HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "Thanks for being here. What questions do you have?"
The Ravens have obviously been doing so well throughout the whole season. What was Pittsburgh doing to create so many difficulties? (Jamison Hensley) "The biggest thing was we just got in the second-and-long too much – second-and-long, and then it ends up being third-and-long too often. Penalties set us back too much."
What's it going to take for this team to cut down on penalties? It has been an area of weakness this year. (Luke Jones) "It's definitely something we have to do. We have to cut down on the penalties – that is very important. We've done it before on offense. We haven't had some of those in some of our big offensive games. Today that was a big problem."
Is it a communication issue? A discipline thing? Is there anything that you can kind of pinpoint there? (Brian Wacker) "We'll look at the tape – that's what you do. You look at all the different situations, and if you can come [up] with some big, one-thing issue that you're looking for with that question, then we'll have it. If not, it'll just be a standalone type [of] situation. It just depends on each circumstance."
Was there confusion on that two-point play, because it looked like TE Isaiah Likely and WR Nelson Agholor on the left side there ... (Jeff Zrebiec) "Not that I'm aware of. I'll have to look at it on tape and talk to the coaches, but not that I was aware of. Nothing was talked about during the game, and I didn't see it."
Was there thought to putting RB Derrick Henry in on that play? (Jeff Zrebiec) "We've talked about that stuff before. We have two-point plays called – we called a one, they called timeout, we called the next one."
Right at the end of the first half, you took over about the 11-yard line with less than a minute left. There was a fumble, and the Steelers got the ball back. What went into being aggressive in that situation at that time? (Bo Smolka) "Well, it's a screen, which is like a run. You can't take a knee there – they have three timeouts. You take a knee, they're calling timeouts, [and then] you're punting from your own 12-yard line or whatever it was. So you have to try to get at least a good play to start so they don't call their timeouts; it was just a fumble."
We know K Justin Tucker is his own biggest critic. We know he has a long track record. How concerned are you with his struggles continuing, especially in a place he's had so much success kicking here in the past? (Luke Jones) "'Tuck' [Justin Tucker] needs to make kicks. He knows that; that's important. He makes them in practice, and he made the long one later, which was good to see – which means he's still very capable. Kick them straight, [and] we'll be good."
I know you had the three timeouts, obviously. Was there ever any thought about an onside kick there at the end with a minute to go? (Brian Wacker) "We considered it. We felt like the best chance was to get a stop and [use] the timeouts [and] get the ball back with about 45 seconds [and] have a chance to get in field goal range and see if we could win it right there. We thought that was a better [plan] – and the percentages, I think, would bear us out – as opposed to getting an onside kick, which is hard to do."
Was there anything the Steelers were doing defensively or anything they were doing against QB Lamar Jackson? (Kyle Goon) "I thought [the Steelers] played well. It was more than anything it was the penalties that set us back on first down and second-and-long."
On that failed two-point conversion was it an RPO? Was it a run that QB Lamar Jackson just kind of pitched away? (Jonas Shaffer) "It was a play that we have. I don't think I need to describe all the details of the play, but it was not an RPO, no."
Any update on ILB Roquan Smith? He left the game. (Jamison Hensley) "I have no updates on any injuries right now. It's about five minutes after the game."
S Eddie Jackson didn't make the trip. Any reason why? (Kyle Goon) "I have nothing to report on that, alright."
We saw CB Marlon Humphrey leave with like 50 seconds left. He went into the tunnel. (Jamison Hensley) "I don't know anything about that."
TE MARK ANDREWS
On if the Steelers were doing anything to make it difficult for the Ravens offense, or if it was self-inflicted: "That kind of sums it up. There are too many things of us starting behind the 8-ball and not doing the right things, and it's been kind of week-by-week. I think the guys, like I said earlier, we continue to fight, and we continue to move the ball and put ourselves in good positions and put ourselves right at the end of the game to tie the game up, but it didn't go that way. We're going to learn from that."
