Head Coach John Harbaugh
Opening Statement: "Who did this game – CBS? Well, they got their money's worth. Great football game. Hats off to the Bengals. They played very well. There is no give up in that football team. I said to Marvin [Lewis], 'With these two teams, something like this is always going to go to the end,' or something like that. He was very gracious as well, so we appreciate that. Team victory in so many ways. I think what it was all about in the end, and the thing I'm proud of as a coach is the heart of our guys. I feel like they showed the heart of champions today. Where this leads us, we will find out. We have to get better in a whole lot of areas. Individually and collectively, we have to improve as a football team. But these are the games you have to win in order to have a chance in this league, and we did it, and I'm proud of our guys. Defense got the game ball along with Justin Tucker, and they deserved it – one play notwithstanding, which was a great play by them. We didn't play it exactly right when you tip it up in the air … He's trying to knock it down, and he tips it up and gives them a chance to make a play. That was tough. James Ihedigbo – what can you say? I think he had a couple interceptions, and he and Corey Graham made an incredible tackle on Giovani Bernard, who has taken plays like that and put them in the end zone already this year. So to make that play was just a fabulous effort by our guys. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. Every phase of our football team, found a way to win the game. We often say, 'By whatever means necessary,' and that certainly held true today."
(on his reaction to the Hail Mary) "How could I even remember that? It's disappointment, but you don't get disheartened. You still have a chance to win the game still. The game is not over. I'm proud of the fact that our guys looked at it that way; our team looked at it that way. It's not something you have to go walking up and down the bench to make the point of. The guys already know it. We've got leadership across the board, and they understood that. I'm proud of that. I really am."
(on loosening things up offensively) "Yes, you have to do that. It's not that we don't have those plays in for the most part. They're all plays we've practiced before and have been in game plans. You have to cause problems for a defense, and those plays got some yards for us, so it was good."
(on the fast start vs. slow second half) "We didn't put points on the board in the second half. It's two things: It's defense, yes. Give them credit. They played exceptionally well. We certainly didn't make the plays we needed to make. We didn't have any big chunk plays, which hurt us. Turnovers, absolutely – that will stop you every single time. We've got to run the ball better. We've got to get our passing game going, too. Those two things go hand-in-hand. There are plenty of things for us to look at, individually and collectively, and we're going to look at them hard, like we always do. We've got to find a way to move the ball better. We will. We have to."
(on James Ihedigbo's play) "I don't think I could talk more about his play. It kind of speaks for itself and the plays you talked about. He unwinds us back there as well, in terms of getting us in the right calls, the right checks and those things. He's a very cerebral player, as well. I think he's got tremendous character. He's a tremendous guy. He's a big, strong, athletic, gifted guy. He's been fighting his whole career for an opportunity like this, and he's making the most of it. When you talk to him, you're going to be impressed. It's just the kind of guy he is."
(on the wind being a factor today) "They were into the wind. We had the wind at our back, so that was a big factor in overtime. I think it was a factor throughout the game in the passing game as well. Joe [Flacco] could probably speak to that better than I could, but it affected the passing game as well. So, the wind was a major factor."
(on if he would have picked a side rather than receive in overtime because of the wind) "No, we wouldn't have done that if it had been the other way. It wasn't quite that dramatic."
(on Lardarius' Webb's play) "Thank you. Our secondary played tremendously well. Everybody is going to talk about the last play, which is a shame in some ways. Maybe you will talk about the whole game. I thought the pressure was very good, but our secondary covered a very talented and gifted receiving corps all day. Jimmy Smith, Lardarius [Webb], Matt [Elam], Corey [Graham] – all the guys. Chykie [Brown] went in there and did a nice job as well, so I'm really proud of our secondary. [Secondary coach] Teryl Austin has done a great job with those guys."
(on any injuries) "I don't think there is anything that's going to linger."
