CHICAGO BEARS POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach John Fox
(opening statement) "I thought it was a gutsy performance by our team coming into a tough place to win on the road. Was it perfect? No. But, it's a tribute to those guys in that locker room, and I'm talking about coaches and players. I'm proud of the way our guys played. It wasn't always perfect, but it seldom is. But we are just happy to get out of here with a win."
(on coming back after losing the lead) "I thought it was very gutsy. I think all the momentum we had earlier with the take-away that Adrian [Amos] scored on kind of took the wind out of the stadium. Obviously, they made some plays that brought the wind back in to get the game tied and into overtime. But our guys weathered that storm, and I thought that said a lot about them."
(on his defensive take-aways) "We've gone through all the inadequacies at this point from last season and earlier this season, but I think a lot of it is it helps to play with the lead. We've only done that twice this season, and we've won both games. So, I think that helps our defense. I think these guys have different personalities every season. They're growing closer together. We've had some guys miss some time, but the preparation this week was outstanding, and their resilience was outstanding today."
(on why they ran more than 50 times today) "It's really about what the Ravens do well defensively. They're very opportunistic. The last time I was here was in 2012 with [the Broncos and] Peyton Manning, and we threw it 44 times and ran it 21. And so that had to do with our quarterback and whatever it takes to win. This week, we needed to run, and we did."
(on his quarterback's third-down conversion in overtime) "Again, it really has nothing to do with the quarterback. It's just doing whatever it takes to win. And our guys did that today."
(on DB Adrian Amos' demotion and now starting again) "I don't really look at the demotion and where you are. At that time, there was a guy playing better than him. And, at this time, he's playing the best in the group. And that's why he's playing out there. He's a good football player. He's playing a lot of football for us. He had a good day today."
(on RB Jordan Howard) "Our whole running game deserves credit today. Our guys knew what kind of game this was going to be. I think the whole group, I'm not slighting Jordan in any way, played well. He's the 10th leading rusher in the NFL before today, so it's not like he's not getting his touches. He's a very good player, he helps us, and he helped us win today."
(on the two kick returns for touchdowns against Chicago) "On the one [kickoff return], I thought he was touched, but, obviously they didn't. And I'm not going to get into the middle of that thing, but that was obviously a big play for them. The last one [punt return], we had a couple of nicks that hurt us. So, we had a couple of guys in there that hadn't done it a lot, no offense, but [the Ravens] executed better than we did on those plays."
(on the official's call on the kick return for touchdown) "To be honest with you, I really don't know. I'm sure it went to New York, and they went through all the mechanics. You can hear better up there than I can hear down on the sideline. I just knew they didn't change the call."
(on missing Sherrick McManis on special teams) "He's our special teams captain. I get asked all the time about injuries, and we obviously missed him, but our guys stepped in and stepped up well enough for us to win. Obviously, when you lose a guy like him who makes the Pro Bowl at his position, it's going to hurt, period."
(on how you turn it around in overtime) "It's all about the hearts of the players. The players, the coaches, and everybody, we're in it together. You tell them what we have to do to win the game, and it was evident that they did."
(on RB Tarik Cohen's touchdown pass) "That's a play we've had, and it kind of presented itself today. I thought it was executed well. Good pass, good catch."
QB Mitchell Trubisky
(on his third-down pass in overtime to WR Kendall Wright) "The offensive line gave me some time, and I had to buy some time myself. I saw Kendall over the middle, and he was open. He made a heck of a catch. and we made it happen."
(on ball security) "I have to learn to take incompletions instead of making risky throws. I learned a lot from last week, and the strategy paid off in the end for us."
(on RB Tarik Cohen touchdown pass) "We've had that for the last few weeks, and I wanted to use it last week. The minute we called it, I knew it would go for a touchdown. He had drawn everyone up and left Zach [Miller] open in the end zone. He did a great job."
(on his touchdown pass to TE Dion Sims) "On that play, my first read wasn't open. The second read was also covered. I was running out of time, and I saw Dion [Sims] wide open. I just threw the ball up there, and he made a good catch. I didn't even see the catch, because I was on the ground. I'm looking forward to seeing it in the highlights."
