HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "OK. Two, two great ... [Lamar Jackson and Nnamdi Madubuike] said it all right there. I'm just so proud of our guys. Hearts of lions in a game like that, truly, and I'll also say this; we stay humble about it. 'Let him that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord,' and we do that. We understand that we have a lot to work on, but we've very grateful for that win, and we're very grateful for our guys. The way our guys play, how they fight, how they don't give up [or] just what [Madubuike] said. There [was] still time on the clock. You keep fighting. We found a way right down to the end. Even the defense getting the stop on the two-point play, that's what it took. It took a stop at the end to win the game, and our defense did that. Ar'Darius [Washington] made that play, and the pass rush was there, too. So, I'm very proud of the guys. Hats off to the Bengals. I think they do a great job, and that's an AFC North football game, for sure. What questions do you have?"
Do you have an update on S Kyle Hamilton? (Jonas Shaffer) "[Kyle Hamilton] has an ankle [injury]. It's not a serious ankle [injury]. I don't know how long it will be, but they said it's an ankle sprain."
When you see QB Lamar Jackson have that kind of fourth quarter, what do you think that says about him? (Jamison Hensley) "What can you say? We have seen it before, and I just think [Lamar Jackson] took that game on his shoulders, like he does. [I] appreciate the other guys with him. Look at Tylan Wallace. Look at 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] and what he did, Mark Andrews – the catches that he made in there – Zay [Flowers] and the catches he made. The offensive line I thought ... In the second half, the offensive line really did a great job in protection. It was really a group effort. Derrick [Henry], the runs he made, those were, tough hard runs, tough yards, and Justice [Hill] as well. Justice had the screen pass that got us going there – the inside screen early – so it was definitely a group effort, but Lamar was the leader."
QB Lamar Jackson was describing the whole offense in the first half as sluggish, and then he said when CB Marlon Humphrey stripped that ball, that really changed it. From your view on the sideline, what changed about the entire team from that moment on? (Kyle Goon) "It was definitely a momentum changer. We talk a lot about momentum. When you don't have it, you have to find a way to get it, and when you get it, you have to try to find a way to build on it and extend it. That's the real thing. Marlon [Humphrey]'s play there was big, but offensively, we just couldn't get started. We had way too many first-play-of-the-drive problems. Whether we didn't execute great, or whether we had pre-snap penalties that brought it back – those kinds of things were just not good, and we couldn't get started. When you can't get started, then it's hard to get anything going, because you don't have enough plays to do it."
It was tough sledding for the defense, specifically in the pass game, but what does it mean to you and those guys to be able to win this game with the defense being the side of the ball that's on the field? (Cordell Woodland) "Yes, it means a lot. I really do, I'm proud of those guys for that, because it's the kind of heart they have. They didn't get down. They didn't point the finger. Nobody pointed any fingers out there, but we have to get better. That's just not the standard. I think I heard many guys say ... That's what the defensive guys were saying in the locker room, that that's not the standard. We have to be much better. We have to take pressure off our offense, too. We're required to do that on the defensive side, but for them to keep fighting the way they did and find a way to win the game, that's really ... At the end of the day, that really is the important thing. I'm really proud of those guys for that."
You came in knowing that WR Ja'Marr Chase was their No. 1 playmaker and probably your No. 1 priority. When you watch him still make those huge plays to give them advantage, do you just give him for being great? Do you say, 'We're not doing what we need to do'? What's your takeaway? (Childs Walker) "Both. Both. I mean I do give [Ja'Marr Chase] credit. I do give him credit. He's a great player. I was looking for him after the game and couldn't find him. Maybe that was appropriate." (laughter) "There you go. I couldn't find him either, but we doubled him a bunch of times. Those plays we didn't, we were in zone coverage there. He should have been covered. Those plays shouldn't have happened. There's no doubt about it. Those are not tough plays. Those are basic routes that should be covered in the coverages that we're in, so that's not the standard."
Is WR Tylan Wallace just becoming the definition of maximizing opportunities? (Morgan Adsit) "I gave him one of the game balls. I put my arm around him and said, 'Was that Deja vu all over again, that same sideline for a touchdown with that Tylan Wallace stride up the sideline?' That was beautiful. It was awesome. He's something else. He's quite a player. I'd say he's a little underrated. What do you think?"
