HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "I appreciate you all being here. [We're] hard at work putting this game in perspective and trying to learn everything we can from it. We have so much to learn from it to get better. It's good to win and improve – that's a really big part of it. You learn a lot about yourself in situations like that. I feel like we learned a lot of things that we suspected about our team, in terms of our character, our competitiveness, our toughness and also things that we just have to get better at. Just flat-out things that we're not doing nearly well enough, but that's an opportunity. That's an opportunity to really improve, so there's a lot of room for growth on this football team, and the excites me as well. We'll get to the work on that this week and get ready for a very, very good Washington Commanders team that is playing at a very high level, maybe the highest level in the league right now."
On the QB Lamar Jackson play with the two-yard touchdown pass to TE Isaiah Likely where Jackson drops the snap, stiff arms the defender and throws it – where does that play kind of rank for you? Everyone is pretty amazed by it. For you, where does it kind of rank for you? (Jamison Hensley) "On the rankings of extended scramble plays? I don't know. Like my dad always says, 'You've never had a better win. There's probably never been a better play today.' It's an amazing play. The thing about Lamar [Jackson], is that he's not even happy with it, he's mad about it, because it's definitely not in the playbook that way. That goes back to what we talk about; a lot of times, you have to find ways to win. You have to overcome. Sometimes you have to overcome your own things, and certainly the opponent throws so many things at you that are challenging. I just thought it was an incredible, fabulous play that will go down in history. We'll be watching that play for years to come on NFL films."
The adjustments that QB Lamar Jackson made, the way they were stacking the box, they were out there. The way you started to throw the ball, they went to cover 0, they threw everything at him, he was making plays down field. Just your thoughts about the adjustments he made of dealing with that defense? (Todd Karpovich) "That's one of the great points of the game right there. They attacked us how we expected them to. They've used those same defenses in the past against us to great effect. They're an aggressive team, Lou [Anarumo] is a heck of a defensive coordinator, and they're in a come-and-get you type of a mindset, and that's what they went to, and we handled it for the most part. The Zero blitzes, the Zero shows and bluff outs and play Cover 3, we handled those for the most part. They got us, and we got them. I was really proud of the way Lamar [Jackson] handled it, certainly. He got us into plays, he got us into protections, he made throws, he made throws under duress, on target, on point, [and] guys made catches, guys got open. Both Zays [Flowers & Isaiah Likely], Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, Tylan Wallace – guys made plays like crazy in those situations. And that's what you have to do – you have to come up and make those plays and get into a play that's effective against that stuff."
On the snaps between C Tyler Linderbaum and QB Lamar Jackson yesterday, on the TE Isaiah Likely touchdown, he didn't get the snap cleanly, and then obviously the fumble in overtime. Do you chalk that up to crowd noise? Do you chalk that up to some other communication issue between Tyler Linderbaum and Lamar Jackson? What do you want to see with that? (Kyle Goon) "All of the above. That's one of the open-ended opportunities to really improve, and that's the challenge. You're facing a defense that's going to give you a lot of different things that are going to be aggressive. And you can't go to the line with just one option, because you could be wrong probably the higher percentage of the time, so you go to the line with multiple options. Our ability to get in the right option and execute it so you can hurt them is what you're trying to do. Crowd noise [is] absolutely a part of it. Communication, even in the huddle is part of it, getting it right [and] making sure everybody is on the same page with that. [Identifying] it and seeing it; what you have to do move [with] motion or shift-wise to actually uncover it is part of the challenge, and then to say it under time, and you have that play clock running down on you. It got us a couple of times. That's something that we're going to continue to work on and practice, but also our verbiage and terminology. [We are] just trying to continue to get to the point where we can make things a little cleaner [and] tighter, but that means you have to use less words in the huddle, which means guys have to memorize more as they learn and have a better understanding of the offense. It's the best way I can describe it. There's a lot to it, but it's certainly something you work on every day."
