HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "It's good to see everybody here. We appreciate it. [It's] late and worth it. Merry Christmas. The Lord is with us, Emmanuel. I'll tell you, our guys played a worthy type of a game for a game like that against an opponent like that. That's a very good football team. It's a football team that's going far this year. [They're] very physical [and are a] very tough team. If you look at the game we played, it was pretty much a complete game by all three phases. [We're] playing complementary football together and playing off of each other – special teams had their best game of the year. [They] made numerous plays in short and field position and put us in position, and we covered well against a very good return team, especially kickoff return team. Offense obviously moved the ball [and] scored points [in] numerous plays to close us out at the end. Then [our] defense just had a spectacular game against one of the best offenses there is. Five turnovers; five interceptions; pressure on the quarterback pretty much all day and plastering the scrambles. I thought our guys really worked hard in coverage all day. So, a lot of things beyond that, but that's the highlights. [I'm just] very proud of our guys. What questions do you have?"
Did you guys feel disrespected by not being considered a favorite and having so many people pick against you guys coming into this game?*_ (Jamison Hensley)_* "I think our guys work hard. Our guys work hard, and they compete hard, and everybody wants to be respected. But there's one way to be respected and that's to go out there and earn that. As an athlete and as a football player especially, it needs to be done on the field in the game. I'm proud of our guys for the way they did that tonight."
Five turnovers, that's a special defensive night. Can you put a reason behind that level of productivity which is remarkable?"Defensively, it was all three levels. We had pressure. We had the run game under control, [and] that helped us a lot. But we had pressure. I think our coverage was just fantastic and we covered long, so we made them hold the ball, forcing them into some bad throws, and we had our hands on balls. We tipped balls; we had balls in the air, and guys caught them and that helps, too. It was just a complete team effort on defense to get those interceptions."
What did you make of QB Lamar Jackson's performance tonight?*_(Jonas Shaffer)_* "I thought Lamar [Jackson] had an MVP performance tonight. It takes a team to create a performance like that, but it takes a player to play at that level – to play at an MVP level – it takes a player to play that way. And Lamar was all over the field doing everything. He operated a pretty complicated gameplan. I thought [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] and the coaches deserve a lot of credit for the gameplan. Lamar operated, he made decisions on the field, and then just kept plays alive [and] trusted his offensive line – the offensive line was outstanding with the protection. Lamar trusted those guys, he kept plays alive, he moved in the pocket, [and] he created space for the overage guys. Our guys did a great job of scramble drills of getting open. We had a number of plays that were extended. They were big plays for us. So, [it was] just a complete game by Lamar."
Is there any update on S Kyle Hamilton? "It doesn't look bad for anybody [that was injured in the game]. We will see tomorrow to ensure that. We're fairly optimistic about everybody."
To your point about QB Lamar Jackson, the long run at the end of the first half and then the touchdown to WR Nelson Agholor. There were two plays on that very short drive, but where Lamar extended plays, how much have you seen the development of these guys on offense to be able to make those plays happen together and be in sync?*_(Brian Wacker) _*"I agree. Those [plays] don't just happen. Those happen because a lot of hard work gets put into it on top of a lot of amazing talent. It's a group effort. You have the offensive line doing their thing and then tight ends, [wide] receivers, and [running] backs, both in protection and in routes. They're forced to cover guys downfield, and Lamar [Jackson] is able to run. [If] they don't cover guys downfield, Lamar finds them. [Lamar] has great vision, and our guys are finding soft spots in the coverage there and getting open, and he hits them. Nobody throws better than Lamar on the move, from awkward platforms, he's very accurate that way. So, all those things I would say came into play."
You talk about this team's ability just to focus on the goals and how important that's going to be after a game like this for what's coming up next week against Miami? You have to really accomplish some regular season goals. (Cliff Brown)"Well, it is. We haven't finished. We're not finished, and that's just the regular season [that] we're not finished with yet. We have a massive game coming up in six days on a short week against a great football team. It's going to be a big challenge, and they're already getting ready for us. So, we have to get back [to Baltimore], and we have to get to work."
What do you make of this team's ability to really play their best game against some of the division leaders that you guys have gone against. I can't even tell you how many people were picking the 49ers, but to handle the Jaguars the way you guys did, the Lions, on and on and on. It just seems to happen.*_ (Jonas Shaffer) _*"It's a major statement about who they are and about how they compete and what they're all about. Absolutely."
DE/OLB JADEVEON CLOWNEY
On how the Ravens were successful defending 49ers QB Brock Purdy:"It was our rush and coverage working together. [We were] in disguise. [Defensive coordinator] Mike Macdonald put us in good situations to go out there and make plays, and we executed today. We went out there and did our job."