(on the pass rush) "I thought our defensive coaches did a great job of coaching the pass-rush lanes. You saw at the end that Andy [Dalton] got out for a couple plays. Andy Dalton can hurt you moving around in the pocket and going for yards and first downs, and he didn't do that as much today until right at the end, he got a couple. So, pass-rush lanes were very disciplined. Our one-on-one pass rushes were really excellent. And then the blitzes were just well timed. We got some good pressure from our nickel, from our linebackers and our free safeties. [Defensive coordinator] Dean [Pees] did a good job of mixing up all of the pressures. What makes that work is the coverage behind the pressures, so you can't get a quick throw out. Our guys did a real nice job of that."* *
QB Joe Flacco
(on what he was thinking during the Hail Mary pass) "Overtime. All right, let's go."
(on starting strong in the first half, but not being able to continue into the second half) "We struggled. We've got to get better. We definitely got something going early with some help from our defense giving us some short fields. We got touchdowns which proved to be big, but we struggled all day. You have to give credit to the [Bengals'] defense, but we have to do a lot of things better in order to be successful."
(on if it's one of the most exciting games in his career) "I don't know if this was exciting. It would've been more exciting if you were on Cincinnati's side. Obviously, we won, so that was exciting. I don't know if it was more exciting as it was one of those ones where you go afterwards, 'Phew.' I'm glad we won this one. Having said that, it is a big win, and you take them no matter how you get them. I thought our defense played really well today and gave us some chances to score point and kept them out of the end zone, got turnovers. We've got to look at this and try to catapult ourselves the rest of the way."
(on the wind conditions) "The one place that comes to mind is New York's old stadium – I played the Giants there my rookie year. It was weird because, when you look at the top of the stadium the wind was blowing one way, but down on the field, the wind was blowing the opposite way. It was kind of easier to throw the ball into the wind. The flea flicker, I could've gotten it out there more. I probably could've adjusted for [the wind]. I just felt like I was a little bit behind him, so I had to get the ball out quick. Throwing with the wind, it was tough to throw the ball down the field just because that's when the ball got caught up and went right or just went totally long. If you could keep the ball low into the wind, it was a little bit easier than throwing with it."
(on if it's tough not to think about the playoff ramifications when Cincinnati tied the game) "Of course it's tough. It's not that tough when you take the field, you've got the play call, and you're going after it. Obviously, we all want to have it be easy and knock the ball down and get out of here with a win, but that's not how it happened. We need to stand up, rattle ourselves and go win a football game. Our defense today did a good job on fourth down. We took the ball and didn't have to move it too far. We made a couple of plays and got ourselves into a position where [Justin] Tucker could make a kick."
(on if it crossed his mind that it might've been the end of the season) "I don't know if you're thinking that it's going to be it for us for the season. You're probably not thinking all good thoughts. There are some bad thoughts in there. Listen, it is what it is. We're laying ourselves out there, we're putting our bodies on the line, and we're going out there and playing as hard as we can. We want to win football games. We're doing the best we can to win football games. We're not playing great right now, but we're doing the best we can to win football games. If it doesn't turn out that way, once again, we're a bunch of tough men, and we have to stare it in the eye and stare it in the face and say, 'All right, let's go get the next one.' When you're out in the field, it's tough to think about all that stuff. Real quickly, you kind of say to yourself, 'You've got to be kidding me. It is not going right. It is just not going right.' Me and Torrey [Smith] just sat back down on the bench and just looked at each other and said, 'Wow.' But then pretty quickly, you get back up, take the field and see what you can do."
(on if this puts the Ravens back in the AFC North division race) "Of course. I never really thought that we were out of it, just because we hadn't played these guys. We still play Pittsburgh again. We've got a good stretch. Before this, there were eight games left. Anything can happen in that amount of time, especially when you have two more division games. I don't think we ever thought we were out of it. And this game definitely helps. We've just got to continue to go out there, and we understand that we have to win football games. We're at 4-5, and we've got to do the best we can to win every one."
S James Ihedigbo
(on what the locker room was like after the win) "Kind of like, wow, heck of a football game there. Just happy, excitement. I'm kind of letting the adrenaline kind of ease down as we speak. Great game. Great game. We played awesome on defense. We have the motto that once you put it on tape, that's what expected of you, and defensively we played lights out today. I made the reference back to the 2000 defense—they didn't give up anything to anybody. And when you go with that mind-set, you know, it shows on the field. Lardarius [Webb] played awesome. Jimmy [Smith] played awesome. The secondary as a whole played great as well as the D-line. We came out on top."
