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Transcripts: Bengals Postgame Quotes Week 3

Head Coach Marvin Lewis

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(opening statement) "It's hard to do it twice in a game and hats off to our guys. Driving down the field twice and getting back control of the game. Obviously, we still have a ways to go. A lot of corrections to make. We can't have the penalties. We have to do a better job on defense and just keep plugging. We have a lot to coach off of. It was a hard-fought win. The way the NFL is supposed to be. That's a good football team that we came on top of today. We have to get back to work. I'm glad we won, and we have a lot to correct."

(on the way they way being as important as the win) "It was the resiliency to keep playing and overcome the adversity we put ourselves in was huge. We know they have a good player in 89 [Steve Smith, Sr.], who we didn't do a very good job on. He's what we knew, and he made plays today that made the difference in the game, and we didn't do a very good job."

(on what WR A.J. Green proved today) "He told me that he's good after he dropped the ball and had the alignment penalty. He proved it. I said, 'I know you're good. You're great.' He made big plays down the stretch."

(on the play of QB Andy Dalton) "He did some great things today, and the last touchdown was huge. He did a great job. The one where he had the fumble, he tried to hold on at the last second. He thought he had a play there. He's always learning, and that's the good thing about Andy Dalton. I'm just pleased for him today."

(on the catch-no-catch rule on TE Tyler Eifert) "You have to possess the football and give it to the official. That's what I tell our guys all the time. Reaching for the goal line, if you haven't completed the catch, you're not a runner yet. So that's what they deemed, he wasn't a runner yet. He has to hold onto the football. It's not a rule. It's an interpretation, so you have to make sure that you possess the ball through the ground. If you are catching the football, and in the act of getting knocked to the ground, you've got to possess the football. If you understand it, plain and simple like that, you'll say that's incomplete."

(on what a 3-0 start means) "It just means 3-0. We have 13 more to go. We have the Chiefs next week, and we have a lot to correct. I think that's the best thing about this football team; they asked me to be positive with them today, so I'm going to be positive."

(on the Bengals' final drive) "That was a great drive by the quarterback, moving from pressure and getting the ball to 'Gio' [Giovani Bernard] on the sideline. 'Gio' makes a good play. The quarterback has to move. It's not always going to be perfect. That's part of Andy [Dalton]. He dove for the first down, ran and dove for a couple, and those are key plays in a football game that deepen and extend drives."

(on the development of QB Andy Dalton) "That's something that he's naturally done all the time. He was taken for granted as a young player, and then when it happens in a big game, he's done it and continues to do it."

(on the Bengals' defense on third down) "That's the frustrating thing. It's something to learn from and correct, but in the end, you have to get it done. Like the last play they had on offense, you have to stay in coverage. If we're rushing, you have to stay on your feet. We have to get the quarterback going out. A quarterback can run around like that and jack the ball down the field.  Those are all plays you keep learning from, and you get better."

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QB Andy Dalton

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(on the 80-yard touchdown pass) "It was one of those plays that we had designed, and I knew the way they lined up, I thought A.J. (Green) would be open. Our guys did a great job against the blitz, and he ran a great route. He made a few guys miss, and he took it in. I'm really happy for our guys, especially up front."

(on concern when Ravens went ahead) "The history in this series is that you've got to play all four quarters, and we expect that. We never had a doubt that we were going to come back and score. It's the mentality you have to have, or you're not going to be successful."

(on whether the Ravens miss OLB Terrell Suggs) "Any time you lose a guy like Terrell Suggs, you're going to feel it. He's one of the best players in the league. They tried several different things to put pressure on me today, but we were able to do a great job containing. Obviously, you can tell that they miss him."

(on WR A.J. Green) "A.J. is so competitive. I am so fortunate that we came here together. He is so talented, and I'm glad he is on our team."

(on WR A.J. Green's drop in the first quarter) "After he dropped the pass, I told him: 'From now on, I'm going to throw you the first pass of the day, you can drop that one, and we'll go from there.'"

(on RB Giovani Bernard) "He is a complete back. He can run the ball, catch the ball, and he's a great blocker. He picks up guys that are coming who are much bigger than he is. On our first touchdown pass, he had a huge pick-up, and we wouldn't have been able to make that play without him."