On coming into the game as the underdog:"That was funny. That was funny to me. We were the underdogs knowing what we've been through, 11-3. It felt good to be the underdogs for the first time in a long time. I think that put a little chip on our shoulders. We were coming in here to do our job and play hard and physical and play together, and we did that today."
On if QB Lamar Jackson should or shouldn't be the MVP: "[Lamar Jackson]'s the MVP to me. I think he should be. Nobody else is doing it like he's doing it right now. I'm just happy to be on his team. Watching him go out there and perform week in and week out, it's great. I don't have to chase him. I get a lot of rest on the bench. I like watching him go out there and do his thing."
On how the Ravens will take care of business against Miami next week to secure the No. 1 playoff spot: "The same way that we got it done this week – go to work, practice well, be together, be as one and execute the gameplan that [defensive coordinator] Mike [Macdonald] puts together. He usually puts together a pretty good gameplan, and it's been working out lately for us, so I'm looking forward to it."
On why this year's team is so special: "I think it's the way we gel together. [There are] a bunch of guys in here – I just got here this year, and I feel like I've been here for a while. We're just cool with each other. We all go out to eat together, [and] we do a lot of stuff together as one when we're on the road. It's just a fun environment to be around. We're excited to go to work every day. It's not stressful to walk in the building and [not] worry about other things going on. It's just football and having a good time with the guys you love and have a good time with."
WR ZAY FLOWERS
On how he feels with where the team is at now: "I don't even know. We just wanted to get the win. [We're] going to the next game [and will] get ready for the [Miami] Dolphins."
On how they can beat the Miami Dolphins and secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC: "Playing our football, physical, execute, and get it done, [like] how we did it tonight."
On what it's like playing with and watching QB Lamar Jackson: "[Lamar Jackson] makes your job easy, especially if you just run around and get open, because you know he's going to run around. He's going to create second plays, probably third plays. He's going to break a couple of tackles. He makes your job easy."
On why he thinks QB Lamar Jackson should be the MVP: "[Lamar Jackson] can do everything. You [saw] it tonight. He ran it; he threw it; he led the team. That's the MVP. You lead your team, you have the best record in the NFL, and he just comes out and continues to come out and do what he [does] game in and game out even though people [say], 'He can't do this. He can't do that,' and he comes out and proves them wrong every time."
On what he saw from his defense: "I see the best defense in the NFL. That's all I see. I've [known] it from the jump, but I guess a lot of people [didn't] know it. We just had to go show it."
On what it means to be without family on Christmas but leave with a win:"I always dreamed about playing on Christmas and playing on the biggest days, and I was able to do it tonight. [We] came out with the win. I know my family over there is celebrating, so [I'm] blessed."
On if he's had a better Christmas:"I used to have good Christmases when I was young. We used to get bikes. Me and my brothers would ride around the whole neighborhood, so I'd put this [one] up there. It's like Top 2."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On the five turnovers and what it says about the defense: "It was a total team effort. You have rush and coverage working together, guys getting back there to the quarterback and the gameplan we had coming in. So, it was big a turnover night, so [it's] just a testament to everybody working together."
On if the team heard the noise about them losing and if they came into the game feeling a certain type of way:"The interviewer guy, whatever he does, that was [mentioned] in our team meeting, so it was impossible to not hear that one for us. I just felt, it seems like ... This is the NFL. Anybody can beat anybody, so for there to be so much favoritism towards the 49ers, it was a little surprising. Like I said earlier, I'm OK with being the underdog, but 5.5 is kind of a lot. I would have been OK with 2.5 [or] 3, but we did take that a little personal, so we tried to even the score."
On 49ers QB Brock Purdy's unusual play and if the team saw something in him: "We tried. [Brock Purdy] makes all the right reads. It was really kind of hard to kind of flesh him [out]. We felt if we could get the lead, then maybe that would be our best chance. We were able to get the lead and kind of attempt to flesh him, but it's hard to stop that guy. He kind of makes all the right reads. Even though he made mistakes tonight, he usually doesn't make too many mistakes."
On why the team was able to be in the right spots when it came to the five turnovers:"[We were] really just flying to the ball. The one of Kyle [Hamilton]'s [interceptions], he went to go rush the quarterback and then got a pick – so stuff like that, just running to the ball. 'B-Steve' [Brandon Stephens] tipped it up. A lot of things kind of bounced our way tonight, but it was a full team effort, just running to the ball, hustling, trying to take fire to fire. That team ... I think everybody's a little sore. There are a lot of teams that want to be physical. That team is a real-deal, physical team [and] a really good team, so for us come out and kind of put on a show was really good for us."