Along those lines, there was a lot of momentum changes throughout this game. Did you feel like one of those moments where you guys were backed up a little bit right there ... QB Lamar Jackson makes that play while somehow staying in bounds. How important was that? (Brian Wacker) "Huge. I would agree with that. It's just as important. I'm sure if we go back [and] look at the tape, there were probably four or five or six plays like that. That was one were all of a sudden, it was like, 'Man, that turned everything. That flipped it on its head,' because we were backed up. It was going to be tough getting out of there. You make a play. They can make plays. We can make plays, too, and I see our guys making plays like that. It's great."
Apparently, on the broadcast, on that two-point conversion, they were focusing on just how physically your coverage guys were handling the Bengals at the line of scrimmage as they were kind of getting off their releases. Can you just talk about what you saw or just the tenor of the officiating that you guys had to adjust to? (Jonas Shaffer) "Well, I appreciate that. It's a five-yard contact zone, and we didn't hold. I thought our guys did a good job of being physical, and you have to be physical. It's tough to cover guys in this league, so you have an opportunity – inside the five yards; you have to use it, but you can't hold; you can't grab them. It's both ways, I promise you. Their DBs are doing the same thing on the other side and being physical on those releases. I'm glad we stepped up in that situation. I'm proud of the guys for that."
When it came down to an onside kick, how much was your stomach turning on that? (Childs Walker) "Yes. I thought you were going to ask me what the difference was between that and the two we didn't recover, and I was going to say, 'We recovered it. That was the difference.' Who got it?" (Reporter: "It was Mark Andrews.") "Mark got it? There you go. You can count on Mark Andrews stepping up."
What did you see with that initial challenge call in the first quarter in the red zone? (Cordell Woodland) "We thought it was incomplete. We'll have to look into this, but he has to survive the ground without the ball moving. You have to maintain control though the ground if you don't take that football act, that third step football act. It was the same thing on the one at the end of the game; it wasn't so much whether it made the line to gain. It was that it hit the ground, and the ball rolled out. That's what we thought, but we didn't challenge that one, because that went to review. I don't really understand those two plays, but I'm sure we'll get clarification from the league office."
Are the lines kind of blurred now in terms of what you may think a catch is and what is not these days? (Cordell Woodland) "I'm going to stay out of that conversation right now. Thanks for asking."
On the two-point conversion, you talked about the physicality, but what specifically did you see from S Ar'Darius Washington on that play? (Bo Smolka) "I just think [Ar'Darius Washington had] good, tight coverage. He's square, he's in front, he's getting his hands on people, he's not backing up [and] not opening the gate. You're down there in that low red zone area; you can't give up a goal line. You just can't do it, and we've given up the goal line sometimes, and we're getting better at that. That's one thing we are getting better at down there, so that was good coverage."
I know you guys have come back from bigger deficits with QB Lamar Jackson, but 14 points was the biggest deficit you've had this year. Does it just feel like with Lamar, you can be in any game really quick? (Kyle Goon) "Oh, it does. It does, and it starts with Lamar [Jackson] and often times, it ends with Lamar, but in between Lamar and Lamar, there are a lot of great players out there that are surrounding him, and I think that's kind of where our offense is at right now. Our offense still knows that they can get a lot better. All the things in the first half, those are things that we definitely can do better, and you can't say [it's because of the] short week, and you can't look at any of that stuff. We practiced well this week, but all the guys that made the plays with Lamar out there deserve a lot of credit, too, but with Lamar, yes. To answer your question, absolutely that's how you feel."
Regarding the challenge on that play, do you have to take into the cost or benefit analysis of just spending the timeout or the challenge to that? What made that valuable enough to challenge that? (Kyle Phoenix) "Yes, that's a great question. I'm glad you asked it, because in the low red zone, the difference between defending the 2-yard line and the 4-yard line is massive. We would have gotten that stop if we don't get the holding call in the end zone on fourth down, even at the 2-yard line. So, I just feel like there is a big difference between the 2[-yard line] and the 4[-yard line], and we're trying to force a field goal there, so it felt like it was worth the cost if you win it. If you don't win it, then it just becomes lost. It just becomes lost money, so I'm disappointed we didn't win it, but I think the cost-benefit in that situation, defending the 4[-yard line] is different, because they're really not going to run it in there. They have a run-pass option. You have to play man [coverage]. You have to pack the box at the 2-yard line. You get picked and all those things; it's a little bit tougher down there."
