Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "Good seeing everybody. I appreciate you being here. Just a really big win; that's really an important win. Washington played well, very well. [They] forced two turnovers on us and did some good things with their offensive gameplan. I thought it was effective at times, but our guys played hard. We ran the ball well, made some huge, very important conversions in the pass game, but that was kind of the key to the pass game right there. We didn't have gigantic plays, but we certainly had conversion plays. Then Lamar [Jackson], Lamar came up and just made some big touchdown throws; scramble plays, plays where he had great vision. So, probably the key to the game right here. I have to give kudos to Sam Koch and Miles Boykin and [special teams coordinator] Chris Horton for executing the fake punt. That was very important in the game to give us just a little bit of separation. So, what questions do you have?"
(on TE Mark Andrews getting the ball more today) "I'll tell you what, I wish I could honestly give you some kind of a scientific answer, but it really is more art than science. I think, sometimes, it's the throws. Sometimes, it's the catch. Sometimes, it's the coverage. Sometimes, it's just the wind. Sometimes, it's whatever, and that's just the way football goes. No two games are ever the same, so you really can't evaluate them in the same place. I thought Mark [Andrews] played great, obviously. Lamar [Jackson] played great. Those two guys have a great connection. I did call him Mark Jackson, coming off [the field] after the one touchdown. He's right here [in this room], [and] he's laughing right now. (laughter) Well, you know, it's really not that inaccurate, actually. So, those guys played that way today."
(on if he felt like the game came down to the big plays) "I think absolutely. That was the key, plays being made. And really, if you look at most NFL games, that's what it boils down to. It's always four, five, six, seven or eight plays. It's usually in that four-to-eight range that make a difference in the game."
(on the play of T Orlando Brown Jr. and G D.J. Fluker and the status of T Ronnie Stanley) "That's a good question. First of all, those two guys … I thought those two guys did just a tremendous job. Orlando [Brown Jr.] switched to left tackle. D.J. [Fluker] went to right tackle, which he'd been practicing quite a bit at left tackle all week. So, I thought those guys really did a great job. [They] adapted on the fly and it speaks volumes for the type of football players they are. Ronnie [Stanley] has an issue, an upper body issue. It's more of a strain that anything. He was really close to going. We thought maybe he'd be able to go. We actually thought he would be able to go, but those things are dicey sometimes. He just wasn't able to do it, and he tried. So, hopefully he'll be back for next week. We'll see."
(on how difficult Washington was to defend) "I thought we did a good job at covering some of the downfield stuff. They had some downfield routes that they drew up and threw. We sacked them a couple of times on those. Matt Judon, obviously, had a great game. Jaylon Ferguson had a huge sack. I think Matt Judon had six quarterback hits and a couple sacks, right? I thought the pass rush was really good. Whenever they tried to push the ball downfield, it was always a problem. (inaudible) Then, the plan was basically to get the ball out on the perimeter and try to get their guys in space. They did a nice job with it. It's something that takes effort; you have to go chase those things down and try to tackle them. So, it was a good gameplan on their part, but we were able to corral it in the end."
(on how effective it is to spread out the carriers between the running backs) "I'll tell you; they were tough yards. Lamar [Jackson] did a great job on that [50-yard touchdown] play; it was really a great read by him, and obviously, the acceleration and the score. But the rest of it was really … It was a grind. That's a good defensive line [and] good linebackers. They brought some run pressures, quite a bit actually. I thought our guys grounded out pretty darn well, but I give them a lot of credit. That was a hard-fought game in terms of our run game."
(on the confidence level he has in P Sam Koch in the fake punt scenarios) "It really is that. It's more about the confidence level in him, that's what it is. He's just so good at it. He's clutch as can be. And then Miles [Boykin], he's a young guy – to step in that situation and make that play was tremendous. But you're right, that's the key to the whole thing is those guys executing that."
QB Lamar Jackson
(on the performance of the offense bouncing back from Monday night's loss) "Our offense did a pretty good job today – but not just the offense – all phases. I still feel like we have room for improvement, and 'Fluke' [D.J. Fluker] did a great job in stepping in for Ronnie [Stanley]."
(on if breaking records means anything to him) "Probably in the long run, but I'm focused on trying to win a championship. We still have bigger fish to fry right now. Those types of things, I feel like I'll cherish those later."
(on his 50-yard touchdown run) "We did our little play. The [defensive] end – he sliced. 'Boze' [Bradley Bozeman] pulled and did a nice job of getting to the safety, and the rest was a touchdown."
(on what they need to clean up moving forward) "I feel like the pass the Miles [Boykin] – the interception – I could've tried to help by holding on a little longer to give him a ball that he can turn around and catch. A couple passes to Marquise [Brown]. We should be coming off the field with our touchdowns. That's why I was down for real."
(on the versatility of the offensive line) "It astonishing – they're able to do their thing. They take their job very serious. That was [D.J. Fluker] his original position. He's been playing right tackle for us, but he's been doing a great job coming in and playing Ronnie's [Stanley] spot for today."