(on the Bengals' 3-0 start) "It's the kind of start you always want to have, and it says a lot about the people we have on this team. We're going to keep playing one week at a time, but we like where we are right now."

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WR A.J. Green

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(on playing at M&T Bank Stadium) "It feels great to come in here and make plays and come away with a victory. This game was very similar to a lot of other games we've played here. But I'm not the only one out here making plays. We have players like Jeremy [Hill], Marvin [Jones] and Mohamed [Sanu]. Plus, we have two of the best tackles in the NFL."

(on his one-on-one match up with Jimmy Smith) "Jimmy Smith is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and I knew we were going to go head to head today. I knew he was going to make some plays. On the interception, he really made a great play. I know I need to do a better job trying to break up a play like that."

(on his statistics) "I am not concerned with my statistics. We're winning. That's all I care about. But when my number is called, I want to respond and make plays."

(on how the Bengals responded when the Ravens took the lead) "This isn't our first rodeo. We're not going to flinch, that's one of our mottos. We just go out and run our offense."

(on comparison to last year's game here) "It is crazy how similar the two games were. It's like déjà vu all over again. It's a dog fight every year when we come in here, and we just stay true to what we do well. It's great to win here two years in a row."

(on his 80-yard touchdown reception) "I started the play; I was in a slot position, so they couldn't jam me. I knew I had a safety on me, and he gave me a big cushion. It was a great ball by Andy [Dalton]. I made a move, broke a tackle, and I broke away into the open. It was a big play for us."

(on WR Steve Smith Sr.) "He is incredible, I love watching him. When you think that he's in his 15th year in the league, it's amazing. I hope I can do that when I'm in my 15th year in the league."

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DE Carlos Dunlap

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(on the win) "We felt pretty good. We were playing pretty good defensively. Then a couple of plays didn't go our way, and they were back in the football game. We were built for it. We were ready. We handled the sudden change, and went and got a three-and-out."

(on playing the Ravens) "It doesn't matter what the record is, when we and the Ravens play, that's what you're going to get. We know it's a heated rivalry. I'm glad we're on the better side of it today."

(on the defensive play) "We did pretty good, but there were a lot of plays that we left out there that we need to correct and get fixed because it's going to be a long season."

(on the defensive line play) "We did pretty good up front, but there are 11 guys out there. We need to get on our mistakes, and make the corrections needed because we gave up little plays that turned into big plays. We have to get on that."

(on being undefeated) "We're 3-0. How do you think 3-0 feels? It's early in the season, but I'd rather be 3-0 here than where Baltimore is right now."

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HB Jeremy Hill

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(on the difference in play from first half to second half) "I think that's just the National Football League, especially with a team whose backs are against the wall knowing that if they lose the game, they'll put themselves in a tough position. They weren't ever going to quit, so that was expected. Obviously, we'd have liked to have scored those touchdowns, and not turn the ball over in the red zone. It probably would have been a different game. We knew that's what the Baltimore Ravens are, so we knew we had to keep fighting."

(on the feeling at halftime) "We weren't happy because we missed out on the touchdown in the red zone with Tyler [Eifert]. It just took a little bit out of us. When we got the ball again, we had a chance to go up, and we didn't, and it became a dog fight after that. Obviously going into the next game, we've got to fix that. When you get a chance to put a team away like that, especially a team with a veteran quarterback who's won a Super Bowl, you've got to put them away."

(on the success of the passing game) "We've said since OTAs that teams are going to have to pick. Today, they wanted to stop the run. They did a good job of having guys in there, but it opened up the passing game, and there were a lot of holes back there. Andy [Dalton] did a great job of finding the open guys. Our receivers made the plays down the field. Defenses are going to have to pick their poison with us, and there will be a day when the run game will get going, and that's where 'Gio' [Giovani Bernard] and I need to take advantage."

(on being 3-0) "It just reminds me of last year when we were 3-0, then we kind of blew it, and we know how that goes. We're not content with what we have right now. We have to keep on pounding and keep on working."

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CB Dre Kirkpatrick

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(on winning on the road) "It was a great environment, we love to play here because those guys were going to give us everything they had, but we have to finish. We left a lot out there on the field, and now we need to go back to the film room to clean everything up. We let them get back in the game, we've got to stay hungry and poised. We just have to finish a little stronger."