What did you see from the K Justin Tucker missed extra point? (Jamison Hensley) "It just wasn't probably [Justin Tucker's] best swing, for sure. That's what we saw, but he came back [and] made the next one. I was happy to see that."
You had said a couple of weeks ago, we were asking you about the middle of the field, defensively. You were acknowledging that that was an area. How do you feel like you have to improve in that area in particular, and what can you do to help that? (Jeff Zrebiec) "That's something that we're going to take a lot of time tomorrow to look at. We have been looking at it, and obviously, we're not there yet, so we have to turn over every stone on that as a defensive staff, and we have to figure out a way to stop those plays from happening, because they shouldn't be happening."
TE MARK ANDREWS
On his 18-yard TD catch: "Yes, just a little bit of improvising. I kind of got cut loose and took it high – just a normal mesh concept. But just the way that [Lamar Jackson] sees the game, and just playing ball, that was a big-time play. But there are a lot of big-time plays, if you think about Tylan [Wallace] and just the way the guys fought and just the belief in ourselves. It didn't go our way throughout the game, but I'm proud of the way the guys fought."
On WR Tylan Wallace's 84-yard TD: "[Tylan Wallace] is just a dawg. He's a dawg, and he makes big-time plays. Tylan doesn't get a lot of love, but he should. He makes big-time plays, and he comes in clutch. That was just an amazing play; that's all there is to it."
On what was different for the offense in the second half: "I think it was more of a team thing. I think the team was really clicking. The defense [was] getting turnovers, and for us, just being able to move the ball, be efficient, and just understand that we were going to have to move the ball to win the game and score some points, and that's what we did. But again, it was all phases of the ball. Guys were making plays and stepping up."
On the emotional swings of playing in a game like this one: "It was a hard-fought game. You have to give credit to them, because they fought hard, and they made it tough on us, but [we had to] just keep on fighting and keep on believing. Throughout the game, [in] all four quarters, we didn't give up, and I think that shows a lot about our team."
On what it means to have an impact in this game after getting hurt against the Bengals last year: "I'm just thankful and blessed and just giving the glory to God and believing in him and trusting in him, and I feel very thankful to be a part of this organization and this team and everything that's going on right now. It feels really good."
On if he wanted the ball to come to him on the onside kick: "Well, they moved it over, so I was like, 'Well, I guess I'm the guy to get it.' Luckily it was a pretty easy one."
On what coming back from a 14-point deficit tells him about this team: "It's huge. A lot of teams can kind of go in the tank and shut it down when things aren't going our way, and we fought an uphill battle for most of the game. Again, just the belief and the fight and the resiliency that the guys had throughout four quarters and just understanding that we have no quit. We're always going to fight until the end and make it tough, and that's [on] all phases. So, I'm proud of the guys."
On what changed for the offense in the second half: "I don't think that we shot ourselves in the foot as much as we did [in the first half]. I think we started too many drives off with penalties and not getting the ball going, and that was the big thing – is getting first downs, moving the ball, moving the chains, and good things happened when we did that."
On if this is the most confidence he's had in QB Lamar Jackson and this offense: "Yes. [Lamar Jackson] brings a different level of intensity and carries the team on his back week-in and week-out. For us, again, it's belief, it's not quitting, and understanding that we have the best player in the world on our team, and we're never out of it."
On QB Lamar Jackson's 10-yard run to the Cincinnati one-yard line in the third quarter: "It felt like that play lasted about 30 seconds. Everyone is just scrambling around, and then of course, [Lamar Jackson] gets a huge gain, and that was a big-time play, as well. And again, just his fight and his will to will our team to first downs, to victories, and making big-time plays ... Man, he's incredible."
On what it means to have a few extra days of rest before facing Pittsburgh in Week 11: "It's going to be great. It's going to be great. Obviously, coming out of here with a win is awesome, and for us, just taking care of our bodies, doing the right things, and knowing that this last half of the season is going to be awesome and big for us."
On the connection he has with QB Lamar Jackson on scramble drills: "We've always kind of had that connection of being able to know where each other is going to be and make big plays. For me, it's just trying to be friendly for [Lamar Jackson] and be a quarterback's best friend. It's easy when you have a guy like that."