(on his impression of P Sam Koch as a passer) "I feel like he's 100% [as a passer]. He's great; we need to keep it going. [We] try not to get him throwing to convert fourth downs for us, but ..."
(on if head coach John Harbaugh said anything to him about celebrating too early before he reached the end zone on his touchdown run) "Oh, he definitely did. We watched plays … basically, plays of the week, and nine-times-out-of-10, it's plays that you should not do. And I was almost on one of those plays. So, that's, basically, what he was telling me."
(on his touchdown pass to TE Mark Andrews) "They did a great job. Our offensive line did a great job of blocking. I had to get out of the pocket a little, and Mark [Andrews] did a great job of running with me. And I just gave him a playable ball, and he made a great catch – touchdown."
(on the first drive of the third quarter) "Like you said, we were running and passing it, and that's what kept the defense on their toes. Our offensive line gave them a great push. Our wide receivers were getting open. Our running backs were doing their thing."
(on his chemistry with TE Mark Andrews) "It felt wonderful. Our chemistry, really, never left. It was just a hiccup in the [Kansas City] game, I guess. We're good – it was great to have, like you said, the chemistry going today."
(on if he was referencing Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf on the plays of the week, and on what's going through his mind on long runs) "No, I was not talking about D.K.'s [Metcalf] play, at all. There were a lot of plays that they just played from different years in the past – not just that play. We just did a great job today. Coach was calling the right plays. Our offense line did great. Our offensive unit just played pretty good today to get the 'W' and have, obviously, a long run, I guess."
(on the different looks he's getting from defenses and on if he thinks the team is close to being similar to the offense of last year) "Defenses play us a lot differently. We watch film on them. We study teams. When we go out there, it's a totally different ball game. We're still pushing. It's still early in the season. We just have to keep pushing, keep grinding, keep playing Ravens ball. That's what we've been doing."
TE Mark Andrews
(on if having more openings in today's game led to his success) "No, every week presents its unique challenges, and obviously, it was great to get two touchdowns and catch the ball a little bit. I felt like last week, obviously, things didn't go quite my way, and I was playing fast. And, if you go back and look at the film, it's not what people make of it. So, I think this league is all about not getting too up and not getting too down, and I'm not one of those people who gets up or gets too down. I'm confident in my ability, and today was good. It was good to get those touchdowns."
(on if the criticism from his performance last week was fair or unfair) "No, the criticism is fair. If you're going to be the guy, you have to make those plays, and that's great. I love the criticism; I feed off that. I'm trying to be the best. There's no one who's going to be more critical of me than me. So, it's all good, and I'm excited about the rest of this season. This team is only going to get better from here. There was a lot of good today, but there was a lot of bad, so we have a lot to work on; but that's a positive thing."
(on how it feels to score two touchdowns and his chemistry with QB Lamar Jackson) "It's great. Any time you can find the end zone, and you can throw a couple touchdowns, it feels great. And we're working hard. We're working hard in practice, and we're just hitting our stride. We're just going to keep on getting better. Lamar [Jackson] played great out there. When you have a guy like [No.] 8 [Lamar Jackson], it's just fun to go around and fly around and play games. It was a good win."
(on how it feels to score two touchdowns) "We're close; we're close. It's just little things here and there that need to be tightened up. Like I said, we're close. It's hard to tell you. Every team plays you different. With us, everyone kind of has a bull's-eye on us, so teams are coming out and playing a bunch of different defenses, and it's a unique task, just because you never know what they're going to be playing in. Everyone thinks that they have the formula to stop us, so we see different things every week, and that's only going to make us battle-hardened. To continue to play through that, and learn and grow as a unit, we're going to be good."
(on if he was playing rock, paper, scissors with WR Marquise Brown after his touchdowns) "Yes, yes we were. [Marquise] 'Hollywood' [Brown] and I, we play rock, paper, scissors every day. Two out of three is a game, but I'm just having fun playing rock, paper, scissors. He actually beat me. He's beaten me four weeks … I haven't won one game in four weeks. He's got my number, so I have to switch up my gameplan."
CB Marlon Humphrey
(on if he was surprised by Washington's offensive strategy) "They didn't surprise us. Maybe some of the screens they ran [did], but Kansas City did a good job last week of running screens, so we kind of knew it was going to come. [Dwayne] Haskins [Jr.] is really good with … He's his best when he's a rhythm thrower. So, the downfield shots, we knew they were going to come here and there, but he's at his best when he's on time and [making] timing throws."
(on his forced fumble) "It was good. I'm not going to say we started slow, but it seemed like they were having some success, and they were stopping our offense a little bit. So, we were not playing great at the beginning, and I was able to get a turnover early on there and was able to catch us a little momentum. So, it was really good to get a big play in that first quarter."