(on the play of RB Jordan Howard) "He ran like a warrior today. His run in overtime flipped the field for us. We were deep in our own territory, and he got us into scoring position. It didn't surprise me because we were playing in overtime and everyone was tired, but he just keeps going and going."
(on the Bears' 54/17 run/pass ratio) "We took what the defense was giving us. They gave us some coverages we hadn't seen, but we were running the ball successfully. It's all about what's necessary to win. The run game was working, so let's keep pounding the rock."
(on the Bear mentality in overtime) "We knew we were backed up in our own end, but our mentality was to keep going one play at a time. You never know what's going to happen, then [Jordan] Howard broke that run, and things looked a lot better for us."
(on his first road start) "This was a lot of fun. We were playing in a hostile environment, and it's a very tough place to play. We were playing a good team, and we won."
WR Kendall Wright
(on his third-down reception in overtime) "I had broken off my route, and I was running to the right. I had beaten my guy, and I looked up and saw Mitch [Trubisky] running with me. He threw the ball to me, and I got it. We've been emphasizing making catches that are contested in practice, and that helped me."
(on the run/pass ratio) "It doesn't matter to me, as long as we win. We want to do whatever it takes, and the only thing that matters is winning. We'll take whatever they give us."
(on the team's mood after the Ravens tied the game) "Everyone stayed positive, it was great. We need to stick together and keep playing hard. I will say this, if at any point, anyone gave up on our team, we would've lost that game. Everyone kept working and playing hard, and we got it done."
(on QB Mitchell Trubisky) "He's a different kind of guy. He's a baller. He gets better every week, and nothing bothers him. The team didn't make nearly as many mental errors this week because of his patience."
K Connor Barth
(on his game-winning field goal) "This team made it easy on me. The offensive line did a good job. It's my job to make those kicks. They did their job, and it was my turn to do my job. Kicking a game-winner is an awesome feeling."
(on the Bears coming back to win in overtime) "It was a great feeling. This is something we can really build on. In the overtime, the offense did what they had to. This is a great team win for us. They all put in their work every day, and they executed well today. Now we need to get ready for Carolina, but it's going to be a great plane ride home."
RB Tarik Cohen
(on the offense) "I felt real comfortable. We really got the run game going. And the offensive line did what they do best, just making holes for us running backs. We just hit the holes real good today."
(on his touchdown pass) "I think I had four throwing touchdowns in college, so I've been throwing it. The play was called, and I got a fake outside zone, like a sweep, and then I checked for the safety – if he comes down, then I can throw it to Zach [Miller]. If not, then I'll throw the ball away, or just run and get what I can. I felt it hung up there for a while, I was backpedaling just looking at it – it was like a movie scene. I didn't mean to get it that high. It might have been a little too high, but it dropped in the perfect spot, and only he could catch it. I was looking at [Ravens S Eric Weddle] and I was waiting for him to make any type of move downhill, and as soon as he came downhill, I threw it to a spot, and I knew Zach would be there."
(on the run game) "That's what we do, as an offense. We run the outside zone. So, when they see us running the outside zone, they try to come up the field, and that opened it up."
(on the fumble) "I made a sudden move without having the ball first. It's a mistake I shouldn't have made. I should've had two hands on the ball. I should have secured the ball before I made a move. I really have to hone in on that to not have that mistake again."
(on going into overtime) "We put ourselves in this position, so we had to dig ourselves out of it. We didn't get accomplished what we wanted to in the first drive, so our defense held up. That gave us some momentum. And then Jordan [Howard] and the offensive line did what they had to do."
(on RB Jordan Howard's game) "I see what type of great player he is. To see the toughness that he has, the will to want to do better and want to make the big play. I see the dog mentality he has – when he unleashes it, there's no man on defense that can really tackle him."
LB Danny Trevathan
(on the defense's play) "We just wanted to go out and play our game, create havoc out there, and get some turnovers like we did today. We've been preaching that, and guys have been buying into that stuff."