WR RASHOD BATEMAN
On his fourth-quarter touchdown grab: "All I [saw] was the ball, and all I knew was that I needed to catch it. The sun was not there, and I made the play."
On different players stepping up on offense each week for the Ravens: "I think this offense is definitely a living unknown. We've got guys all over the place that can make plays and we continue to show that. Obviously, Tylan [Wallace] came up big for us tonight, and we're going to continue to need that for the rest of the year from everybody. But definitely felt good to see everybody contribute."
On what got the offense going after a slower start: "We came in here at halftime and we talked, and we knew that we had a lot of things to clean up and we needed to go out and play harder. Lamar [Jackson] came in here – he said that. We came out and fixed what we needed to. Still a lot of things to clean up, but we definitely played better in the second half."
On CB Marlon Humphrey's forced fumble: "When the defense makes a big play it always motivates us to go out there and make splash play for them. Whether it's getting in the end zone – three points, seven points – whatever it looks like. But yes, that definitely got us going."
On WR Tylan Wallace's 84-yard touchdown: "It felt good. Not even just myself – a lot of these guys put in countless hours just to feel that, and you never know when you'll feel it again. To see Tylan [Wallace] go out there and have a career game – I love [stuff] like that. He works his [butt] off – he really does, so it feels good to see."
On if the offense knows they'll be able to get going after a slow start: "We've got Lamar Jackson. I [am not] going to lie to you – if [he's] on the field we got a chance to win the game, period."
On coming back from a 14-point deficit to win the game: "I mean some stuff is said and some stuff is self-explanatory. We walk in every day and do this job. Nobody has got to come in and yell at each other to do this and do that. We all knew we needed to play better, so we all took that personal and we went out and did it."
On TE Mark Andrews' touchdown: "I honestly don't even know – it was behind me. Mark [Andrews is] always doing Mark stuff. Him and 'L' [Lamar Jackson] got a connection that sometimes we don't even know how to explain it. I know they're going to continue to connect and make those plays."
CB MARLON HUMPHREY
On what was going through his mind during his forced fumble: "Kyle [Hamilton] had went down, and so I was going to move inside and play a little more nickel. Kyle's an aggressive guy, so I tried to just fit the block [and] hit [No.] 30 [Chase Brown], and then I was able to get the ball off of him, and then [the] offense was able to score."
On if he could feel his forced fumble shift momentum and become a key turning point in the game: "Yes, I really felt so with the fans. I think we were kind of on the sidelines like, 'Man, we don't want to lose the fans.' I think there were some 'boos' that came through, and so that kind of got everybody back into decent spirits, and then the offense scored. So, yes, I felt like that kind of got everybody back in the game, and then the fans kind of let us out the rest of the game."
On what it's like to hear the home crowd booing: "For me, we've got passionate fans, so I think our boos are usually never unwarranted. I felt we were playing a little flat [on] offense and defense, so we've just got to get going. [There's] never any ill will towards that."
On if the Bengals going for a two-point conversion late in the game feels like a personal challenge for the defense: "Yes, it is. Joe Burrow ... They're a very confident group. Joe Burrow, he does not care whether you're covered or not; he's going to throw it. We kind of expected them to go for two, and we were able to get a stop and win the game."
On if he usually uses the rip move to try and force a fumble: "I usually don't, actually. I am more of a punch guy. But that's something we had really been stressing – [defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr] and the room – of just getting shots on goal, getting shots on goal, rip outs [and] doing what you can. It's cool when the drills pay off that you do all throughout the season, and then they pay off in the game."
On the upcoming divisional matchup with the Steelers: "Yes, we're going to enjoy this one for a little bit. [We'll] fix some things, and then, obviously, Pittsburgh, it's always tough to play them. They're at the top of the division right now, [and they] just added some guys at the trade deadline [after they were] already playing really well. It'll be a good game. We'll kind of get focused on them here tomorrow a little bit and enjoy the weekend and then get back to work on Monday and Tuesday."