To recognize how talented that Bengals receiving group is, when you watch this game again, why were they able to do what they did? What didn't quite work for your secondary? (Bo Smolka) "First of all, I think they had an A-plus game, in terms of their execution. [Joe Burrow] had pressure in his face numerous times. The pocket was getting pushed, guys were coming at him; he stood in there and made some really great throws, like on-the-money throws off his back foot. He had receivers that were tightly covered – I call them tightly-contested catches. We had numerous tight coverages where they made the catches. In that case, that kind of throw under pressure, that kind of a catch – that's football. You have to understand that. I also believe that we compounded the yardage because we didn't play things as well as we needed to play them. There's so much opportunity in there to play certain things better. There were probably five or six plays in the passing game, from a coverage standpoint, that we're just way better than that. We're way better to play some of those things the way that we played them. Our guys are going to watch it on tape, I'm sure they already have, and they're going to say the same thing, they're going to say, 'That's something that we have to do better.' We're still striving for consistency; we're still fighting for consistency. And you're going against a really efficient and talented offense, but it's still up to us to play our defense consistently the way we want to play it."
Along those lines – the consistency aspect – do you want to see more communication? Do you want to see more plays on the ball? Guys not being open on occasion on those handful of plays? What specifically are you looking for? (Brian Wacker) "It's really all those things. It's actually all those things – that's where consistency comes in – it's never one thing; it's all those things that you have to do all the time. We had tight coverage ... We were in the right spots – we were matching routes so many times so well. But four or five times against a quarterback [in Joe Burrow] that can really see the field and get the ball where he needs to late when it pops open – that's where you get exposed. To win our conference; to win our division; to win a game against the teams we're going to play – we're going to play quarterbacks that are capable of that. We have another one coming up this week [with Jayden Daniels]. [He has a] different style but same kind of ... In different ways, it creates the same level of problems. We just have to be on point every single play with what we're doing."
If you were to, I guess rank your level of concern 1-10? (Brian Wacker) "I don't do that. You know I don't do that. I've never done that. There are no rankings."
As you like to call them, the "pundits" at times have claimed that you guys when you're down by double-digits, like you were yesterday, you tend to "panic." That obviously wasn't the case yesterday, and you come back and win. What does winning a game like that do for you if you're put in that situation again late in the season? (Cordell Woodland) "I don't know about the pundits saying that – I really haven't seen that. I haven't seen any stats on that. I don't know how many times we've been down by double digits in the fourth quarter. I should probably have our analytics people look it up to make sure that I know. Not too often, so I'm not sure where a storyline where that would come from. That having been said, I'd rather be up by double digits and hold a lead. But it's good to know you can do it. I think back to the Indianapolis game [in 2021] – this is really the last one I remember and that we came back and got that done. [It was] really driven by Lamar [Jackson], honestly, and all the guys around him. I thought the protection was so good and tough. They were bringing blitzes, heavy blitzes, and there were times where he had to get away – he got away a couple of times crazy – he'd move in the pocket a couple times and made throws. Sometimes he was untouched; guys getting open. Just all the things that go into the type of game you're in when you're down by double digits. [It was] three different times – I believe we were down by 10 [points] three different times in the fourth quarter. That's good. I don't want to be the guy that dwells on the negative and just says, 'We weren't good here, and we weren't good there.' We're going to dwell on that because we're coaches, and we need to – it's us. We look at ourselves and where can we get better; what's our opportunity. But at the same time, maybe we should get credit for coming back three different times on the number of times we've came back from double-digit deficits."
Is this sort of a microcosm of the way things have gone this season where you start out 0-2, and now you've won three straight. You're right there in first place. A sense of where the teams at after the rough beginning? (Jerry Coleman) "I like where we're at. It kind of goes together. We were in a good place, and we're in a better place now, because we're continuing to improve. But we have a lot of improvement to do and a lot of opportunity to get better. So, I'm excited about that opportunity."
You and a lot of people in this franchise have talked about RB Derrick Henry's professionalism. Not a lot of touches in the fourth quarter because of the game situation, and then, in overtime, he was sort of a workhorse for you. What goes into Derrick's ability to stay ready to break off a big play even if he's not seeing a lot of game action for an extended period of time? (Kyle Goon) "That's a great, great question. I'd say the first thing Derrick [Henry] would tell you is [we had] really good blocking. You had that play happen and the play before that, too, on the right side before the fumble was a really well blocked crack-toss play – this was a zone-crack play to the left. The fact that it was at a point in time in the game where fatigue was a big part of everything that was going on, and to see our guys pull around the way they did – Tylan Wallace's block; Pat Ricard's block; Ronnie [Stanley]'s block. Those guys had some great blocks. And then you have, like you said, Derrick – his time on that was over 21 miles an hour – I believe it was [21.46] maybe, which matches the fastest time that he's ever had that I'm aware of according to our people; in a game, in overtime, on a hot day like that toward the end of the game – and after he's been tackled a number of times. That kind of speaks for itself."