(on breaking the interception drought) "It's been an emphasis for us. We've been playing good defense, but turnovers take a lot of momentum out of offenses, and that's what we want to do. Our defense has been working its tail off. We've been just trying to fly around, get to the ball and bring it to our offense."
(on the Ravens' comeback) "I've been at this for a while. Our defense – there was no letdown – it was just, let's continue to play our ball. It's going to be a tough game, and it's going to be close, but we've got to come out victorious. We've got to go in and shut this down to go ahead and get this win. And we held in there. We were put in some tough situations, and we made it happen."* *
TE Dion Simms
(on the offense) "It was a little up and down. We made plays when our number was called. We still have a lot of things to work on. We'll come back and be ready for Carolina, but I think we did some good things today. We'll go back and watch the film and correct the things that we did wrong."
(on his play) "I felt great. When my number was called, I made plays. That's the big things that coach [John Fox] talks about. Making plays when Mitch [Trubisky] is scrambling around, you just have to get open and make a play."
(on his touchdown) "It was a broken play. I just followed my scramble rules, ran to the back pylon, and he threw it up there. It was just me and the ball and the defender, and I just made the play."
(on winning on the road) "It's big. It's always big to win on the road. Tough environment, tough place to play, but we kept our composure, and we just finished the game like we should."
OL Kyle Long
(on the run game) "We're really lucky to have Jordan Howard. He's a tremendous worker and runner. We know if we're able to cover up the other guys there on the defense, he can make some stuff happen. He's a tough runner and a real leader in this locker room. I think it's a common thought process throughout the NFL, that without the running game, you're not able to shut the defense up for anything else in the passing game. So, in order to have success offensively, and to keep the defense off the field, you need to be able to have a successful running game."
(on RB Tarik Cohen's play) "He's a really tough guy. Don't judge him by his size. We've got to do a better job of keeping people off of him. If we could give him a little bit of daylight, that could turn into a big one."
(on QB Mitch Trubisky) "Mitch Trubisky is a really good player. He's a leader out there – he's a vocal leader – and he plays the way a quarterback is supposed to play. He can rally a group of guys. At the end of the game, we were all dead tired. Mitch is the one picking us up, making sure we get the gusto to finish."
(on RB Jordan Howard's big run in OT) "That's kind of Jordan's M.O. Chop, chop, chop that tree, and eventually, he'll get a big one when we need it."
RB Jordan Howard
(on his long run in overtime) "[My line] opened a great hole for me. It was me and the safety [Eric Weddle] on-one-one. He went for the ball, and I was able to fight him off. And then I ran just as far as I could. I didn't know how much room I had, but once he fell off, I saw that I could bounce to the outside. The receiver did a great job on the corner that let me get around. You just keep moving your feet, and keep driving. You don't want to stop moving your feet because it stops your momentum."
(on how tired he was at the end of the game) "I was very tired. The overtime took a lot out of me. I feel like I'm in better shape – a lot better shape – than I was last year. So, I was able to keep carrying the ball when they needed me to."
(on having 36 carries) "It's great for the rhythm of the game. The more touches you get, the more comfortable you get."
(on winning this game in overtime) "It's a good learning experience because we had a big lead, and we let it slip away somehow. [The Ravens] did a good job fighting, but we figured out a way to win the game."
(on Tarik Cohen's TD pass) "We'd been working on it for a few weeks. At first, I thought it was too far, because the ball was in the air for a long time, but then I saw Zach [Miller] come down with it. I was very happy."
(on regrouping for overtime) "It took a lot, because they had a lot of momentum going. It was very loud. You could barely hear at the end. We started out overtime with a pass interference call, and we end up punting. The defense did a great job, and we were able to finish the game off."
DB Kyle Fuller
(on secondary plays contributing to the win) "It feels good to come out and get a big win like we did today, something that we definitely needed. We need to continue to work hard, get better and keep it going."
(on DB Adrian Amos' TD return) "It was the type of play that we need. The guys were working together, and we were able to capitalize. It was definitely big. I knew it was a big play. When I saw him running down the field, I thought, 'This is getting even better.'"
(on his play today) "I was just doing my job, doing nothing special, just doing my job. (Reporter: "Did you feel QB Joe Flacco was going at you often?") "No, I didn't feel that way. There was that one little drive down in the red zone, and he threw a couple back-to-back, but it is what it is."