On the confidence level in K Justin Tucker: "We have 'Tuck's' [Justin Tucker's] back no matter what. That's a guy that's done it year-after-year, and we know that he's going to come through. It is what is. He's going to find his way, and we just want him to stay confident and just continue to be him. All those guys ... We have his back."
On how the team can avoid self-inflicted mistakes: "It's playing good football. Like I said, it's all three phases really trying not to hurt ourselves. We'll look back and see different things, but for us, those kickbacks ... If we start on the 30-yard line – which is a good deal – we can't really ... We want to do everything we can to make ourselves in the best position, starting the ball and starting the field."
On if there was any difference in QB Lamar Jackson coming into this game: "[Lamar Jackson was] laser focused, like he always is, week-in and week-out. We talk about No. 8 being ready to go and being locked in, and there was no difference this game. I think he fought hard. I think everybody fought hard, and there was no 'give up' from this team. For us, again, it's look in the mirror, understanding what we can do better and being more efficient in all phases."
On if it's disappointing that the offense couldn't come through when the defense played well: "I don't know if I would put it like 'we couldn't' with our own game. We went down and scored and didn't turn out with that two-point [conversion], but we still had a chance no matter what. It really boils down to all four quarters [and] all of the plays leading up to that. I think that we point ourselves in good positions. We were able to move the ball, put the ball on the field where it needs to be, and we didn't score enough points, and that's [on] everybody."
On if it felt like the offense struggled to move the ball after crossing midfield: "No. I think that we were able to do kind of what we wanted. But it was tough game; it was a tough-fought game. It's just about executing."
ILB MALIK HARRISON
On his immediate reactions to the game: "I think we f It was just some little mistakes – that's about it – little mistakes that we made that we shouldn't have made."
On today's pass rush: "Definitely. I'm pretty sure the Steelers felt their presence this game, and Odafe [Oweh] had [three] sacks, and I'm pretty sure we had a bunch of pressures."
On any changes the defense made with the pass rush: "I think everybody just [manned] up and just [did] what they do. Odafe [Oweh] is a great pass rusher, [and] 'KV' [Kyle Van Noy] is a great pass rusher. Everybody in that room is a great pass rusher. I think we just took a step in the direction that we wanted to go."
On how much was improved communication a part of it: "It was really good. There weren't really a lot of communication mistakes in this game."
On the keys to the red zone stops on defense today: "To be honest, any time we get to the red zone, we just man up and get them off the field."
On what is the main lesson of this game: "We just have to find a way to win – that's really what it is. We've come down to the stretch, and we have fallen short a couple of times. That's really what it is – we just have to find a way to win."
RB DERRICK HENRY
On the biggest challenge presented by the Steelers defense today: "They're a good defense. They're a Top 10 defense, but I think a lot of it was on us – self-inflicted wounds. My fumble was unacceptable – it cannot happen. And it's just us with penalties, we're putting ourselves in backed-up situations. [There were] a lot of self-inflicted wounds that we need to clean up as a whole."
On if he caught by surprise on his fumble: "When I fumbled it? I mean, anybody is caught by surprise when you fumble the ball; you're not chilling [when] fumbling the ball. [Nick Herbig] just hit it out [and] made a good play. I've got to take care of the ball and handle the ball tighter. I put that all on me, so it's unacceptable, [and] I've got to be better."
On the disappointment of not being able to put up more points, given the defense holding the Steelers to field goals: "The defense did a solid job. They played their butt off. We didn't handle everything on our end, as far as on offense, execution and what we need to do to put us in a position to win the game, even though we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds, we still had ourselves a chance, and hats off to the defense for allowing us to do that. We just came up short. They were the better team today."
