ZAC TAYLOR
Head coach
What are your overall thoughts on tonight's game?
"Frustrating. We didn't envision ourselves in this spot, but here we are. We've got to own it. We have to take accountability in all areas. I knew that that was going to be a difficult football team (to beat). I saw what they did last week on offense — they scored on every possession last week (and) they scored on every possession this week. I knew that was a dangerous team, and they were ready for us, and they made more plays than we did today. You've got to give them a ton of credit. They dictated the flow of the game, and we just couldn't do enough to create a turnover, make a play for ourselves and go win the game."
Are you more surprised or disappointed in the defense tonight?
"You know, (Washington is) a good offense, (but) we gotta get stops. We never really put them in a third-and-long situation until that last one. That was really the first time that we put them behind the chains. When they dictated the tempo, which they did — they were on the ball; they dictated the tempo — they kept themselves in really manageable situations. I thought their quarterback (Jayden Daniels) played great — (he only had) two incompletions (total). He made a lot of plays with his feet. He was a difficult challenge and, obviously, it wasn't enough for us today."
What adjustments did you try to make at halftime that just could not be made tonight?
"It was a tough start to start the (second) half. We're coming out of the half (and) we give up a big kickoff return (that) put them right down there. There was one play in each drive that we needed to make that stop.
"There was one situation where we had them behind the sticks and there was some tackling in the perimeter. Certainly, that's gotta improve. But it's a disappointing way to lose."
How much did a lack of a pass rush open things up for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders' offense tonight?
"When you've got an athletic quarterback who can make plays with his feet, it's tough. It's (a) similar (situation) to some guys that we play in our division in terms of how he can beat you that way. And again, we didn't do enough to defeat them today."
When you look at fixing the defense, does it start right now with stopping the run?
"There were some tackles (we missed) on the perimeter. I think we had a chance to get the ball carrier down on some quick screens and some perimeter bubbles and things like that. You can call those run plays; it's really just an extended handoff out there at the perimeter. I thought there were some opportunities to put them in second-and-10, second-and-11, and get them to a good third down (distance), and they made those plays and we didn't. We take a lot of pride in that stuff — I know our defense does — and we've got to get back to work and do a better job next week."
Cam Taylor-Britt made some headlines with his comments about the Commanders' offense saying that Washington was running a "nice college offense." Do you have an issue with that, and feel like it was a distraction?
"That's not what we do. That's not what we do. We praise our own team. We praise the other team. We don't need to take shots like that. That team hasn't punted in two weeks. They've scored on every single possession the last two weeks. I've got a tremendous respect for what they're doing over there. I've known (Washington Offensive Coordinator) Kliff (Kingsbury) a long time. I knew with that quarterback (that) this was going to be a very dangerous offense to play against, and they've proven that."
Will you have a conversation with Cam about those comments?
"That's between us."
Do you fear Trent Brown's injury to his knee to be serious?
"It doesn't look good."
Were there struggles getting the right personnel on the field during goal-line situations tonight?
"There were some substitutions they had (where) we were just trying to match the substitutions, and there was one in particular where we struggled."
What besides being 0-3, is particularly frustrating if anything for you right now?
"We have to create our own opportunities. When you lose three one-score games, no one's going to give you anything. Again, there's no gift we're expecting to receive. We have to go take it. We haven't done enough, really, dictating the tempo of the game, collectively (on) offense, defense (and) special teams. There hasn't been one unit that's really dominated to take the pressure off the other unit, so this falls on everybody. It's frustrating. It's a kick in the gut when you put in all this work in the offseason, in training camp, and (you) feel really good about the team, and you start off 0-3. But again, that is where we are right now, and I told these guys we've got to find a way to get a win next Sunday and we'll get this thing moving in the right direction. But right now, there's a lot of frustration I know from the people that are supporting us, and we're frustrated with ourselves that we haven't found a way to win yet. We've just got to figure that out, but no one's going to point figures. We've put ourselves in a hole that I firmly believe we can dig ourselves out of. I'm excited to watch and see how this team responds."
What led to the offense struggling in the red zone tonight?
"You know, we kind of wasted a possession. We thought there might have been a fumble, so we rushed the ball one time and then we ran a screen on second-down play and the corner blitzed and blew it up. That's the one that kind of kills me there, because we had two plays that didn't get us yardage, and I felt like the other plays on other drives, we were pretty efficient. That was a tough one. We needed seven points there and we only got three. We might have missed that field goal there and gotten no points."
JOE BURROW
Quarterback
What was the most frustrating thing about how tonight played out?
"That was a tough one. We didn't get the win."
I don't think I've ever seen you go inside the other entrance and not the locker room, what was that about?