(on not allowing points in the first half) "We felt pretty good coming in at the half, but we have to finish. The first half doesn't really mean anything. We have to finish strong. It's a 60 minute game.'

(on Steve Smith's performance) "He's a good competitor and player. They were moving him around in different spots to free him up. That's what you have to do when your best player is out there. You move him to different spots to get him the ball. I feel like when we play them again, we won't change anything. I feel like we had a great game plan, and we just have to execute a little bit better."

(on his apparent injury) "I'm going to be alright. I just have to do a little extra this week, and keep fighting. It's a long, physical season. You just have to fight through all the injuries. It's my shoulder, but I just wanted to keep fighting for this team. I landed kind of awkward, but it's good to have guys rally around you, to pick up where you left off, and finish this game strong with a win."

WR Mohamed Sanu

(on having the Ravens take the lead, then coming back) "It is an AFC North game. It is a typical AFC North game. We know when we come out here, it is always a fight, and having seen what happened last year and stuff like that, that's [the Ravens] a great team. We know that, and we know it is going to be a dogfight. And we hit a little dry stretch there, but we came back with authority. And that resulted in a win."

(on scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter) "It doesn't get any better than that. I wouldn't have rewritten that."

(on the last touchdown to WR A.J. Green) "We had it. He [Andy Dalton] changed protection. We had our routes locked. They played man across the board, and when you do that, you're susceptible for it not to be in your favor. They played man the whole fourth quarter. They were trying to throw exotic blitzes on us to slow us down."

(on the offense) "We know what we have. We have the players to do anything we want to do. When we're clicking, it is scary, and you saw that out there."

LB Vincent Rey

(on being 3-0) "It feels good. There are tough teams in the NFL. Every team's tough, so this is big."

(on the defense's performance) "We finished. That's the most important thing. Obviously, there are things we could have done better. I think we did a pretty good job against the run. We played against some very good players like Steve Smith Sr. and Joe Flacco. They made some big-time plays, but we were able to finish it out."

(on WR Steve Smith Sr.) "He's tough to tackle, he's good at getting open but our team played better today. We made the plays to win. He's a great talented individual, but we were the better team today."

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TE Tyler Eifert

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(on his catch that was not ruled a touchdown) "I just reached it over. I think his foot hit it out after it had already crossed the plane. I honestly don't know the rule. I thought it was a touchdown, but I guess it wasn't."

(on the last touchdown pass to WR A.J. Green, and if QB Andy Dalton changed the play) "Yes, he changed the entire play. He knows this offense inside and out, and he does a good job studying the defenses. So, the look they were giving us [and] the play that we had called, in his eyes, wasn't going to work. He knew the check and what to get us to, and he took two steps and threw it to A.J. [Green]. And it was a good touchdown."

(on getting into the red zone, not scoring touchdowns and being able to come back to win the game) "That was tough, not getting into the end zone. We drive the ball all the way down there. We don't want field goals – we want seven points. I don't know what it is about this rivalry – I've only been in it now for my third year. It always seems to come down to the last couple plays, no matter how the game is going. We have a lot of guys in here who just kept fighting and made some really big plays in that game."

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DT Domata Peko

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(on being down and coming back to win the game) "They made plays – that's what football is about. Sometimes you're going to be down in the game and be out of it, but we were able to climb back out of that and finish the game strong. Andy [Dalton] was able to stand in the pocket and find some open receivers down the field. That's what this game is about. When the defense is down, we need the offense to pick us up, and when the offense is down, the defense picks us up. When both are down, special teams can carry us. That's what this game is about. It is about our team playing together as a unit, and lifting each other up."

(on winning an away game in the division) "It is a big win for us. Anytime you play a conference team and a caliber team like this, the Ravens – coming into their house and getting a 'W' here – is big for our organization and big for our team. And it is a great way to start out the division games. We're 1-0 in the division now, 3-0 in the [overall] record. It is a good start for the AFC North."

(on the defense) "I thought we did really well against the run – we stuffed the hell out of the run. They've got one of the better [running] backs in the league, a Pro Bowl back there. Coverage-wise, I thought Steve Smith [Sr.] did some stuff to us, but we'll be good. We played great as a defense."

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