On the punt that rolled out on the two-yard line in the second quarter, how do you coach off that? What should have happened on that play? (Childs Walker) "That has to be caught. [Tylan Wallace] knows that. He's going to want that one caught. You just have to get over there. You have to get over there to get squared up on it [and] fair catch it if you have to. Just catch it, but what I'm impressed with – talking about Tylan – is how he bounces back. [He had] two huge catches in the fourth quarter that we don't win the game without and the block to spring the game-winning run, right? So, sometimes you have a bad play. He knows that it put us in a bad spot. He's on our offense. He understands that, but he didn't get down about it. He didn't sit on the bench and pout about it at all. He just looks you right in the eye and says, 'OK, I'm still here. I'm going to find a way to make it up,' and he did."
When we talk about K Justin Tucker, we don't often talk about lack of confidence or his confidence meter, but how big do you think hitting that 56-yarder in that situation was for him? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, it was big for our team, and that's what he'll tell you, too. Our team needed it, and he did come over afterwards after he made that kick, which was a very difficult kick. He came over afterwards – after making that kick – and he was pumped up. It was actually after the kickoff; I think he kicked a touchback. [He] comes to the sideline and gets right in my face, just a little uncomfortably close. He broke into my personal space, and he goes, 'Let's go win the game! Let's win the game!' I'm for that! I am for winning the game. I am on board with that, and I think for him to get the opportunity to finish it with a game-winner, that means a lot."
We saw in preseason, it looked like S Marcus Williams was back to his old, star self. What do you guys have to do, and what does he have to do to get him back, so that way he can be more of an impact player? (Jonas Shaffer) "Marcus [Williams] is working hard. He's doing a good job. He's making a lot of good tackles, a lot of physical play in there, and I think he's on the verge of really breaking out. Some balls are going to come his way. He's moving really well. I fully expect him to come up with some big plays for us very soon."
Talking about adjustments, you're not doing things, necessarily, exactly the same as you did ... with former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and current defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Is some of that just playing with new players, trying to get everyone comfortable playing together? (Luke Jones) "Yes, that's a good question. It could be any or all of those things. There's no way to know, for sure. I feel like, every season is different; every season stands on its own. Nothing is really ... There is some continuity for sure, but there are also a lot of things that just stand on their own. For instance, in this league, we say it's a one-week league. It's a 1-0 league. It's a one-week-at-a-time league. It's a one-play-at-a-time league. You just have to take every play, every game, every week and stand on its own and do your best in that game, and then you assess kind of where you're at and what you need to work on after that."
You talked about the contested catches that the Bengals receivers made. Your own receivers made a number of them in this game, too, especially after two games that were really run heavy. For them to come up and make those plays for QB Lamar Jackson and for this offense, what does that mean for these pass catchers? (Ryan Mink) "That's a great point. Those guys ... Hey, you run the ball for a bunch of yards, and [you're in] your head and all that. Then, it's like, 'Well, you know. Guys aren't making plays. Guys aren't getting a chance,' and all that, but they didn't ... They want to make plays. They got their chance this game, and they made them, in the fourth quarter [and] all throughout the game. But in the fourth quarter, these catches that were made by these guys and these throws that were made by Lamar [Jackson] were just at the highest possible level, and every one of them was required for us to have a chance to win the game the way the game went. So, I'm just proud of those guys for that."
Looking back to training camp when T Ronnie Stanley was saying he feels the best he has since his Pro Bowl season (2019) to now, do you see that in him? Besides just his health, what is he doing differently this year? (Giana Han) "That's a good question. I think Ronnie [Stanley], his health is the main thing. He had a really bad ... You know the whole thing. You guys know the story on Ronnie, and he's tough, and he fought through it. But I think he had an offseason where he could train, and he went to work and trained, because he was healthy enough to do it and got strong, got his strength back. He's always been a good athlete, but to get that power, that strength and anchor back was really important. He's been able to practice every day, right on through. He's practiced every day since training camp, he's been out there, and it's a practice sport for anybody. So, for him regaining his form, I'd say those are the two things that made the difference."
Did you guys come out of the game healthy? Are there any major injury issues? (Todd Karpovich) "Yes, I think we're good. We'll see, but I think we're OK."