On the team's mindset going into Sunday's game against the Dolphins:"Like Kyle Van Noy said, 'Enjoy this one, but when we land, we have a short week.' We really want to beat the Dolphins and get that No. 1 seed, so we'll enjoy this one on the plane, and then when we touch down, it will kind of be go time to get ready for the Dolphins."
On beating other NFL division leaders by double digits and why that is: "I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. The biggest thing is we try to get ahead and kind of go from there. It seems like balls kind of bounced our way, and we just have to keep playing fundamental football. That's the biggest thing. If we can be fundamentally sound, I think we have a pretty good chance against anybody."
On if the MVP race was decided in this game: "I know there are two MVP candidates and possibly three with [Christian] McCaffrey, I think. McCaffrey did have a good game. [He's a] really good player, but [with] the score and our guy, it might be Lamar [Jackson]. So, that's our pitch for that."
On this team being a quiet team and why people aren't talking about them: "I think that just comes from ... Lamar [Jackson] has a lot of haters, so it really doesn't help us too much. They always wait for Lamar to fail. We're not mad at it. I think that's the biggest thing. I feel like [he's] one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but also one of the most doubted. A lot of stuff comes from the doubts and the hate that he receives, and we don't mind it, so it's all good."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On why he plays so well against NFC teams: "I don't even look at it based off the divisions or anything like that. I don't know. I really don't know. We just study a lot of film [and are] just playing stuff back. Then, after watching film, I picture myself out there on the field versus the defense. God [is] on our side. Our defense [is] playing lights out. [The] offensive line is blocking their tails off. Running backs [are] doing what they do. Receivers [are] doing what they do. Tight ends [are] doing what they do. [It's] all phases – special teams as well. Tylan [Wallace] had a great run [on the punt return]. I don't know why we play [well] and [why] our record is good against the NFC. I just pray it keeps being that way."
On how much it meant to beat the San Francisco 49ers amidst the 49ers being favored to win the game: "I really don't care about the favorites. That's a great team, though. We don't take anything away from them on [their] defense, offense or special teams, as well. I pretty much like it that way – just being the underdogs. I don't want people looking at us like, 'We need them to go in and do this and that.' I like playing as the underdog, and I feel like we have more success being that way."
On what he thought of his performance: "We got the 'dub.' I really don't care about [my] performance. I just want to win, and that's what happened tonight. On Christmas, that was my gift. They asked me in an interview a couple weeks ago, 'What would I want for Christmas?' My wish got granted. We just need to keep going, keep staying locked in and keep staying focused, because we know what it was in 2019 when we were playing against [teams] like this [and] winning regular season games. When the time came, we didn't finish the season. We're just going to keep taking it a day at a time, a practice at a time and a game at a time. That's all I'm focused on right now."
On what goes through his mind when he extends plays and gets away from defenders: "Make something happen, just keep the ball in our favor [and] protect the ball. That's pretty much what we did. 'Nelly' [Nelson Agholor] did a great move. It was man coverage, and he made a wonderful play. He caught the ball. He scored. The [offensive] line gave me pretty much great time. That's all it was."
On what the margin of victory against great teams says about this Ravens team: "I believe we play better under pressure. We keep our poise. We stay locked in no matter how the game may seem, no matter what the crowd noise is [and] no matter how hard the defense is hitting us, because the [San Francisco 49ers'] defense was flying around. I have to give credit where credit is due, but we just stay locked in. I don't think anybody plays like us. We just need to keep playing that way [and] keep playing the Raven way."
On how big it was for the defense to come up with four turnovers in the first half: "It was very huge for us. Our defense, like you said, got those turnovers. It was up to us to put points on the board. We can't have those turnovers and give the ball right back to them with no answer. We need points as much as we could [against] that high-tempo [San Francisco 49ers] offense [and] fast offense. Hats off to our defense."
On his post-game comments about Mike Florio's comments as he walked into the tunnel after the game: "We're in the NFL. We play ball. Not to take away from that team, but you can't just discredit us. We're grown men. We have to feed our families. [Mike Florio] can have his opinion, but don't just talk like that. That's disrespectful. That's very disrespectful. Not to take away from the 49ers at all, because they're great all across the board, but we're going to come to play as well. Our record [isn't a] fluke. We play ball, and we showed that. He just needs to keep doing his job, but just don't come off like that towards us. That's disrespectful, like I said, because he isn't putting the pads on. If he was putting the pads on, I feel like it would've been different for him. He wouldn't say that. He'd be respectful. I say that to say this; we're respectful to our opponents. Our opponents are respectful to us, but a guy who's not even playing against us [and] just coming out and being disrespectful, I guess he wanted more views on his little channel. We're going to leave it at that."
