QB LAMAR JACKSON
On the Ravens currently being the No. 1 seed in the AFC and if it means anything to him:"Not really. It's still a lot of [the] season left to play. It doesn't really mean anything to me right now."
On how his chemistry has grown with the wide receivers over the course of the season: "I believe my chemistry with all the receivers is coming along well the longer the season's been going. We just have to keep locking in in practice and keep building more because playoffs [are] rolling around, [and] the end of the season is rolling around. We just have to keep stepping in the right direction."
On his deep shot throw to WR Odell Beckham Jr. and how deep shots will keep developing:"Absolutely. Not just [with] Odell [Beckham Jr.], but [with] all the receivers, because everyone is running routes for us full speed running great routes and getting separation away from corners [and] DBs. They're doing a great job. So, when we start connecting down the field, the sky's the limit for our offense."
On what he expects to see from TE Isaiah Likely with the bigger opportunity he is going to have:"I'll say a lot. Stepping into the role [with] Mark [Andrews] going down this past Thursday, I believe [Isaiah Likely] will step up and do what he's supposed to do because he's shown glimpses of it. He's always somewhere open as I'm watching film and stuff like that. So, I feel like he'll step up and do the right thing."
On what gives him confidence in TE Isaiah Likely and TE Charlie Kolar being able to step up and what he's seen from the practice field from them:"I see Charlie [Kolar] blocking his tail off. I see him catching the ball. He's a tall tight end [and I see] him catching the ball over guys, basically 'Mossing' them. [With] [Isaiah] Likely, we built our chemistry last year, his rookie season. He was just balling out of control, but this year here, I believe just from the maturity and them being in the system – well not this system – but just being in the league a year, those guys know what to do."
On him being 28 rushing yards away from becoming the fourth quarterback to get over 5,000 rushing yards for a career behind QBs Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson and if that has any significance for him: "I'm in line with the greats, so that's pretty cool. No doubt. I'm cool with that, that's nice."
On if he added weight or did anything differently to deal with and absorbing the blows he may take during the course of the season:"No, last year I did. That was last year, not this season."
On how his ankle is feeling today since injuring it during Thursday's game:"I believe I'm good. I believe I'm 100%."
On if he's done anything to guard against injury and learned things and done anything differently from years before: "Not really. I'll say I don't slide, but I get down. I get under hits; I'll say, that but that's it I guess." (Reporter: Is it a learned skill on how to take a hit?)"Just don't get hit. That's all I know – don't get hit."
On the toughest thing he'll have to adjust to not having TE Mark Andrews:"When you have to go off script sometimes, and that was my No. 1 guy when I got off script, me and him are going to have a connection somehow someway, that's about it though. We're going to be missing that, and just [missing] Mark [Andrews]. Just Mark being him [and] just doing things to put us in great situations on that field. So, we'll be missing that a lot."
On if he's talked to TE Mark Andrews and how his morale is like:"Yes. I reached out to him after the game. [Since then] I pretty much just let him have his time because I know people have been reaching out, but I'll definitely hit him up today."
On John Harbaugh's comments about this offense being better equipped this year to lose a player like TE Mark Andrews compared to years in the past and if he agrees with that:"I don't know. I really don't know. I don't think we're equipped to lose him at all just because of the guy he is – one of our leaders on offense besides myself. We have great receivers, and we have a great backfield, we have great tight ends who are stepping up. Just our team, I'll say, is just different all around. That's why we're able to go on without our brother. That's all."
On if he's starting to feel like he can go off script with WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr.:"Yes. I believe so. From us watching film together and us talking about it at practice and actually transitioning over to the game with me and 'OB' [Odell Beckham Jr.] [It's] small things like that. It's small steps in the right direction."
On if anything changes in the red zone now that TE Mark Andrews being out and him being a high red zone target: "Some things may be off script. That's about it with him."
