On Sunday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed questions from media on the team’s 27-14 loss to the Steelers, Dustin Hopkins, Jameis Winston, and more.
The following is the transcript as given by the Steelers media relations department:
Opening Statement
Go on the road with a minus two turnover margin. I missed a few of kicks. It’s hard to win that way. So we put ourselves in a really difficult situation and, unfortunately, were unable to recover against a strong football club. So bummed, but we’ll just get back to work. With that, I’ll take any questions.
Seemed like the wind went out of the sails when Dustin Hopkins missed back-to-back kicks. Did it seem that way?
It sounds like Kevin Stefanski is holding both himself and his players accountable for the missed opportunities in the 27-14 loss to the Steelers. His comments suggest frustration with the team’s inability to convert drives into touchdowns, emphasizing the importance of capitalizing in the red zone. Settling for field goals—and then missing them—only compounds the struggles.
Dustin Hopkins’ performance seems to have come under scrutiny, but Stefanski appears to be sticking with him, trusting that he’ll rebound in future situations. These are the kinds of games where missed points can make a huge difference, especially in a tough division like the AFC North.
Dustin is now up to nine missed kicks, most in the NFL. Will you consider bringing in (tryouts)?
Kevin Stefanski’s response makes it clear he’s standing by Dustin Hopkins despite the missed kicks. His emphasis on Hopkins being a veteran and a professional suggests confidence that Hopkins can bounce back and work through any struggles. It also reflects Stefanski’s leadership style—showing support for his players publicly while likely addressing the issues internally.
In tight divisional games, though, every point matters, so the Browns will need Hopkins to regain consistency quickly.
Besides the screen interception, first of all, what did you see on that play?
Yeah. Their defensive tackle did not rush in that situation, therefore we can get an incompletion there.
Did you feel Jameis Winston was trying to be too careful with the ball early or just not places for him to kind of fit into tight windows?
I would not describe it that way, Scott [Petrak]. I’d need to view it to give you a more accurate answer. There were opportunities. Give them credit. They did a good job.
Fourth down play in the third quarter.
Which one? Fourth-and-one?
Was this what was meant to happen?
No. Obviously, do not go backwards. But, yeah, that was not how it was intended to go.
Overall, Jameis hasn’t battled as much as he did today. What exactly was going on?
Well, I believe the first step is to give credit. They performed a terrific job of rushing coverage. There are some things we can clean up. I believe Jameis will want some throws and choices reversed, as you do in every game. But we will learn from it.
Did they go to great lengths to get rid of Jerry [Jeudy]? I believe he only had two targets in the first half.
Yeah. They were aware of his location and other details, but we needed to find ways to move the football and score some points.
Not that you guys necessarily had a great chance to get, but you are officially eliminated from the playoffs. Does that kind of add a little insult to injury here today?
We’re so focused, Mary Kay [Cabot], on finding a win any way we can, and we’ll keep that emphasis heading into next week.
In the first half, there were three consecutive defensive three-and-outs. What did you see?
I’d have to check into it to provide a more particular answer. Obviously, we forced them into some difficult third-and-longer situations early on, allowing us to exploit our rushing coverage and get off the field. We felt like we were a touch too porous in the run game in the second half, which is something we’ll look into.
The score was 27-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Have you considered putting DTR in there to take a look at him?
No. Did not. Let us worry about this one right now. Jameis, we clearly lost as a team. I understand he believes he can play better, but we win and lose as a team.
Talk about staying composed. Germain [Ifedi] gets a big one to move you out of that range, and then Kadarius [Toney] gets the one. How disappointing is that?
Yeah. Very disappointed. That is not what we’re about. It will be addressed. It’s extremely, really disappointing.
How about accumulating double-digit losses?
Yeah. Any time you lose, Mary Kay, it’s difficult, and these men have put a lot of effort into this, so not to win is difficult.