(on his range of emotions) "You know what, I was just saying to the whole team, 'Don't let your good get in the way of being great.' I look at myself as a great player, and that's what I aspire to be. When you have a heck of a day, and you get two interceptions, and then I made a bone-head play to kind of put us in the position that we were, you can do one of two things. You can [drop] your head and [say], 'Oh, man, and give up another one.' Or you can say, 'Hey, the next time they'll throw the ball in my vicinity, I'm going to make a play. That's what I did. The fourth down was, you know, a key stop there. The defense rallied, ran their butts off to the ball, and we bottled them up to give our offense great field position. That's what it's all about. You've got to make plays. That's what people remember."
(on being part of such a strange game) "It's the NFL, every game's going to be close. Very rarely do you see teams just blow out other teams. Denver's doing that, but most of the league, it's going to be close games. It's going to be fought to the end. We didn't expect Cincinnati just to [think} we're down 17-3, let's prepare for next week. We expected that. They gave us their best shot, and we fought back and ate it up. That's kind of what it's all about."
(on if he's had a game where he's been involved in so many big plays) "I can't really remember off the top of my head. All I can say is, you know, playmakers make plays, and that's what matters."
(on what happened on the Hail Mary play) "Jeromy Miles, he's the jumper. He's tall, long. He's supposed to jump up, tip the ball. My job's to be back, almost in the back of the end zone. I saw the ball get caught in the wind, so I knew it was going to hit the end zone. I knew it was going to be short, so I moved up, bone-head move, I moved up a little bit. I just should have stayed back. It probably would have fell right in my lap. I saw it drifting, tried to slap it to the ground. It went up in the air; easy touchdown. I mean, things happen. I mean, my defense, guys had my back. They said 'hey, let's keep playing. Let's keep playing. We've just got to stop them and get them off the field and get the ball to our offense, and we did that."
(on what it was like getting his first INT) "It's a great feeling. Any time you make a play to help your team, it's awesome. To put our offense in that position for them to put points on the board, it's great. To come in that fashion, then get another one. It's a hunger. You've got to want more. You can never be satisfied. You can't really ever get complacent on the field. You want to be the guy to make the play. I was in an opportunity to do that and capitalized on it, and the offense did what they did."
(on what he was doing on the fourth-down play in OT) "We kind of took them as they came out between me, 'Buck' – Daryl Smith and Arthur Brown. They ran the play earlier in the game, and the offensive lineman, he grabbed me, and I couldn't get off the block, so the other guys made the tackle. Once I saw the tight end go to the other side, I said, 'Oh, they're running it again.' It just clicked. He broke out. He's a strong runner, Giovani Bernard. He's a very strong runner, [We] chased him down, bottled him up."
K Justin Tucker
(on if he was worried about the win on the game-winning kick) "I wouldn't say worried, but we always take it into consideration. We go out in pre-game, and we try to get a pretty good gage on what the wind is doing. This isn't unusual. We do this every game- what the wind is doing, what the rain is doing, what the field is like. So, we have a plan going into the game, and at the end of the game, we wanted to have the win, but obviously some of that's up to the coin toss. We ended up getting the wind behind us, it was kind of a cross-wind. We had a plan. The ball wasn't going to move too much. We just figured we'd just hit it as close down the middle as possible and give it a shot."
(on the way he tried to hit/kick the winning kick) "Just hit it through."
