Todd Monken Sends Blunt Message to Browns During Monday Press Conference

The Cleveland Browns head coach didn't hold back during his Monday press conference following Sunday’s disappointing 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nov 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken watches warm up prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Browns entered the AFC North showdown with an opportunity to improve to 6-2 and remain unbeaten in division play. Instead, Cleveland struggled offensively, surrendered eight sacks and committed several costly penalties in a game that quickly got away.

While Monken addressed many of those shortcomings immediately after the loss, his comments Monday provided a more detailed assessment of what went wrong and how they need to show more discipline against New Orleans.

“We weren’t very poised and we didn’t keep our composure,” Monken said when asked about three unnecessary penalties. “And you are how you play, not how you talk.”

Monken made it clear that his message to the team wasn’t limited to one disappointing performance.

“Speak with your play. I’ll leave it at that.”

The Browns also struggled to protect quarterback Deshaun Watson, allowing eight sacks against Pittsburgh’s aggressive defensive front. Rather than placing the blame on one player or position group, Monken emphasized that the responsibility belongs to everyone.

“Ultimately eight sacks is below the line,” Monken said. “When you get anywhere near that number, we all got to take a big bite of it and say it’s not good enough.”

He pointed to several contributing factors, including protection breakdowns, play calling and Watson’s ability to get rid of the football.

“It’s not one individual person. It’s a collective thing that we’ve got to continue to fight to get better at.”

Cleveland’s inability to establish a consistent running game only compounded those problems.

“We got behind. We didn’t really get into a rhythm and we didn’t get any auxiliary yards,” Monken said.

He also acknowledged that the coaching staff must improve its approach.

“Certainly got to scheme it better and got to coach it better and execute better...We weren’t at our best the last couple weeks in stopping the run. All right. Now what? What are we going to do to stop the run?”

Despite those concerns, Monken isn’t ready to let one disappointing afternoon define Cleveland’s season.

The Browns are 5-3 through eight games, and their head coach believes they have considerable room for improvement.

“We haven’t really even scratched the surface yet of where we can be,” the head coach said proudly.

He believes the disappointment following Pittsburgh reflects how much the Browns expect of themselves.

“This is a good spot to be in, right? To be disappointed that you’re not 6-2 and that you didn’t find a way to win the game on the road and be 3-0 in the division.”

Monken stressed that the Browns have earned their five victories, just as they must accept responsibility for Sunday’s performance.

“We also earned the way we played yesterday and we weren’t poised and we weren’t composed and we earned that.”

Now the challenge is turning those words into a better performance.

“We’re going to circle the wagons. We’re going to figure out what we can fix. Get after it on Wednesday. Flush it today. Get after it Wednesday and take another step forward.”