that we end this last game on the right footing and right belief, and that's going to be really key to how we go about it and how we respond.
I think from there, just going into it understanding that it's going to be a 0-0 score come the playoff time, and that's got to be where we are. That's got to be our perspective, and how we go about it is really going to matter over the next 10 days, how we prepare, how we think about it.
I think that obviously there's been a bunch of games in however many days, and there's been some ups and downs in it. So what we're going to have to do is recover physically from that but also, too, mentally press in. I think it's going to be a really important part to really mentally press in and study and figure out what we can do.
I think that's going to be really critical how we approach it. There's all these teams that we can beat. We can play better. And when we do play better, I think we're going to be a scary team to play. But we've got to make sure that's the case.
Q. Coming into this three-game in 11-day stretch, you guys knew you would be tested. What do you feel like you learned about this team through this gauntlet?
RUSSELL WILSON: I think, first of all, these guys in this locker room aren't giving up. They're not giving in. There's so much to still look forward to. There's still a chance. I was telling the guys in the locker room about that, just like in every season there's moments, but we've still got an unbelievable chance to do some great things.
When you come into a season, you're looking for one really goal, one important goal. Everybody is, all 32 teams are. People get eliminated along the way. People get knocked out early, whatever it may be, throughout the season, and in a way it's like a 16-round fight. You go throughout the season and then fight, you may win certain rounds early, you may get beat down halfway through, near the end, whatever it may be, but hopefully in rounds 14, 15 and 16 we're standing tall.
How we go about that is going to be great focus, great language, great belief, great detail, and seeing what we can do better, and I'm looking forward to that challenge. I'm looking forward to the challenge of overcoming the adversity with these guys, and that's the part that we're built for, and I believe that.
Our fans are going to be really critical along the way, obviously in this last home game here, and then hopefully something great can happen along the way here. But I think what's really important is just us being really focused on how we can be better.
Q. What's the confidence that you guys can do that this year? You guys have put together good stretches of games. What's the confidence that you can turn around from the adversity you guys have faced?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I think we have great confidence in that. We have great confidence for multiple reasons. I think first of all, we've overcome challenges throughout the season. We've been tested. There's been highs and lows. We've overcome a lot of them.
I think that the past few weeks that we've played, we felt like we've had a chance at some point in the game to -- whether it's the Eagles game at half, coming out the right way, the flea flicker, and then just negative things happening along the way. I think the Ravens game we felt like we were competing at the highest level and then they made a couple more plays than us. Then this game we didn't make -- we've been really good I feel like in the second half for the most part, especially offensively in terms of answering the call, especially when the score is 16-10 like that and coming out the right way, and today we didn't get to do that.
That's the history of today. We've got to make our own history and do that this last game in the regular season, and I think then you start all over again, like I said, come playoffs. We've got to be able to create that. We've got to create that history, and how you do that is by just great belief and unwavering, unwavering belief and unwavering confidence, and at the end of the day unwavering hard work. That's what we have to do.
Q. You mentioned some of the positives. Is Jaylen one of those and do you you have to find ways to get him the ball more often?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yay, Jaylen has been great for us. Obviously he was kind of injured, dinged up early in the season. He's been great for us, making some big-time runs, catches and all that. He did a really good job on the flat, the throw I threw to him out there. He does some special things. He's physical. He's tough to tackle. We're excited about Jaylen. He's going to be a big part of us turning this around.
I think Naj, too. Obviously he had some good runs there, especially near the end when he touches the football. He's had a good year for us.
It's going to take all of us. That's what it's going to take to be champions. It's going to take all of us. It's going to take all of our effort, all of our mentality, all of our energy to that. I'm counting on us to do that.
Q. How much more emphasis needs to be put on the start of the game, actually starting off faster instead of putting yourselves behind where you're playing catch-up football?
RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I think that's a huge part to it. We've got to start early in the games and get the first 1st down and make the next play and make the next thing happen, hopefully have a touchdown drive the first drive of the game. That's really critical.
It doesn't define the game, though, but it definitely helps. I think what's really important for us is to continue to search for that, continue to find ways to get 1st downs, touchdowns early in the game, especially in the first drive or two. That will be huge, helping our defense out in that way.
But like I said, it doesn't necessarily define the game. That's why we play four quarters. As I said, at the end of the day, today at halftime, it's 16-10, I believe. It's in striking distance, and we've got to make sure that when we come back out at halftime that we are able to do something positively with it. We didn't get to do that today.
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