On the play where he tripped over the umpire in the end zone which caused a safety:"The ref fell. He fell, but he came back and apologized. He was like, 'My bad,' but it's all good. Those two points helped [the San Francisco 49ers] out a lot. I knew I was going to get away. I know Chase [Young] knows I was going to get away, too. Hats off to Chase. He did what he was supposed to do."
On if had ever tripped over a referee during a play before:"I think a ref fell in front of me before, but I got away. So, when this happened, oh man!" (laughter)"It is what it is. We live to fight another day, and we did. I just didn't turn it over and give them [a] touchdown. I'd rather [give up] those two points and [let] our defense just hold their own like they did for us. We just got the ball back and just put points on the board."
ILB PATRICK QUEEN
On if there was something that lit the fuse for this team coming into this game: "Yes. Everybody was writing us off before we even had a chance to play. We knew what we were capable of, and everybody counted us out. [They] didn't expect us to even hold up. Everybody was saying we were going to get blown out by double digits or whatever, so we just had to come out and play our style of ball. We all understood the assignment. We all understood what Coach [head coach John Harbaugh] wanted from us, and we just went out there and capitalized."
On his message to the team in the pre-game huddle: "[My message was] that we've worked too hard for people to be writing us off already. We were 11-3 just like they were 11-3. We kind of feel a certain way about stuff like that when somebody writes you off before you even get a chance to even play the game. My message was just [to] go out there and take what we want."
On if he felt like the pressure was forcing 49ers QB Brock Purdy to do things he didn't want to do: "Yes. The rush and coverage work together, and we all understood that. We just understood that we had to stop the run, and we'd be able to make plays. We capitalized on the plays that we were capable of making, and we just took off from there. We saw a few times where the rush wasn't working with the coverage. They had a few plays here and there – [or] whatever – [where] we didn't tackle, or we just missed the assignment on the coverage. When we see players working together like that, like my interception or Kyle [Hamilton]'s interception, everybody's plays that they made, it was just both of our front line and back lines working together."
On why he thinks they have defeated good teams by such wide margins:"We play a brand of football that people don't want to play. Everybody wants to be out here [being] cute, playing basketball on grass and stuff, and we [are not] with all that. You can do all that stuff; we're just going to hit you in the mouth every play, honestly. We couldn't care less about all the pretty stuff you do, gimmick stuff. You still have to line up and play football. You still have to get touched, so that's our mindset. That's how we want to come out and just hit people in the mouth."
On if he would say the 49ers play basketball on grass:"They definitely do, but they have an aggressive mindset to them. I can honestly say they are probably the most aggressive team that we [have] played so far."
On why the defense was so successful against 49ers QB Brock Purdy:"Like I said, [our] rush and coverages [were] working together. We understood that there would be opportunities to make on the ball. We had a good understanding of what they do on offense, and we just knew if we could stop the run that we could get our hands on the ball. I like to say, 'Stop the run; have fun,' so that's definitely what we did."
ILB ROQUAN SMITH
On coming away with a win on Christmas despite being underdogs: "At the end of the day, there are a lot of he [said] she [said] people in this world. There're not many people that stand 10 toes down on what they believe in and who they are as individuals. This team – we're exactly that. We don't care what others think about us. At the end of the day, we have the utmost faith in every single person in this locker room to go out there and get the job done week in and week out."
On what gives him that belief in the team: "I think that's just our team and the way we're built from top to bottom starting with 'EDC' [executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta] all the way down to 'Harbs' [head coach John Harbaugh] and how we grind week in and week out. Every single day, we put the work in, and we know if we do everything the right way to the best of our ability, it's going to be hard to beat us."
On how the defense was able to force San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy into throwing four interceptions: "I think that's just getting back to what we do – rushing the coverage. I think it was just guys stepping up at the end of the day. We have the utmost respect and the utmost trust in every single person on this defense. The way [defensive coordinator] Mike [MacDonald] called the game is second to none in this league. I just love playing in this defense. It's very hard to do what you need to do for four quarters on this defense."
On QB Lamar Jackson: "I think if anybody watched the game [or] if anybody watches football this season and watched the Baltimore Ravens, they know for a fact [that] Lamar Jackson is the MVP, hands down." (Reporter: Why?) "Anyone that watches football and knows football and [can] see the type of impact he has on the game – not even stat-wise, but just individually, the plays that he makes quarter in and quarter out, play in and play out – compare his film to anyone else in the league. Then, I would love to hear what anyone else has to say after that."
On how the team carries this momentum into the game against the Miami Dolphins, where the Ravens have a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs: "Enjoy this win tonight [on] a long plane ride back to Baltimore, and then flush it. Tomorrow, we're going to move on to Miami, because hey, they're a really good team. [There are] a lot of weapons on that team. They're coming to town, but we wouldn't like it any other way. We prefer the rough, rigid road. We're those type of guys."