"It was just a private conversation with Zac (Taylor)."
At 0-3, the focus is to get a win next week in Carolina. As the leader of this team, how do you get this locker room in a feeling of carrying on?
"We come back to work on Wednesday. We come in tomorrow, watch the tape and improve the things that we can improve. Come back on Wednesday and have a great practice and bring great energy and try to get better. That's all you can do. 0-3 is obviously not where we want to be. We have to come back on Wednesday and try to get better."
Facing two teams that drafted in the top three last year and losing at home, does that add to any of the frustration about the way things are going?
"No game is easy. They played great on offense today. Jayden (Daniels) played unbelievable. We had our opportunities and didn't cash in on them. That's been the common denominator from the first three weeks. We've had opportunities and didn't cash in on those. Whatever we have to do to get better this week, so we can come back on Sunday and execute in the spots that we need to."
What did you feel went wrong tonight?
"We played really well. We stalled out on some drives in the first half, that's really what it came down to. We need to get seven in those situations in a game like that."
Can you figure out why you couldn't get to the end zone in those situations?
"There was a sack. I missed Zack (Moss) on a scramble on second down. Those are the two off the top of my head without watching the tape."
Did you go into this game paying attention to the fact that you guys were down key players on your defensive line, and approached it thinking your offense would have to score a lot of points?
"No, I wouldn't say I approached it that way. I go into every game ready to adapt to what I need to do to win the game. We knew pretty early what kind of game it was going to be. For the most part, we answered. I think there were two drives there where we couldn't come up with seven."
Did you have a sense that this team had a long way to go if you wanted to get back to where you were at?
"We have a long way to go."
Jayden Daniels went 21 of 23. Did you catch yourself watching him at all?
"I'm watching him, he played great. I told him that after the game. Congrats to him. Big time performance. Credit to them. They played unbelievable. We didn't quite match their level of execution."
Why did you feel the need to have that conversation with Zac Taylor immediately?
"It was a very positive conversation. We're not happy with where we're at, but by no means is the season over. We're 0-3. There's 14 left to play. We just have to continue to get better and see where the cards fall in the next 10 weeks. We just have to go into this week preparing to get better and trying to get a win. That's all I can do."
Was that your idea or Zac's to have a conversation?
"It was mutual."
How did you feel physically?
"I feel great."
Do you find yourself needing to do anything different from a leadership style when you're 0-3 heading into a must win game next week?
"There will be some critical thinking I'll have to do to see what kind of leader I want to be going forward and what I feel like the team needs from me going forward."
Are you still confident in your defense?
"Of course. We've got the players. I'm not sure what happened tonight. I know that we have great coaches and we have really good players that are willing to improve and take coaching. So just like any game, if you don't play great, you're going to learn from your mistakes and get better, and that's all you can do."
How do you think Tee Higgins looked tonight?
"He looked good. He made some big plays for us on third down. He's getting his feet back under him, so he's going to continue to improve."
Was it nice to get that connection with Ja'Marr Chase going?
"We caught a couple, one in single-high coverage today. I'm not sure how much more we're going to see of that. He caught it two times and we scored two touchdowns. We'll see if teams continue to do that. I hope they do. We're going to continue to try to take advantage of our opportunities."
When you saw that pre snap, what did you think?
"I liked the calls we had. We executed them. That was exciting to see. We'll watch the tape and see some red zone opportunities that we could have had. We have to find some plays to still get him (Ja'Marr Chase) the ball in those situations. We can't just let a team take him away like that going forward."
The touchdown to Andrei Iosivas on fourth down, was that a similar route he ran to that of last week's game?
"Yes, a double move. Not exactly the look we want in that situation, but we made it work."
A lot of your football career has been about you overcoming adversity and odds when they're stacked against you. You seem to take pride in being able to do that. How do you feel about that challenge and knowing that the odds are stacked against you?
"It's an exciting opportunity, just like every season is. There's going to be some big games down the stretch that we're going to have to step up for. We haven't played any division opponents yet. The Steelers are 3-0, other teams are 1-2, we're 0-3. We play all six of those games coming up. We're by no means out of it. Playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind. We have got to get better this week."
CAM TAYLOR-BRITT
Cornerback
What happened out there tonight?
"Running downhill with (Brian) Robinson Jr. outside, and a couple of deep balls. I had one and one of my teammates had one, but those were the only very explosive plays."
They had some extended plays ...
"Yeah, most definitely with the quarterback they have, they can extend plays."
How frustrating was it to know what the offense was going to look like and they came out and scored on every drive?
"Very frustrating. They went on long drives the whole game. They had a lot of third-and-two. We wanted to get them in third-and-long so they had to pass the ball to the outside, but it didn't turn out that way."
