DE Myles Garrett:
On if he thought holding the Steelers to 15 points would be enough:
“We did not win so it was not enough. They held us to 10 so they did a better job than us.”
On what the Steelers did to minimize the defensive pressure:
“As of late, they have been getting the ball out quickly. In my first couple of years in the league playing against (Steelers QB) Ben (Roethlisberger), he would hold onto the ball. Nowadays, he is trying to get it out of his hand and get it to his playmakers. There were a couple of plays where they were longer developing or it felt like to me that there were a lot of reads to the tight end or halfback on my side to try and chip me or wide me out so it would take a longer time to get to the quarterback.”
On the Browns being 4-4:
“It is not fun. It was definitely a winnable game for us, but we did not do it. We did not execute like we needed to. We had a good game on defense, but not well enough. Nobody is happy with what we did on any of the phases, and so, we need to go back to the drawing board and keep on working. We have nine more games. At the end of the day, the crown of the AFC is still up in the air – at least in the AFC North.”
On the reasons for the defense’s lack of takeaways:
“We have to either catch it or take it away from somebody. Sometimes they come in bunches, and sometimes you do not get any. We had our hands on a couple today, but we just could not bring them down. We had one where (Steelers RB) Najee (Harris) was coming down on a tackle and was juggling the ball. That time we did not get the ball to completely come out, and he was able to get his hands back on it as he was falling down. It is not that we are not putting in the effort. It is just not coming our way.”
On his respect for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who may have won his final game at FirstEnergy Stadium:
“The man has been great for a long time, and he has been great here for a long time. It is tough, but we will see him again, and we will get the chance to return the favor when he is at his house. It hurts that we could not protect our house, but his home is not safe either.”
On WR Jarvis Landry’s fumble today:
“You need to keep your head up, just like you are always told. Whether it is defense or special teams, accidents happen and things happen during the game where they would not usually happen, but you have to be prepared. Nine times out of 10, he is going to complete that catch and get down so we can move the ball down the field. This time, it was just a good play on the ball, and they got the ball away from him. That was the name of the game today – takeaways – and they got one more than us.”
On if he talked to Steelers LB Joe Schobert about the fumble after the game:
“Not about that. We were just catching up a little. He is a really good player, and he always has been. I was showing him respect, and it was good to see him.”
On if losing S John Johnson III was tough from a defensive play calling standpoint:
“It is a combination. (S John) ‘JJ’ (Johnson) will call it; (LB Anthony) Walker will call it. It is tough to lose him because he is a hell of a player and he makes plays. Last game, he made a big play for us. We do not want to see him out, but we are not losing our primary play caller in that way. We just have someone who is calling plays so we will need someone to step up and fill his role.”
On Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth’s touchdown catch:
“It was a hell of play. I did not think it was a catch when I first saw it, but at another angle, I saw him get the second foot down. It is hard to beat that. Hell of a throw and hell of a catch. You just have to be able to get back out there and keep on going to try and win the game.”
WR Jarvis Landry:
On his fumble:
“It is something he (Steelers LB Joe Schobert) is known for doing. I really was not trying to fight for extra yards. I was trying to get down. He made a great play.”
On if the Browns offense felt out of sync at times lately:
“No, I would not say that. I think we had opportunities to make plays and extend drives, myself included. Those two times were two reasons why we didn’t score.”
On how to get the team back on track:
“We need to look at this one and then move on. We have nine more games like (Head) Coach (Kevin Stefanski) said in the locker room after the game, and that is what is important.”
On if he has high confidence in the season going forward:
“Yes, I definitely do. We have some things that we need to fix. Honestly, in thinking back to the game, I think of two or three plays in this game, including myself, where we had the opportunity to make plays and we did not. I owe it to my teammates and to all of the guys who fought to get back to play – (QB) Baker (Mayfield), (WR) Odell (Beckham Jr.), (T) Jack (Conklin) – that is part of holding up my end of the bargain and making those plays to make sure we can win this game.”
On the offensive difficulties today:
“I think we had opportunities. As the game went on, I think it just came down to a couple of plays, and that is really it.”
On if it is hard to believe the lack of points by the offense today:
“It is the NFL. At the same time, we had opportunities. Again, I go back to the two drives where there was a possibility we could get points on both drives, and then we would have more than 10 points on the board.”
On how Mayfield looked returning from injury:
“I think he looked great. I think he stood in there. He got a roughing the passer call at the end, and that shows him just standing in there and trying to make plays. The play on third-and-1 on the sideline was incredible, and he bounced up to show the energy and passion he has. Looking back at it, it sucks I did not make those plays because his effort was something that should be commended.”
On how to move past this game:
“We have to be real critical about it. Then we have to figure out a way to get past it. I think once Monday hits, we will get back into the building and put this one behind us. We have an off day on Tuesday, try to get guys healthy and see where we are at to attack the week.”
LB Anthony Walker Jr.:
On how he felt physically after the game:
“I am good. I will be good.”
On losing S John Johnson III during the game:
“A huge, important part of our defense. I thought the other guys stepped up. S Grant Delpit played little more snaps than he normally does. (S) Ronnie (Harrison Jr.) took over back there. Obviously, losing one of your leaders hurts, but the other guys stepped up and played well.”
On how losing Johnson changed the operation of the defense:
“None. I do not think that we missed a beat. The other guys stepped up. It definitely hurts not having him out there. We were able to still get the calls in.”
On his assessment of the defense:
“Not good enough. We have to find a way to get off the field a lot more times than that. Some bad plays by me. I own that. It sucks, but I will be better. Great offense. (Steelers QB) ‘Big Ben’ (Roethlisberger) is a great quarterback. He is going to make plays, but we cannot give him anything.”
On how he feels about being 4-4:
“Not good enough. Top to bottom. I own that. It starts with me. I feel like on that defensive side. We are not good enough defensively right now. We have to be a lot better to be a championship team. The defense has to be a lot better, and it starts with my play.”
On why he thinks there were more missed tackles:
“We have to get the ball carrier down. Myself, I had a couple where I just shot too high. It takes all 11 each time. We are big on that. It is the NFL; they are going to make plays. (Steelers RB) Najee Harris is a great back. They have great receivers that can make people miss. We do not care about missing tackles as much as letting the ball get out. If you missed and someone else is there to tackle and it is just a one-yard gain, we are okay with that.”
On what was disappointing about the game:
“Losing. Losing is the only thing that I am disappointed at. If we would have won that game 10-9, I would be ecstatic in here right now. If we would have won that game 100-99, I would have been ecstatic right now. I just want to win, and I am pretty sure everybody in that locker room feels the same way. We own that as a team that we lost that game.”