(on the range of emotions on the sideline) "I was standing on the sideline right next to Kyle Juszczyk at one point, and I said to him, 'A lot of people say if you play long enough in this league, you'll experience just about everything.' And I told him last year, just in one year and this first half of the season, I feel like I personally have experienced just so much. But you never know when something crazy will happen, and then literally, like the next play, A.J. Green catches that ball in the back of the end zone. So, he says to me, going out to kick off in overtime, he's just like, 'You play in this league long enough, anything can happen.' What's cool about this team is everybody seems to have their mind and their heart in the right place. Nobody really batted an eye. I mean, of course, there's going to be frustrating parts of any game, and there's also going to be times when you're going to experience elation and joy. But as professionals, it's our duty to put all that aside and forget about the emotion of the game [and] just go out there and do our jobs. I'm happy right now. I feel like I did that for my team. But at the same time, now our eyes are focused on next week's opponent and trying to improve upon our record and give ourselves a chance to be in it at the end of the whole thing."
(on the pressure of the game-winning kick) "That brings me to another sideline conversation I had with [kicking consultant] Randy [Brown]. As soon as they scored their first touchdown to bring them within seven. Randy smiles at me, and I smile right back at him. He says, 'You and I are the only two people in this stadium that know exactly what's up right now. Sure enough, the game comes down to three points in overtime. We feel like we're a team that's built for these types of games. That's how all of these AFC North games tend to be, in my limited experience in them. They tend to be dog fights. At the same time, I think they're the most the fun games to be a part of."
RB Ray Rice
(on today's win) "It's a great win. Sometimes you have to win by any means necessary. Winning heals a lot. Now we have to get on a roll to get back where we want to be. It was a good team win. Number one, it gives you confidence. It's great to get rolling with a little bit of confidence."
(on his overtime receptions) "It felt good, man. It felt good to actually get open and actually have some space where I could run. It's always good for me to help out any way I can. With no doubt, today was a team effort. Vonta [Leach] was in there plugging away, he was able to nail a few people. We just did it all together. Things happen in games, we happened to overcome this one."
(on K Justin Tucker) "Once we got to the 30 [yard line], I knew we were in field goal range. That's why, when we were running the ball down there, I personally wasn't looking for a big play. I was looking to manage the situation and keep gaining positive, positive, positive, because we were already in range."
(on the Ravens' mental toughness) "We're tough, man. The one thing I say about this team is that we work hard. I guess this is one of those days where you can say the hard work paid off. After Cincinnati tied it, nobody really said anything. I heard Jameel McClain bring the defense together and say 'let's go get it.' Not that we owed it to them [the defense], but we have a job and a responsibility. When your defense is playing like that, the best thing you can do is not put them back on the field in overtime when they get a stop. And that's what we did."
(on the Ravens' offense struggling today) "That's a good defense over there. Let's put it all in perspective. They are number one in this division right now for a reason. That's a good football team over there. They made their stops, we made ours. They played a good game, solid on both ends. But, if our defense plays like that, we're going to have an opportunity to win football games. We should've put them away a lot earlier, but our defense definitely bailed us out."* *
LB Daryl Smith
(on the Ravens' toughness) "That's how we've been all year. We were able to make some plays this time and get a win. We have some scrappy people on this team. We are made up of fighters. This is the way it's going to be from here on out."
(on the defensive effort) "We knew we had a tough task coming in. Stopping the run and their two running backs and their receivers was a huge challenge. We were able to stop the run and get after them up front. We had tremendous pressure today. All that matters, though, is that we got the win."
(on his hamstring injury) "It was bothering me a little bit, but with a little rehab, I should be alright."
(on the Bengals Hail Mary) "I guess some kind of way, the ball was hit up in the air, and he [A.J. Green] was in the back of the end zone waiting. We have to take a look at that one on film. Definitely, that was crazy."
(on bouncing back from that play) "By whatever means necessary, we had to pull that game out and come out here and grind one out. It was tough that they were able to tie us in the end like that, but the bottom line was that we came out with the win."
(on deflecting passes and stepping into the passing lanes) "We saw a lot of stuff on film of what they like to do and we just had to play coverage to it. I have to look at the stats, we're just happy with the win."* *
G Marshal Yanda
(on winning in overtime) "We're resilient. It was a tough fight, and it was a good team victory all around. Everybody played great, the defense was outstanding. It was a great win."
(on the offensive huddle in overtime) "We were talking about moving the ball and going down there and winning the game. We were happy the defense got a good stop. They did that all game. We had to just go down and score and win the game."