On not involved with the two-point conversion at the end of the game: "No. No frustration at all. They have in there who they think can execute the play, and I'm always going to support that. Whatever [the coaches] feel like is the best formation or whatever personnel needs to be in there for us to win, then let's go do it. There's no frustration on my end. The only thing I'm frustrated with is that fumble and me playing better."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On the level of frustration with losing recent games to a divisional rival in the Steelers: "I did not realize it was eight of the last nine. I think it's clear we've really struggled against [the Steelers] over the years. I've been on at least two or three of those eight or nine or whatever were game winners on me. They've kind of had our number. You get to see them twice. You just keep fighting. You know they're going to be a well-coached team with [Steelers head coach Mike] Tomlin over there. It's always a battle, so they've had our number, but we'll just keep fighting."
On what went into the scuffles on a few plays he was involved in: "Shoot, honestly I was .... It was a lot. It was a lot. I've been in this rivalry for a while, and I told the guys ... It was a lot. The emotions were high for me, honestly. I can't really say I've ... Honestly, I can't really say I've been in a situation where I felt kind of so emotional during a game. I kind of blame it on my family – on my family group message; mainly my big sister. I told some of the guys, I was like, 'Help me out. Emotions are flying for me.' They helped me out. It was different. I found myself watching over the years the Ravens-Steelers highlights the other day, and I don't know. I love this rivalry; I love rivalry games, but this is really the one. You've got the Browns [and] the Bengals, but to me this is really the one. You want to get the [win]. We came up short, but [I] can't do that; can't let emotions get the best of you, and [it's] no big deal really. You got one, [but] you can't get two and try not to make a habit of that."
On leaving the field early: "[I thought] if [the Steelers] get a first down the game was over, but we actually had another timeout, and there was 50 seconds, so two more plays had to ... People probably hadn't realized that, but I do that when we win – if there are 20 seconds left, and we win, I'm the first one in. I'm a sore loser and a sore winner. It would have been kind of awkward if I came back out once I realized in the tunnel that we have another timeout and there's 50 seconds. I'll have to ... Maybe I'll just start waiting until zero [seconds] on wins and losses until [I] just go in, because that was ... You can't have that."
On if he felt his interception would swing the game towards the Ravens: "Not necessarily. I'm just thankful to be able to make the play to help the team. There's plays that are really big if you can make them, and hopefully it can get the team going, but ultimately, it's all about getting a win."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On what it is about the Steelers that creates so many difficulties: "I believe we had a lot of slow starts, if anything, a lot of penalties [and] three turnovers. Stuff like that, we can't have in these types of games. This environment, knowing it's a division game that's still a Raven rivalry. It's the one who has more possessions of the ball and keeping it safe, and we didn't do a good job of that."
On if the looks that he saw from the Steelers' defense that prevented them from getting off to a faster start: "No. Like I said, it was first-and-long a lot, second-and-long a lot. We were just trying to get back on track, and we weren't having success. And I don't even think we converted any third downs. I don't know."
On what was supposed to happen on the two-point conversion at the end of the game: "It was a QB run. They just stopped it; they did a good job."
On what it's going to take to cut down on the penalties: "We can't control when the refs want to make their calls; that's their jobs. They have to make those calls, and we just have to try do a good job at not having penalties – not holding [and] lining up in the right formation – stuff like that, just being smart. Not saying my teammates are slow or anything like that – because they're not – but it's like, we just have to play a great game – a safe, 100% safe game [with] no penalties."
On why the mistakes seem to happen when the Ravens play the Steelers: "I can't call it. I can't call it. I feel like we were taking strides in the right direction, and then something would happen, but I can't call it."
On if it was tough to recover from the turnover on the first drive: "No, we brushed that off. That was the first quarter. The game isn't won in the first quarter; the game is never won in the first quarter. I've never seen any NFL game won in the first quarter. We just had too many, though. After that one, there were a couple more. Well, one more and then an interception. So it's like, [we] can't be having those in these types of games."