On WR Ja'Marr Chase's monster performance: "I'm tired of that dude. [Ja'Marr Chase] is just different. It's not even so much about the route he runs – whatever. It's just, [when] he gets the ball in his hands, if you don't tackle him soon, it can get really ugly. He's a good player. You never really can count the Bengals out when he's on their team. I think he had like 200, like over 250 [receiving yards], which is rough, which is rough. These wins are getting harder to enjoy based off of what we're doing in the pass defense. I feel like when I was a rookie – first-year guy, second-year guy – the vets I looked up to [and] the standard that was there and the pass defense ... We've really lost that standard, and I feel like that falls on me. We're going to keep chasing at it. We're going to keep working at it, because I'm not really satisfied with what I've built in this secondary [and] where it's gone. I just don't think [with us] playing like this [that] we can go far. It's cool winning; it's great we're winning, but I want to go far; I want to go to the end. The way we're playing ... Something has got to change. We've just got to play better. I've got to play better; we've all got to play better. We've got to play as a unit, and we're just not doing that. [There's] really nothing really more to say. We've got to keep working. We've got to take the practice to the game. [We had] a great practice week ... What is missing there from how we're practicing to how we're playing in the game? It's become clear that it's something. I think each guy has got to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out, 'Why are you not playing how you practice something?' You practice this route concept [and then in] the game, you don't do it how you practice. It's becoming more of a mental thing, I think, but we've got to get that fixed. It's not cool to win a game, and you look up and a team has 300 passing [yards on you] every week. It'd be different if we didn't have [any] guys that could play. I haven't once heard anybody say, 'We don't have the guys; we don't have the players; we don't have the skill.' We're not doing it in practice. It's clear that it's something from ... When we do that last preparation to the game, what is happening in that span? We've got to figure it out. It's pretty simple."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On what the difference was in the second half: "I felt like when 'Marlo' [Marlon Humphrey] had forced that fumble, that kind of woke us up. I feel like we were asleep that whole first half – even though we scored once. We were pretty much flat throughout the game."
On the emotions of tonight's game: "[It's] NFL Football – that's just how I looked at it. That's an explosive offense - [Joe] Burrow is a great quarterback [and Ja'Marr] Chase is a great receiver. We knew what type of game it would be, and we came out on top. That's all that matters."
On WR Tylan Wallace's 84-yard TD: "Yes, Tylan [Wallace] too. He can do it all. Just last year, he did a walk-off punt return for us, and it was on the same sideline, and it was in purple. So, I believe it's just his little magic uniform. He comes through when the lights are on [in] primetime. Shoutout to Tylan [Wallace] because that was wonderful. [That's his] first 100-yard game. It's great; he deserves it."
On what the second half was like: "Like I said, it's just an NFL game. I was telling my guys on the sideline, 'We have to score.' If they score, we have to score – that's the type of game it's going to be. We've seen that from the first snap, but I'm proud of my guys because we finished one of these tough, type of environmental games, [and] we came through."
On if Cincinnati's defense gave him looks that threw him off: "No, they didn't. Usually, they were doing a lot of blitzing. In the first game, they were doing a lot of blitzing, but this time, they were playing it conversative, and they probably got to us a little bit, and we finally woke up like I said."
On how much the penalties contributed to the offense's slow start: "That will play a part [in] stopping the offense from getting on the right track. In the NFL, I believe when you start the job with positive yards, it'll determine what the result will be at the end. We kept getting off of the field fast. A penalty here will drop us back, and we weren't executing to get closer to a first-down mark and we were punting the ball. So, we just have to watch film and get better at that."
On what he says when things aren't going well: "'When we get back out there, just score,' because that will define the game really. We're just sitting out there, putting our defense back out there and we're not contributing putting points on the board. It would've went the other way – the way we really didn't want it to go. So, that's just us keeping our poise, putting points on the board, and [the] defense delivering stops."
On putting his arm around executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta on Cincinnati's drive: "It was that first down – they were looking at that review from the first down, and we didn't think [Andrei Iosivas] had it, and he ended up having it. So, that's all."
On his 10-yard run to the Cincinnati one-yard line in the third quarter: "I was just trying to make something happen; that's all that was. I was going to throw the ball away, but when I turned, I just had room, [so] I was just trying to get as many yards as I could. I should have scored really; I went down."
On if he tucked the ball down on the touchdown to WR Nelson Agholor because Cincinnati was keying down on the run: "We have different plays like that, so I could have kept the ball, but [Nelson Agholor] was just playing football."
On if TE Mark Andrews improvised the route on his 18-yard touchdown catch: "He did."