You mentioned how good the pass protection was yesterday. This configuration of the offensive line has played two really good games now. Is the tendency to want to go with this line while it's playing so well, even though G Andrew Vorhees will be ready to play soon? (Childs Walker) "That's a good question. Andrew [Vorhees] will come back, maybe this week. Three weeks with a high-ankle [sprain] is about right, and gosh, you can't believe how hard he's working at it. It's amazing how tough he is. So, it will be good to have him back, but an object in motion tends to stay in motion. So, if we're doing well, we're probably going to try to keep that momentum going, with the addition and the opportunity to put guys in when and where we might be able to, and we're probably a little more open to that than a lot of teams, even still. But I think the offensive line is doing a good job. We'll just have to see where we're at through the week."
OLB Yannick Ngakoue didn't play a whole lot, but how do you think he looked, and how did he fit as it pertains to your rotation? (Luke Jones) "Yes, I thought [Yannick Ngakoue] looked good. He had 11 snaps; I was hoping for more, [and] I'm sure he was, too, but those guys were playing so well, also, and [with] the way it played out, they were pretty fresh – for whatever reason. But we're going to be intentional about getting all of our pass rushers in the game, who are up, because they're fresher. So, that's something we have to do a good job of going forward. I think he looked good. He looked really good. Ojabo, David Ojabo, looked really good and so did Tavius [Robinson]."
TE Charlie Kolar has been getting more and more involved in the offense. What have you seen from him, and when you think about his overall development, what stands out to you? (Carita Parks) "Charlie [Kolar] is making big strides, don't you think? I mean, we talk about ... In college, he was a pass catcher and didn't do any blocking; I didn't even think he lined up inline very much. He's made himself into a fine blocker. He's doing a really good job blocking – very physical. And then, now you say, 'OK, he's a run-blocking tight end,' but he's always had the pass-catching ability. So, to see him get out there, [and] on a seam route, to get that big play, [and] then to catch the goal-line route, the low route – the perfect throw that Lamar [Jackson] made – I'm just jacked up for him. And now, I'm really excited for us, because now it gives you another dual-threat tight end."
Touching on the tight ends, TE Mark Andrews has been really good as a blocker the past few games, and at some point, each of the three tight ends have led the room in receiving yards. Has the goal of that group been to just get more versatile, period? Has the goal of the player development there been tailored to make sure these guys develop as blockers and not just targets? (Kyle Goon) "It's a great question. I would say, I don't know if it's 'the' goal, per se; we didn't say that was 'the' thing, because I think it's kind of an understood goal. I mean, any player wants to be as versatile as they can be, [and] any tight end wants to be a dual-threat tight end, because if you're out there in the run game, it opens up the pass game, [and] if you're out there in the pass game, it opens up the run game. So, you want to be as versatile and dual threat as you can possibly be. There are some more one-dimensional guys, for sure, but I think our guys are dual-threat guys, and I think they've proven that. You have to establish that. We've always believed it, that they were that, but to see them go out there and do it in the games – and that's why they were put in those situations – it's powerful for us."
This week with QB Jayden Daniels, there's going to be a lot of focus on the playmaking quarterbacks – both he and QB Lamar Jackson. When you're looking at Jayden, do you see elements of Lamar, or do you think there are more differences than similarities between them? (Jamison Hensley) "I see a really good quarterback. Every week, you look at the quarterback; that's where the offense starts. Joe Burrow is a top quarterback in the league. He's one of the best guys, but he's one of the best guys in his own unique way, and we saw it on Sunday – the challenges that his game presents. Jayden Daniels is ... Heck, he's played in, what, five games now? And he's been one of the best in the league for five games, so far, as a rookie. He plays [differently] than Joe Burrow. Every quarterback plays their own unique way. Similarities, differences, there is always that part of it, but we just have to look at him and how he fits into their offense, and [we have to] prepare for their offense – run by him – and that's a big challenge. I mean, we've got our hands full with that. So, that's how we look at it, as a defense."
Do you expect WR/RS Deonte Harty back this week? We were surprised to see him inactive on Sunday. (Jonas Shaffer) "Yes, that was kind of ... It just kind of snuck up on us there, but that stuff happens in this league, so I think yes, but, again, we'll hope for the best."
We saw CB Marlon Humphrey with a walking boot after the game. Is that just precautionary, and do you guys still feel good about his status going forward? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Yes. In these games, man ... These are physical, tough games, [and] you're on the turf and all that, so ... I just don't want to make any promises, but I think we're in good shape."