On if he felt like the team had momentum after CB Marlon Humphrey's interception: "Yes, but I believe on that drive, we had a penalty on that drive, too. And we got positive yards and explosive plays, so that's taking the momentum from us. It went back to those guys."
On what it's like not getting the two-point conversion at the end of the game: "We just have to get it. We just have to get that."
On the level of frustration with the penalties after 11 weeks: "It's annoying. We're busting our behinds just like anybody else. We're trying to put points on the board, and we're getting costly penalties each and every drive. Every time we were out there, I believe there was almost a penalty each and every drive – that's crazy. But it's a part of football. We just have to overcome it and put points on the board. Because [the Steelers] had 18 points, we had 16. We have to put more points on the board."
On if the Ravens are their own biggest detriment: "Absolutely. It's been that way ever since last year, I believe, going back to the AFC Championship game, we killed ourselves. The Chiefs game [in] the [season] opener, we killed ourselves. [The] Raiders [game], we killed ourselves, and today, it's the same thing. We can't be beating ourselves in these types of games. We have to find a way to fix that – it's annoying."
On if it's frustrating to see the defense play well, and for the offense to not put more points on the board and play a complete game: "Yes. I was hot about that. Our defense played great today. They held a great team, great offense to 18 points, and we just scored 16 points. We had been putting up all of these points all of this year – it's annoying."
On if he felt like there was any mental pressure in trying to beat the Steelers: "Yes. If anything, we're just too hyped at the beginning. Because I believe when we settle down, we start making things happen. In this type of game, it's a momentum game, it was swinging for both teams. And those guys had the best swing at the end."
C TYLER LINDERBAUM
On what happened with the two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game: "Me and Pat [Mekari] were supposed to get around, [and we] just got caught up. Stuff happens. Just play the game just how the D-end is playing, and it's a tough block for the receiver there."
On the frustration level with the penalties: "It's something that needs to be cleaned up and needs to be fixed. It's not helping us win ball games when it happens. That's the biggest thing in winning games – taking care of the football [and] limit the amount of penalties, because at the end of the day, it's only hurting our drives. It's not fun to be first-and-15, second-and-10 all of the time. We just have to stay ahead of schedule and put ourselves in an advantage position and not helping them out. It's something that has to be cleaned and stuff that can't happen. [We'll] just learn from the tape, and we have a great team coming up in the Chargers."
On what the team has done already to try to clean up some of the penalties: "Certain things happen in the way of the game to where if we're [having] linemen down the field – stuff happens with that. Technique stuff to where we're getting called holding, maybe it's [that] stuff we can clean up and communicate with the refs [with] what they're seeing, because at the end of the day, we're not going out there and trying to get a penalty. So, just understanding their point of view and then learning from it for the next time is the biggest thing."
On why the team tends to make more mistakes when they play the Steelers: "I don't know. At the end of the day, we have to focus on us and control what we can control. There are a lot of times in the game where we hurt ourselves just by putting ourselves in not good positions, not taking care of the football, penalties and stuff like that. At the end of the day, it happens. We have to be better in order to get where we want to go, and we have to learn from this tape. And we can't let this carry over into next week, and [we have to] focus on the Chargers."
OLB ODAFE OWEH
On having 2.5 sacks, but losing: "It sucks. I feel like whenever I play good, we lose, [and against] the Raiders. We just have to put it all together [and] can't hang our heads. We were right there, too. [There were] questionable plays that we have to fix on our own parts, but we know we're still good. We're not going to act like the world is ending. We have another big challenge in the Chargers next weekend – it'll be good. We'll be straight."
On how the defense communicated: "Yes, that's been our issue this whole year. But like I said, we did a better job this past game, but we have to work on it."