(on how it felt to see a breakout performance from teammate OLB Matthew Judon) "Good. Coming off that last game, everybody was kind of looking themselves in the mirror here and there, and [Matthew] Judon was like, 'Man, I just have to do more. I just have to do more,' and he was very critical of himself to me. It was no surprise to see him come and look like his typical self. I think he's been playing decent all year, but this game, he took it up a notch, and he kind of told himself, 'This is how I have to play every game to get back to who I am.'"
(on defending screen passes) "For us, we preach here, 'The screen play is everybody's play.' So, that has to be … A lot of times with the DBs [defensive backs], we have to react to certain formations, because linemen will come, and as soon as you think, they're out there blocking you. So, it's a play that everybody has to make. It has to be all hands on. It's a play that truly everybody has their part in making. So, the biggest thing is we have to be all-hands-on-deck on those screens. They got us on a couple, but some we stuffed."
(on his prowess for forcing turnovers) "For me, I just … Anytime I'm around the ball, I just try to something, whether it's a tackle – whatever it is – an interception. However way we can get a turnover, it's big for the team. We have analytics guys that show if you can get a turnover here, it equates to this many points and all these different things. So, the biggest thing that you can have on defense is a defense that creates turnovers, whether it's an interception or a forced fumble or sack – that's not a turnover but it's still a big [play]. So, whatever I can do and whatever the defense can do to get a turnover is always huge."
(on playing alongside QB Lamar Jackson) "Playing with Lamar [Jackson] is huge. You can never really doubt him; you can never really doubt him. And it's always great to be able to sit down on the bench next to Lamar. That usually means we're up, and 'RGIII' [Robert Griffin III] is in. So, I just go up to him like, 'Hey man,' because I watch some of the offense, but I'm mainly sitting down resting. So, I ask him … really, I asked him, 'How was it? Like, what were they talking about?' He was like, 'Man, we have to do a lot better,' and I looked up at the score, and I was like, 'I think we scored a decent amount of points.' It's always just … His humility is just amazing, so having a guy like that as your quarterback … He could put up 40 [points] and still say, 'Man, we didn't execute on third down.' So, having a guy like that on your team is always great."
(on if he should be called "Fruit Punch" for his punch-out ability) "I used to have the Twitter handle 'Fruit Punch.' It wasn't because I was punching the ball out, but it kind of started turning towards that – seemed like it. So, Twitter made me … In order to get verified, I couldn't be 'Fruit Punch' anymore. So, maybe I have to talk to Twitter, figure out some things, and maybe it can be 'The Fruit Punch' or … I looked at my family group message, and my dad was kind of trying to take the credit for that being a thing. So, maybe it can be 'The Fruit Punch,' 'Punch-out' – whatever. I just know, anytime you can get a turnover, it's big. I'm just trying to help my team, make plays here and there and get the team going."
OLB Matthew Judon
(on if the team collectively feels that it could hit its stride a little bit more) "The season is young. This was a good team win. We just have to peak at the right time. Whenever you can get a 'W' in the NFL, you'll take it."
(on his approach to this game following last week's loss) "It was just, 'Next game, next play' type of mentality. We watched what we did wrong, and then we came out here in a short week to prepare for the [Washington] Football Team. That's what we did, and we came out with the win. It was just a good team win."
(on how much it bothered him to not have a sack this season before today) "I've had a lot of good rushes if you go back and watch the film. Y'all really only care about stats, but it was a good team win. Marlon [Humphrey] popped it off with a forced fumble and [our team] got our offense clicking. So, it was just a good team win."
WR Marquise Brown
(on what he saw from the Washington defense that allowed them to get some big plays) "We knew they were going to come out and play their zone, so we just had to get in our spots, and Lamar [Jackson] put the ball where it needed to be."
(on the resiliency and focus of this team to bounce back after a tough loss last week) "You just really have to erase it out of your mind and go to work. Go to work, try to get it out of your mind and get ready for the next opponent."
(on the work that he and QB Lamar Jackson have done to try to connect on big plays) "We've just got to keep working on it, keep working on it. Eventually, it's going to start to hit, and when it does, we just need to be consistent with it."
LB Patrick Queen
(on what he saw out there today and the defense's overall performance) "When they ran the ball, it was basically just, 'See ball, get ball.' I've got to throw those muscles up front. We missed Derek Wolfe, but it's just next man up. Those guys up front held it down, and I 'saw ball, got ball.'"
(on the resiliency and character of this team right now after last week's loss) "There isn't any time to waste. We could have easily come out and lost this game. We just battled back and came to work the next day, and everybody was just focused on beating Washington."
(on the importance of getting a divisional win next weekend against Cincinnati) "Everything is important in the NFL. It's a division game, and we need to get that win, because all that stuff adds up and correlates with each other. I know Joe [Burrow]; I've been a teammate of his, and I know he's going to have them fired up. So, we're just going to have to come in, go to work, and do what we did this week."
