Opening statement:
"Played a good Kansas City Chiefs team today. (Chiefs Head Coach) Andy (Reid) is a really, really good football coach. I have known him for a long time. We have had some battles for a long time. We were not good enough in a few areas and improved in some other areas. We have to do better. We have to continue to help them better, have to execute better and continue to take the next steps."
On the difficulty sustaining multiple injuries on defense:
"Next man up. Can never make an excuse of that, but I did have to change conceptually to what our guys that went in there could do and could understand. Andy knew that, too. We still have to make plays. We have to tackle better, have to keep the ball in front of us better and have to keep on playing. Those guys did. They never blinked. I thought (LB) Jamie Collins (Sr.) did a really good job of continuing to keep people in the game that had to come in and out of the huddles. He did a really good job with that."
On the injury status of DB Denzel Ward and LB Christian Kirksey:
"All of the updates are really all the same as what you guys [received] – same thing. We will take the next step with them tomorrow."
On Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' performance:
"Played well. We forced him into a couple of situations that we normally have been pretty productive on, but give him credit. He made some nice plays. He really did."
On the tone he looked to set on the sideline as head coach, referencing that he looked 'business like':
"Tried to be business like at all times. There are times where whatever my role is with the team, wherever I am positioned with the team throughout all of these years. The big thing was to be aggressive and to play aggressively. Our guys responded in that way. We have to play better in some situations, but we played aggressively."
On RB Duke Johnson Jr. being highly involved in the Browns offense:
"(Offensive coordinator) Freddie (Kitchens) did a good job."
On emphasizing energy and focus this week, following coaching changes this week:
"We really do that day by day by day. Seriously, it is not just in the game – every day in how you respond in a meeting, how you respond in practice. The philosophy that we have had and the philosophy that I have been raised with in this league being around some really, really good coaches on the staffs that I have been on is that is an everyday thing. You do not want to wait until Sunday and see it. You want to see it throughout the week. That is what they have been doing all week long."
On if the Browns attempted multiple fourth down and 2-point conversions due to the opponent:
"Partially. Partially because of who we are playing from understanding the opponent and also understanding our team."
On being aggressive in offensive situational football opportunities:
"It was good to see our team respond. We wanted to see our team respond and wanted to see (QB) Baker (Mayfield) respond, and he did a really good job with that and how he lead us in those situations. He did a good job."
On reports that DB Damarious Randall was a 'healthy scratch':
"Not a healthy scratch, no. It was my call because I wanted to get him healthy. He has been battling. He has been battling. He has been battling, and I just wanted to get him fully ready to roll."
On if Randall attempted to convince him to play today:
"That is always between me and him. I like the player. I do."
On the Chiefs converting multiple third-and-longs early in the game:
"Have to get off of the field on third down. They made two really good plays on screens. We did not play those screens very well. We had some situational stops that are not normal for us – I am talking about on the production. Normally, we have been very good on those third down situations. We had a second down screen, and we had a third down screen. Those were two bigger plays, and then it pushed them into more first and second down opportunities and we did not respond. We have to help each other."
On Mayfield not wanting to come out of the game and if he saw Mayfield get hit into the head prior to the call from the medical spotter:
"I saw the play, and that is their call. I saw the play, and if I felt there was something wrong, I would have been on top of it, but I did not see it that is what their job is. They have to do it. (QB) Tyrod (Taylor) is up, and Tyrod came in and did a good job. Freddie and the staff did a good job during that situation, too."
On if he was surprised there was not a penalty called when Mayfield was hit and ultimately evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return:
"I do not know for sure on that one to tell you the truth. I did not see it that way completely, but we will see."
On positives for the rest of the season from today's game:
"Do not want to pick and choose all of the little things, but there is progress to be made in some areas and we have to get better in others. We fought through some of the health issues. We have to get some of the other guys – they have an opportunity to play – we have to get them to move up a little bit more. They have to step up a little more and do their job, and I have to help them do their job. That is what I have to do."
On Mayfield's performance:
"I have always been impressed with him. I like him as a player, and I like the way I saw on the field with him. I am anxious to hear how everybody says tomorrow, the responses and how he improved. You can see the guy belongs in our league. He led our football team. I am sure there will be things he says he will get better, he will get better and he will get better – seeing it before it happens."
On who he communicates with on the headset:
"Everybody. Technology has gotten us to that point. In the old days, you did not have headsets, but I talk to everybody."
On if he communicates with more people in his role as a head coach:
"There was just because offensively, they have more people on their line. Defensively, I do not have that many people on my line. They are there, they can hear me. It was very, very good communication. Freddie and his staff did outstanding on the process they were working with. I needed to hear that process and was good with it, and everything else was the same. (Special Teams Coordinator) Amos (Jones) was the same. All that kind of stuff was the same."
On the defensive effort today, given the multiple injuries sustained:
"I am never going to be satisfied until you shut somebody out, but they played hard. We have to tackle better, and we have to produce a couple of other places on some pivotal play type things that could have forced them to have more third downs. We need to create more third down opportunities."
On if Collins is playing as hard as he can:
"Jamie is doing a lot of things. Jamie is handling a lot of things for us. He is being the vocal person on the field. He is the quarterback on defense, and he is playing like our quarterback"
On how Browns players responded to adversity this week, referring to coaching changes and injuries:
"In all honesty, [they responded] each and every day. I addressed that with them each and every da. Every day, I never saw any flinch. Never saw a flinch today. Never saw body language poor today. You have to build on that. This is the National Football League. There are no excuses. You have to continue to get better. You have to. We all have to."
On Kitchens' offensive gameplan:
"It was really good. It was based upon what the guys we had here that are up and ready to roll. They are based towards those kinds of guys. I am sure that he will have some things that he wants to improve on and everything, but it was very organized and there was no flinching at all. Like I said before, it is not that hard. You have to stay on time. You have it down. He did a really good job too involving other people – from the quarterbacks and involving their processes and their ideas and their thoughts which is good. I do the same thing defensively. We always do it that way, but I thought he did a good job with that."
On if Mahomes will be a great QB in the NFL for a long time:
"It is hard to predict that. It is about through an evolution, but for a young guy, he has come a long way in a quick amount of time."
