JOE BURROW
Quarterback
What's going through your mind right now?
"Tough loss. I thought we were going to be able to pull it out. [We] didn't make enough plays at the end of the day. They played really well. It's disappointing."
It looked like the offense kind of got into a rhythm on that first drive and then struggled to find anything after that. What led to being inconsistent there?
"I have to see the tape."
On your interception in the end zone when you were trying to make a play, that's one you obviously want to have back. What did you see there?
"[I was] just trying to make plays. Obviously, wasn't able to make that one."
Does the mentality change when you're down 10 points that late to kind of push the ball down the field more?
"Yes, absolutely. You have to try to make plays in that situation. We'll watch the tape."
You've throw Tyler Boyd a lot of passes over the years. With his drop at the end of the game, do you approach that any differently because it's Tyler?
"We wouldn't have even been down there if it wasn't for him. Obviously, you'd like to come down with it, but we were able to go down there and tie it up. [We would have] liked to punch it in, make them go down and score a touchdown in that situation, but we were able to tie it up."
You're going to have to put this one behind you faster than normal given what's ahead on Thursday night in Baltimore. What's your confidence in your team's ability to do that?
"Yeah, we have to. We have to. So, we have to get our bodies right. That's the toughest part of these Thursday night games. It starts now."
This is probably one of the more frustrating losses you've had since you've been here?
"Yeah, I would say that."
It seemed like you were having to run out of the pocket a lot, and more than you have in the last couple of weeks. What was Houston doing up front that made you be under duress so much today?
"I knew going in that they had a really good defensive front. They have some juice up front. So, after that first half, I was going into the second half thinking that I was going to scramble a little bit more, try to make some plays with my legs, and [I] made some."
Why is this loss so frustrating?
"I mean, you watched the game."
What did you see on the touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase? It looked like he kind of changed his route when he saw you scrambling ...
"Yeah, he did a great job there. That's the scramble drill for us. That turns into big plays, big touchdowns in those situations. He does a great job of that every single time. That was a big play."
On the final drive, what did you see on the first-down sack and the second-down draw?
"I thought we had a good look at the draw. It didn't end up playing out; I'll have to watch the tape. I'm not sure if they stunted up front or not. That usually can mess those draws up. The one before that, I'm not quite sure."
What did they do defensively after that first drive when you guys got off to another good start?
"It was tough all day. They're a good defense. Veteran guys, veteran linebackers, some really good safeties that make it tough. Like I said, their defensive front has some juice and is able to get pressure on teams. They're a good defense, and they were able to slow us down in the first half. After that first drive — and that first drive definitely wasn't easy — we were able to make some plays on that one and get some points. Then after that, in the first half there wasn't much, but I like how we responded."
This team has been in a familiar spot like this three years in a row with a 5-4 record. What's the mood, and the tone and the messaging coming out of a game like this?
"We have to step it up. We have to be better. Today wasn't good enough; it's as simple as that."
Even at points during the win streak, you guys have had times where the offense was choppy. Is that something that has been concerning, especially as it shows up again today?
"Yeah, you always want to play a complete game. I thought we put ourselves in position to win that one. Obviously, you'd like to score every time; that's not the reality of the NFL. I thought we did some really good things. Obviously, there are some things that we could do better, too."
What did you see out of Ja'Marr Chase today playing with a back issue? Like Zac Taylor said, you guys made a point of giving him the ball as much as you could. What does it say about him being able to play through that with Tee Higgins out?
"He's grinding it out. That's football. If he feels like he's good enough to go, he's going to go. That's the kind of guy he is. Not much else to say."
Does it feel different at this point this year with how close everything is in the division and AFC right now in terms of the margin for error?
"Yeah, we would have liked to win this one, that's for sure."
Back to Ja'Marr Chase, how much of a difference does it make when Ja'Marr is going through what he's going through and there's no Tee Higgins?
"Obviously, we're a much better team when Tee is out there. That's no secret. Tee is one of the premier receivers in the league, but we had guys step up today. Guys made plays."
Were they throwing a lot at Ja'Marr Chase coverage wise?
"Yeah, they were doubling most of the time."
Did you guys change anything after that first drive in the second half? You started moving; did you guys change anything?
"Yeah. Like I said, I was planning on going out and making some more plays with my legs. I thought I was able to do that. Zac (Taylor) called a really good second half. We were able to mix up our play calls in that situation that was able to get us some explosives."