(on the offense's fast start) "Fast start has been an emphasis since Week One. It was great, today, to finally get it going early on. However, we have to keep that momentum going. We stalled out in the third quarter. We need to keep putting it together, keep working and keep grinding. It wasn't perfect, but we scored some points today. That's nice, but you've got to keep it going."
(on the Bengals' interior defense) "They're a good front. [Mike] Zimmer's a good coordinator. They're a good defense, that's for sure."
(on the Bengals sacks on QB Joe Flacco) "Obviously, we want to protect him better. I really can't tell about the breakdowns until I see the film. I'm out there just blocking my guy. Obviously, he got sacked way too much, that's all I can tell you."
(on handling this win) "You always want to be respectful and understand it's very hard to win in this league. You take a win any way you can get it. But, we need to keep growing as an offense. It was a great team win, it was great perseverance. Any time you have a freak play like that, to tie the game, you have to get locked in to get ready to go back and play football. We moved the ball when we needed to today. We won, that's the most important thing."
(on being ready to play in overtime) "You just have to get locked right back in. It's tough. You just have to make sure you're mentally ready to go. To tell you the truth, when we didn't get that first down in the fourth quarter, and the defense had to go back out there. At that point, you have to be ready to go. Just prepare for the worst-case scenario. You try to be ready, and I think we did a good job of answering the bell when we had to. The good thing was, one drive, three points, game over."
(on conversations on the bench with the coaches) "We're talking about making sure who we're blocking. If there's a breakdown, we just need to get it corrected. A guy here, a guy there ... Sometimes, they're bringing more. If we're in a six-man protection, and they bring seven, it's tough."
(on whether this was his most bizarre win) "It was a tough one, that's for sure. This was one of the best ones. My rookie year, the Cleveland game, they kicked a field goal, it went through the uprights and bounced out. We came into the locker room and celebrated a victory and then went back out and lost the game. That was probably the worst one. Today, it was bizarre to end up winning. So, it was a much better scenario than my rookie year against Cleveland."
WR Dallas Clark
(on refocusing for overtime) "Well, you really never know when it's over. Whenever they have a chance at the end, you never really know it's over. Strange things can happen, and that was unbelievable. But it just shows the character in this locker room to come back, regroup, and make the plays that you have to."
(on his touchdown catch) "I was really the only receiver out on the route so there weren't really that many options. [QB] Joe [Flacco] was running out of options. He was running out of real estate and getting to the side line and made a great throw and a great read. It was good--I was able to get open at the last second."
(on him being a red zone target) "I don't know, I'm just trying to have fun and play ball and how ever they use me is fine. Each game is kind of different. It was great to get the lead in this one, and really helped get us in a position that we haven't been in all year. We have to learn how to build on those leads and go from there."
(on 4-5 with seven games left to play) "Next week, Chicago, that's all we can do. We put ourselves in a big hole. All we can do is take it one week at a time and focus. All our energies and focus need to be put into next week and finish the season like that. That's all we can do."* *
OLB Elvis Dumervil
(on the Hail Mary pass) "One good thing that Coach [John] Harbaugh emphasized all week was finishing. At that moment, we were able to seize on that, and we thought about [finishing]. The guys were frustrated on that play, and give [Cincinnati] credit because they made it. But one thing we did was we regrouped as a defense and we went out and answered the call."
(on the amazing energy on defense) "Well, the fans were great. When our crowd is that loud and energized, it really helps a lot. Give credit to [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Dean] Pees. He had a hell of a scheme dialed up for us, and props to our linebackers coach, Coach Ted [Monachino]"
(on his ability to move around within the defense) "It's good when you have a Defensive Player of the Year like [Terrell] Suggs that can move around. So to be able to flip like that, give him credit. Not all pass rushers can flip like that, and for me to be able to feed off that is great."
(on the play of the secondary) "Our secondary did a great job--interceptions, great plays. We were able to make one more play than Cincinnati today. Give Cincy credit but we were the better team today."