K JUSTIN TUCKER
On what happened with the two missed field goals today: "[On the first one] – when it came off my foot, I thought it was going to stay on the line in the left 30 uprights, and it just took a left, and then the 50-yarder from the right hash – I felt like I started the ball pretty much center of the uprights, and then it just took a left. I made an adjustment in the remaining opportunities that we had in the game, and I made it a point to aim further out to the right side of the center of the uprights. It's certainly frustrating, especially when we know that these [Ravens-Steelers] games come down to the wire, like this one did today, that I let a couple get away. But, like I've said before, the only thing that we can do is just get right back to work and focus on making the most out of our next opportunity."
On if he made adjustments after missing the first FGA: "I don't think it was necessarily anything I was thinking about in that moment. I think I was just making it a point to go out there and kick the ball clean off the surface and give it a chance by sending it straight. And I'm not going to ... I'd like to make it a point not to make the same mistake twice – let alone once – but we did make that adjustment moving into our next opportunities in the game."
On if the misses linger, or if he's able to compartmentalize and make every kick its own: "I think that's part of the challenge of playing this position – is you have to go out there and make each kick its own kick. So, compartmentalizing what happened on one kick that didn't go through and putting it away so you can go and make the most for your next opportunity, that's a challenge, and that's not necessarily an easy thing to do. I still remember misses that I had 12 years ago, and I will wake up at night thinking about one that got away. But that's just the nature of playing this position – you have to treat each one like its own kick. So, the first two that I missed today, I was still trying to make it a point to do just that – treat each kick for what it's worth – and ultimately, just decided to make a slight adjustment moving forward for the remaining opportunities that we would have for the rest of the day. I just made it a point and communicated with Nick [Moore] and Jordan [Stout]; 'Hey, I'm going to pick a target line that's going to be more right-third of the uprights, and we're just going to just smash a ball and go from there. So, yes, I'll leave it at that."
On if he's battled confidence issues this year after being so successful in the past but letting a couple get away: "I don't think it's anything that is unique to just playing in the National Football League, coaching in the National Football League [or] just competing at this level. You're going to have ups, you're going to have downs, and trying to chase as many ups as possible is what we're all after. Ultimately, none of us are happy if we don't win it all in the end; only one team gets to do that. But part of the challenge that every player, every coach, every team faces is remaining confident, and the way that I know we remain confident – [and] I'm still confident I'm going to go out there and nail every single kick ... Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process, and I know that sounds like ... I might sound like a broken record, but it's a part of what brings us success – is just trusting the process and then taking it one kick at a time."
On if the surface was on issue at Acrisure Stadium, especially given the fact that the University of Pittsburgh played Clemson on the same field yesterday: "I wouldn't say the surface was an issue, but it wasn't ideal. That's something that we make it a point to account for by going out there in pre-game warmups and getting our feet under us, figuring out what the wind may [be] doing. But we've dealt with that plenty of times here, elsewhere, at home. And then, throughout the course of the game, the most action takes place in between the hashes, and it naturally just gets chewed up. So, it's something that we make it a point to kind of tackle in pre-game warmups and then make whatever minor adjustments – if necessary – with whatever opportunities come to us throughout the game."
CB TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE
On how he'd describe his role in today's game: "I was sprinkled in here and there just because how complex the defense is and [the Steelers'] offense ... They get up to the ball really fast, so it would be tough on the defense to try to relay messages to me when we're trying to get lined up too. As far as me getting on that field, the plays that I did get in were for me called so I didn't have to do too much thinking. [I'll] go back to the drawing board. I've got an extra day this week [with us playing] on Monday night, so a lot of film is going to be studied this week to try to learn as much of the playbook as I can."
On what his two end zone pass breakups did for his confidence: "I'm always a confident player. I always [have] been confident in my abilities. Early in the year, I had guys covered like blankets, and the quarterbacks don't throw the ball, so it's just ... I think that a lot of people write things, but you've got to watch the whole tape. My confidence never wavered, because I know what type of player that I am and the type of work that I put into my craft, and I love this game so much, and I love to compete. So it's just a point of getting to a situation where I can let my light shine."