On if what it's like seeing RB Gus Edwards doing his thing and being successful at the goal line:"That's great to see. I believe he was out what, two years ago? He was hurt two years ago, and I believe it made him take a step back. But this season, I feel like as we've been going on week by week, he's been scoring a touchdown here, two touchdowns there, three touchdowns sometimes. He runs the ball more efficiently. He's just getting his legs back under him, [and] he's doing a great job. He looks like old 'Gus the Bus.'"
On some of his off-platform throws going viral on social media and was it something he worked on more this offseason and where does it come from:"People can't see our practice film, but I believe I've been doing it in practice for years. It's just transitioning over to games [now]. That's pretty much it."
On if he needs superior core strength to make the throws he's making:"I don't know, but I do work on my core, so that's probably it." (Reporter: Are you going to plug in your fitness plan?) "No. I'm going to keep that on the low." (Laughter)
OLB ODAFE OWEH
On if he feels like he is just scratching the surface of his potential: "Yes, but I've really always felt that. I feel like there's still so much I can get better at, in all aspects of my game because I started [playing football] late. The place where I got drafted, obviously, it required a lot of expectations early, but I'm still very much in [the] developmental stage. I still have a lot to prove. There's still a lot to get better on, so I agree. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface."
On if the best explanation of why he has been more consistent this season is his health or technique: "It's probably a mixture of both – health, timing, guys around me are helping me, too, [like] 'Buike' [Justin Madubuike], [Jadeveon] Clowney, [Kyle] Van Noy, [Michael] Pierce – a bunch of guys are having good years, so that helps. Obviously, [outside linebackers coach] Chuck [Smith] and guys like [assistant head coach/defensive line] 'Weav' [Anthony Weaver] are helping us better this year in terms of the pass rush scheme, what we're looking at [and] get-offs. I feel like it's a mixture of all of those."
On where his relationship with outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith has paid off the best:"It's just a mentality of what you're looking at and what your approach is in your [pass] rush. Just always having a plan before the ball is snapped – that really helped me, little things like that. [Chuck Smith] always harps on me every week on the little details, because if you have success a lot, you might forget about the little things that you were doing just to get to that spot. He always tells me each week … It gets annoying sometimes, because he's always harping on me about the little things. I'm really grateful for him always staying on me for stuff like that."
On his relationship with OLB/DE Jadeveon Clowney and OLB Kyle Van Noy and what they have taught him: "I feel like this year's kind of different, because it's not so much I'm learning from them. It's like I'm just picking off little things from each of their games. It's a respect thing. With [Jadeveon] Clowney, obviously, the way his tenacity is, he's persistent. It's just balls to the wall. He's going hard every play, whether it's in the run or the pass. 'KV' [Kyle Van Noy] is just the savvy vet. [He has] little things that you can pick up or steal just based on what you're looking at. It's a different relationship this year than what I've had in past years with Justin Houston and Calais [Campbell], 'Phee' [Pernell McPhee], guys like that. I feel like it's a good group of personalities, and everyone wants to get better. Everyone has a goal, so that's why it's meshing well."
On the back half of the schedule with a lot of primetime games and the opportunity that it presents: "I feel like you all are always talking about us. It's just a good opportunity to just really showcase everything that you've worked on and try to cancel all the naysayers. We all love primetime games. We love to show the whole world what we've been practicing, because everyone's watching at that point. I feel like this is a good chance [to] just hone in on the little things that we're building up each week and then just put a bow on it these last couple weeks."
On what it means waking up this morning and seeing the Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the AFC:"It means something, but obviously we still have some games to go. On any given Sunday, anything can happen, but it's definitely a good site to see that we're at the top right now, because of all the work that we've put in. We still have some more weeks to go. If it stays like that at the end of the season, then we can celebrate, but there's still some work to do."
On Chargers QB Justin Herbert:"[He's] just an elusive guy. He's good on his feet [and] very accurate as well. He can throw the ball really hard. He's a talented QB, but I feel like if we stay in our disguise and we do what we have to do, don't allow him to pick out our defense, stay disciplined in our [pass] rush lanes and then tackle [and] finish plays, like I, myself, I feel like we'll be good. We'll be straight, and we match up pretty much better than them."