(on playing in front of his hometown crowd) "It definitely feels real good, being back home."
(on if he and fellow Baltimore native Adrian Amos talked about this) "He's played [in this stadium] before. This was my first time, actually. We were definitely both excited and happy with the outcome."
(on if he'd ever seen Ravens games as a fan here) "Yes, I've come a little bit. So, I was pretty familiar with it. It was pretty cool to play in it for the first time."
DL Akiem Hicks
(on getting the win today) "It was awesome. It is a great feeling. It took a lot. We worked really hard to get there. There were a lot of ups and downs today, and it was a real roller coaster."
(on the play of the secondary) "I'm very happy for [Adrian] Amos. Sometimes, I call him 'spatula hands," because he doesn't catch a lot of balls. He definitely got it today, and then he took it to the crib. That was an awesome feeling. I bet it was for him in his home."
(on the physicality of the front seven) "It was a good offensive line, big guys, stout guys, not extremely aggressive in their run blocking, but they definitely get a body on you and try to misplace you a little bit. They won't try to take you out but just get you misplaced so they can have a good run."
(on when the Ravens got the ball near midfield in OT and how the defense played) "You have to be able to take whatever situation you get and make something out of it. That's the first thought we took [on to the field]. I wanted to get a good 'W,' go home and relax. The coming-down-to-the-wire thing is not my favorite style, but however you get wins in this league, it's hard to get wins in this league, so however you get it, you have to appreciate it. To answer your question more so, just as defense, we said we need to get out there and kick butt."
TE Zach Miller
(on his TD catch) "We had that [play] in for a while. We worked on it. Tarik [Cohen] put it up there … and I went and got it. It's one of those things where you have to track the ball when it's in the air. It was a good play. I was aware [of the sideline, and] I was able to angle my body and drag my feet and make sure everything was inbounds to make the play."
(on the team re-grouping to play in OT) "Everybody had tightened up. We understand that that was not the way we wanted to finish the game and almost a little [ticked] off about it because we had opportunities to close the door on them. We had multiple opportunities to close that out and made it a lot closer than it should have been."
DB Adrian Amos
(on his TD return) "I made a play on the ball. I tipped it up and just caught it, then tried not to get tackled. I'm just happy I made a play to help the team win. For it to come here at home in Baltimore, it was a great feeling. My granny was up in the stands with the rest of my family, so it was a great moment."
(on what he saw during the interception return) "When I got the football, [I thought] 'Go score, make people miss.'"
(on getting a second opportunity at starting safety) "I had the mindset this year to grind it out. I worked hard in the off-season. I put the work in. I'm confident in myself as a player as I've always been. I didn't let certain stuff get into my head. I just tried to grind it out and be the same person every day. I just kept coming in and giving good energy."
(on whether he envisioned scoring a TD in his hometown stadium) "Of course. I remember there's a field under the bridge [nearby] where I watched my father play 7-on-7 games growing up and looking at the stadium. Just growing up around Baltimore and being a Ravens' fan, watching Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, this was a dream come true coming back to play in this stadium. It's a blessing in itself. Not a lot of people from Baltimore get the chance to be in this stadium."
OLB Pernell McPhee
(on getting the win in Baltimore) "It feels great. I can't even lie. I just thank God that we pulled it out."
(on the team's mentality heading into OT) "We took the keys from them boys, and we hadn't let ourselves out. I just told everybody, 'Hey, we cannot let them get the keys back,' and we stayed focused and kept believing."
(on the defensive take-aways) "It's a start, especially for our corners, especially my boy [Adrian] Amos, representing his hometown. It was a great job by us getting the turnovers and making big plays for the offense. That's called a great team win."
(on getting his wish to sack QB Joe Flacco) "I made a great play for my team. I'm excited. I can't even lie to you. I'm not good at expressing my feelings. It was a really a team effort. Me and Roy [Robertson-Harris], we ended up running a game. I saw how the guy was sitting on me the whole game. We executed; Joe [Flacco] stepped up, and I got him."