Why was Jayden Daniels 21-of-23 tonight? How did that happen?
"It was those quick throws."
GENO STONE
Safety
How do you come to grips with where you are at 0-3?
"Try to embrace it and we've got to move forward. We have to get on to next week with Carolina and get ready to play."
Is there a feeling of disbelief?
"No, I mean not really. We know we can do it. We had chances against these guys and we just have to capitalize on every chance we get."
Their offense in third-and-short, fourth-and-short seemed very poised. Did that stand out to you?
"Yeah, they were doing a lot of hurry-up and speed-breaking us. That's on us. We have to communicate and make sure we're all on the same page. I tip my hat to him (Jayden Daniels). He played a great game."
You entered the season with high expectations. Where are you emotionally right now?
"I'm in great spirits. You know, it's the NFL. Crazy things happen in this league. Anyone can beat anyone each week. We just have to put it together. We got it. Every game we've lost is a one-score game. It's not like we're not there."
DAX HILL
Cornerback
When Jayden Daniels threw the touchdown, it looked like you were out in front of Terry McLaurin. Was there an issue in tracking the ball and that's how he ended up getting it?
"I was off zero coverage and he put the ball in his hands."
You guys never expected to be 0-3. How do you wrap your brain around that right now?
"At this point you really just have to move on. You can't think about being 0-3."
ZACK MOSS
Halfback
The Bengals averaged more than six yards per rush today. What was going on? What did you guys see? How did you guys execute so well?
"We knew the run game would be an emphasis. We knew these guys gave up a lot of yards in the run game. So, we had a lot of stuff schemed up. We went out there and we executed at a high level and tried to do that consistently."
I can't remember the last time I saw a game where neither team punted and neither team turned it over. It was an incredible football game in that regard. You've ever been in a game like that?
"Not where both teams didn't punt. We just have to do a better job at playing complementary football. When I saw us staying on the field a little bit more, we always have to think like that. But like Chase (Brown) said, we'll watch the film, figure out a way to get better, and try to duplicate that again on Sunday and, you know, come up with a win."
CHASE BROWN
Halfback
What was going on? The Commanders' two defensive tackles — that's as good as a duo that there is in the league. Did you hguys attack them a little bit and go right at them?
"I guess, in a way. But we knew that they were going to penetrate hard and we're going to take advantage of that, on some of the run schemes. But obviously would have wanted to leave this game with a win. So that's what we're focused on right now. And just looking at the film and just finding ways to get better."
And then the running game set it up for Joe Burrow. Joe passed for over 300 yards, three touchdowns and a high completion percentage. When you run the football like that, it's easier to throw it, isn't it?
"Yeah. No doubt. No doubt about it. It opened up the passing game. And we're just going to look to continue this trend and keeping being an explosive offense."
JA'MARR CHASE
Wide receiver
How does it feel to be 0-3 at this point?
"Doesn't feel good, but it happens. We just have to learn from it. Move on. And get ready for next week."
The offense obviously was cooking, but you had three possessions where you settled for field goal tries. Unfortunately, in a game like this, that proved costly ...
"Yeah, we have to score (TDs) when we get into that red zone. We have to capitalize on them."
What about your performance? One hundred-plus yards, two touchdowns catches ... how'd you feel about it?
"It was a good overall game, but I'm more of a team-win (guy). So, I think it would be good to have one with that."
Where do you go from here?
"Come back to work. Watch the film. Corrections. And we have to move on. But we can't have games like this. We have to win games like this, so we can move on."
Is there a sense of desperation at this point, even though it's three games in?
"I don't know. I've never been here, bro. I never felt this before. So, it's a first time for everything. Because you have to be on one team. You have to stay together — stay as a unit. That's the only way we're going to win."
How good was it to have Tee Higgins back out there? It looked like it certainly benefited you a little bit, too ...
"Yeah. It was great having Tee out there, man. It was like old times, just having fun.
When you look at what you, Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins did, do you see that as the path forward for you guys? Big plays that show you what you can make?
"That's more of the standard that we have. It's not it's not really something that we have to show. It's really the standard that we need to be."
Jayden Daniels is extremely impressive. I don't know how closely you could watch his performance, but it was a very good rookie quarterback performance. What did you think?
"He's a great player. I'm not going to lie. That was my first time sitting down and watching him besides the spring game. So, he's a very outstanding player."
Do you have confidence that the defense can bounce back from what happened tonight?
"Yeah. One hundred percent. Defensively is leading our pack when we're playing (good) football games. But tonight it was the opposite. The defense is still going to be good. They have their pack; we (on offense) have ours. We just have to keep going moving forward (together)."