(on looking ahead to Chicago) "We have a good team in Chicago, so we have to have a good week in preparation. We have to make sure we are ready to make sure we are able to answer the call there."
CB Lardarius Webb
(on the defense's effort today) "We just practiced so hard this week. The guys just kind of got together to say what we needed to do. We have to play great as a defense if we want to get back on track. And today, from the D-line with all the pressure, and the turnovers; we played great as a defense as a whole."
(on if this team is back now) "No, no we've got to still keep working. It was a great victory for the team to build our confidence, but we've got to go back to work tomorrow and get better. I just told the [defensive backs], we've got to keep getting our hands on the ball. If we keep getting turnovers, then we can keep winning. But, back to the film room."
(on if this win can start something with a slate of home games coming up) "Oh, yes, it can start something, but we can't let this get over our heads, thinking we're something that we're not. We've just got to get back to that film and keep getting better, and better, and better, because we're a great ball club."
(on being a well-prepared team today) "Yes, we had to be. Our backs are against the wall. This is a great Bengals team, and we knew that we had to put everything together to beat them."
WR Torrey Smith
(on what he's going to do to celebrate tonight) "I have my folks up here, so go get something to eat and then go play 'Call of Duty' for the rest of the day." *(laughter)
*
(on what his 'Call of Duty' was today) "Just do whatever is necessary to win. I felt like I left some plays out there, but, some tough ones and I've got to make them. The most important this is that we won, and I'm glad, I'm happy for everyone here."
(on his touchdown catch) "I just saw the ball, knew to go get it, I was probably going to get hit low, and hang on to it."
(on if keeping concentration is one of the hardest things for receivers) "Yeah, because you know you're going to get hit. I didn't know from where really, and I knew I was going to be vulnerable, because I was going to try to jump as high as I could to go get it. But, it was a touchdown."
(on having energy at the end of the game) "Yeah, like I said, we left some plays out there, but I think the most important thing is we were able to move the ball today, and that's a positive sign for us. We've got to be consistent with it against a great team, and I'm looking forward to really next week."
(on starting fast today and what was different this week) "There's no special thing. We were just executing early and making plays. We took advantage of the opportunities and the biggest thing, offensively, is that we scored touchdowns early; it wasn't just a lot of field goals. We just executed a little more, made some plays, left some out there, but we did enough to get the win today. And our defense played their tails off, and there's nothing like being an offense that's kind of trying to find your way at times, and having a defense like we do. We love those guys and it's awesome to play with them."
CB Corey Graham
(on the last play in regulation) "I was trying to box out my guy. I had an opportunity to go up there and try to knock the ball down, but it got tipped up. When I looked back and saw [A.J.] Green with the ball in his hands, I just couldn't believe it. It was one of those devastating plays, but we were very resilient and we found a way to keep fighting and get the victory."
(on what was going through his mind on that last play) "It's just pretty much knock the ball down. You never want a game to end like that. It was crazy the way the game ended, but you've got to be resilient. They made a great play, and we went out there and found a way to fight in overtime to get the victory."
(on if it was a satisfying way to win the game despite how regulation ended) "Yeah, that's the way you want to end it. With the way things went in regulation, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. So, we basically wanted to go out there and find a way to make plays and try to end the game, and we were able to go out there and get a big stop, and our offense drove down there and found a way to finish it off
CB Jimmy Smith
(on the resiliency of the defense, especially after the Hail Mary at the end of the game) "It was. It definitely was. A lot of emotion came out after that play, but we stuck with it, stuck with the game plan and came up big in the overtime."
(on if he was angry after the Hail Mary) "I was more frustrated. It's a play that you go over all the time, and the frustration just came out. We had such a dominant performance, and to let them get to overtime with that type of play, it's just frustrating."
(on showing some rare fire after that play) "I hardly ever get too riled up. That for some reason just got to me."
(on what he saw on that final play of regulation) "My guy traveled over, and as I'm running over there, I see the ball bounce up, then I see A.J. [Green] behind everybody else. Then I see the ball get tipped up again. I don't know. I don't know how that happened, but it happened."
