Browns 14, Vikings 7
KIRK COUSINS: Certainly a frustrating loss. Didn't put enough points on the board. Started fast, was a great first drive but then couldn't do -- didn't do enough the rest of the game. It's disappointing, at home, to not do more.
We have to learn from it, watch the film, be very critical and correct things and then move forward.
I can answer any questions you have.
Q. With the offense built on the run game, how difficult is it when you get 65 rushing yards, Cook is in and out, just to kind of get the rushing game going?
KIRK COUSINS: You know, I think the Browns did a good job and made it -- after the first drive, they did a good job just kind of making it a tough day for us trying to move the football.
Q. What were some of the things that they did? It just changed so dramatically after you guys moved the ball down the field fairly easily, I guess, in that first drive.
KIRK COUSINS: Yeah, it wasn't any one thing. It was a different reason for each drive. It wasn't any one thing.
Q. This team is 1-3, off to a slow start again. You guys are going to have to fight back once again. How tough is that going to be on the team to keep everybody together?
KIRK COUSINS: Not to have to keep people together, but just tough always to dig yourself out of a hole. You'd much rather be 4-0 or 3-1 and have the wind at your back. It's a part of being tough, tough-minded and finding a way to keep going and keep working and getting better, and that's what we'll do.
Q. On the final seconds of the final play, how do you balance knowing when to take a shot at the end zone trying to tie the game versus trying to inch a little closer?
KIRK COUSINS: I think it comes down a little bit to just how much time do you have from a pass rush standpoint, how are they playing in terms of how aggressive are they and how soft are they. You can't turn the ball over, otherwise you don't have that chance at the end, so you're better off taking as many yards as they'll give you to get yourself into a realistic throw at the end where you have to go to the end zone.
Q. How difficult was it being under duress with their pass rush today?
KIRK COUSINS: They had a good pass rush. It was understood going into the game, and they did a good job throughout the game. They also did a good job on coverage. I think for sure one of the sacks was a coverage sack. They did a good job.
Q. When you guys are down 14-7, I think it's that second-to-last drive where you start out with three straight runs for Dalvin and then you hit Jefferson on that 16-yard play, did it feel almost in hindsight like that might have been burning too much time off the clock by running in that situation?
KIRK COUSINS: Hard to say. I think the clock wasn't really an issue, I don't think, until the final drive. Maybe even the end of the final drive is where the clock became an issue, but before that I didn't sense it to be a major issue.
Q. Nine times out of ten when you throw that deep ball to Adam, the one that Greedy picked off, Adam usually comes away with it. What did you see on that?
KIRK COUSINS: I knew it was going to be a jump ball. I knew it was going to be an opportunity ball. I knew I was forcing it a little bit. Felt like with how we had been doing all day, it was worth a shot, worth putting it up there for him. I'll certainly go back and talk to my coaches, talk with Adam about, hey, there's probably details I can throw it better so it's not caught by the DB but gives Adam a better chance in terms of the angle I take him or whatnot. That's where I'll go back and look at it.
Q. Did the contact on the play between Williams and Adam affect it from anything you saw or what he said after the play?
KIRK COUSINS: The interception? We didn't talk about that. Adam was frustrated with himself, I'm frustrated with myself, and just want to find a way to be able to -- in those one-on-one situations put it up on a day where we're having a hard time moving the football, maybe try to create something there and put it up and make a big play. We both know we can do that, and so we're just going to try to find a way to make that happen.
Q. On the second-to-last play, the throw to Conklin, you got about six yards. It took five seconds on the clock when there were only eight seconds left. You're already at the 32; is that really worth the yardage versus time?
KIRK COUSINS: I think with -- we'll go back and look at that and talk about it. It's certainly a discussion to be had. But with the way they were sinking, I don't know that there was an obvious throw elsewhere to say, oh, this is a slam dunk. The ball has to go out-of-bounds, I can't throw it inbounds, so I can throw it over someone's head, I can throw it up for grabs or I can take the completion, take the -- I don't know how many yards he got, maybe six yards, and say, all right, that's better than nothing, now we have to go to the end zone, we have to force it, but let's at least buy ourselves more time before we have to do that and potentially give it over to the defense if it's a tough look.
Q. Zimmer was pretty adamant that he still sees this as a good team, knows what that looks like. What's the feeling in the locker room despite being 1-3?
KIRK COUSINS: Anytime you lose, it hurts. You have to be tough-minded and get back up on the horse the next week and go to work. That's what we'll do.
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