On if he is surprised about the team's sack numbers this season:"No."
On if he has had a chance to talk with OLB David Ojabo and how he's doing since his injury:"[David Ojabo] is doing well."
On if the Ravens' performance against Chargers' QB Justin Herbert in 2021 still matters at this point:"We remember it. We always remember those things playing with [Justin Herbert], because it is like war when we're out there anyways. At the end of the day, that was two years ago, so we're obviously different players. We expect that he's a different player. We're always just staying fierce and staying hungry, but we remember obviously the pass game."
On the confidence the team gets from being able to disguise pass coverage and not let the opponent know where the pass rush is coming from: "A lot. We're all like little ninjas out there just trying to hide it as long as we can and then just attack. It definitely helps me. It helps the back end if everyone has good timing – 'PQ' [Patrick Queen], 'Ro' [Roquan Smith], Kyle [Van Noy]. I feel like [Kyle Van Noy's] one of the best at it. The timing is crucial. I think we all do a pretty good job of doing it."
ILB PATRICK QUEEN
On facing the Chargers offense and if their strong defensive performance against the Chargers from a few years ago can carry over:"Their offense is electric, honestly. You can tell that they're putting up points. You can tell they're not really the problem of the team, even though some people might say [that], situationally, they haven't been capitalizing on [opportunities]. But they are a hell of an offense. We'll really going to have to be clicking on all cylinders going in there, in a hostile environment, to get this win."
On what stands out about the Chargers' offense:"Justin [Herbert], obviously, he can put the ball anywhere he wants. He's extremely accurate [and] can throw the ball extremely far. He can move around. He can do whatever. He reads coverages [well], so he's really like an all-around quarterback that we just have to be prepared for. Every single player [on the team is] electric with the ball in their hands, and they can do damage. We just have to be great, and our coverages need to be tight."
On if the long break following Thursday Night Football last week will be beneficial:"A little bit. You get a few days, but honestly, four days in a season isn't really going to make a difference. You might get a mental break, but as far as physical, I don't really think there's much of a break. At this point, everybody is hurting during the season, especially teams that have a late bye. So, we just have to go in there and be mentally strong and just push through physically and just get to the bye week."
On if it means anything to wake up as the No. 1 seed in the AFC after the Kansas City Chiefs lost last night: "A little bit, yes. It does, but at the end of the day, if we lose [this week], it doesn't matter. So, we just have to go in there, handle business, get to 9-3 this weekend and just keep striving to keep that [top] spot."
On how he approaches having one of the hardest remaining schedules:"[We're] just handling it one game at a time. [We'll] just do what we do and keep doing what we've been doing [and] get better at the things we need to get better at. [We'll] just take it day by day and don't look in the future too much; just have fun with what's [in] the present and just try to get one percent better."
On his opinion of Bengals LB Germaine Pratt's comments on X:"[Germaine Pratt] needs to take responsibility for his actions. I'm not the one on that side of the ball getting cooked. [Their] whole defense was getting cooked, so that's his problem. I know one thing; when we were in the playoffs, we weren't complaining [about] our quarterback being out. We gave up points – 10, 17 [or] whatever it was – and we were saying, 'If we would have held them to 10, we would have won the game.' So, we take responsibility on this side; I don't know about that side."
On how he would describe OLB Odafe Oweh's evolution since his rookie year: "Everybody loves [Odafe Oweh] now. Everybody loves him now. We already knew what he was capable of. Obviously, he was getting there as a rookie. [In] the second year, he was doing a hell of a job; he just couldn't finish. It takes time for those things – just slowing the game down for him – and [he's] just going out there now and balling. [He's] getting comfortable. Even though he's not as healthy as he was, he's still able to go out there and make plays at a high level, so imagine when that ankle does get healthy. I'm really proud of him [and] really happy for him."
On if he can identify with that journey from injury to success:"Yes, definitely. I definitely do. I definitely can relate."