On if he expected TE Mark Andrews from playing with him so much: "We've been together for quite some time, so you know Mark [Andrews] something crazy, and me and him will be here – we'll be in sync with it. He just did a great job with it."
On if he expects the game to be special every time he faces off against Bengals QB Joe Burrow: "I just know [Joe Burrow] is a great quarterback over there. There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the league, not just us two. And it's a divisional game – I just know it's going to be a dogfight regardless, because he's got [that] dawg in him."
On how different the divisional games feel: "I'll say it's like a playoff game. We're seeing each other twice a year. We pretty much know each other somewhat, and guys are just trying to get after it."
On how important the extra days of rest after tonight's game will be: "I believe it will be huge for us. Just take a step back, catch our breath, relax our bodies, and just get ready for this long road."
On why he jumped in the air to throw the game-winning TD pass to WR Rashod Bateman: "Geno [Stone] - it was like a two-in-one basically. Me and my receiver versus Geno. I believe he thought I was going to run the ball, but 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] was just flying. I just have to deliver him a throw he can catch, and he did."
DT NNAMDI MADUBUIKE
On what the Ravens' defense was thinking during the Bengals' two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter: "Just don't let them score; don't let them score. It was the fact that we got them down there – we were not really happy about that. Definitely in that moment we didn't want to let them score and we didn't, so [it was a] good team win. A lot of things we got to improve, but it was a great team win for sure."
On how much CB Marlon Humphrey's forced fumble changed the momentum of the game: "It was huge. It was a huge spark. We needed a spark. When [Ja'Marr] Chase scored that touchdown, it was a lot of quietness on the sideline and I was just telling the guys – everybody was quiet – I was like, 'All we need is a spark. All we need is a spark.' 'Marlo' [Marlon Humphrey], he got that strip, and he ignited the whole team. I think that momentum pushed us to keep building momentum and winning the game, so it was huge."
On his three-sack performance: "'Z.O.' [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] was just telling [me], 'Just push that pocket.' [Joe Burrow] tries to find ways to escape through little seams in the A-gap and the B-gap and that's what I was trying to do. Obviously, when he was trying to escape in the perimeter I was trying to hustle and get him down. I was just trying to just do my job, and it worked out tonight."
On what it was like after S Kyle Hamilton went down with injury: "Just fight; just fight – that was what Kyle [Hamilton] would want us to do, and that's what we did. It sucks to have one of our best players go down like that, but at the end of the day we got to fight for him, and we got to find a way to finish this game – and what's what we did. We have a couple days to get healthy and guys are banged up and it's good for us, but definitely that's what he'd want us to do, and we did that."
On how much the defense needs to fix to remain competitive: "Yes, immediately. That's just not our standard of defense and we know that. We're going to find ways in practice to improve and get better, and I know that guys in that locker room feel the same way as me and we're going to get that done. We just got to take it one day at a time and just focus on the right things [and] build the right habits and translate it to the game."
On Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase's multiple long touchdown receptions: "Don't let it happen again; at the end of the day, we're not going to let it defeat us. It's not a great feeling, but we look at that clock and there's still time left to play in the game, so we keep a positive attitude and just keep fighting – just keep fighting to the end; to the end."
On the Bengals' fourth-down conversion on their final drive: "Yes, I thought [Andrei Iosivas] was short, and I saw Patrick [Mekari] and Ronnie [Stanley] coming on the field and I was like, 'OK, he's short.' But then some time passed and then they started to go off the field and we got on the field, and I was like, 'OK, then I guess they're not going to call it.' I thought he was short, but when he wasn't it's just play ball; play ball and finish the game."
On QB Lamar Jackson's second-half performance: "'MV3' - is that what everybody's saying? [Lamar Jackson]'s one-of-one; great leader; great person; great quarterback; great teammate. [You all] know it [and] I know it. What else can you say?"
On how great his performance felt: "Feels good; feels good. This year is definitely more double teams and stuff like that, and I could easily fall into the frustration bucket, but I chose to just stay poised [and] stay focused and just rely on my teammates to be like, 'What can I do to get better?' You're getting slighted a lot. Don't be discouraged and just keep fighting. That's what I chose to do and I'm glad I got three [sacks], but it's a long season and I'm going to just keep humming [and] just take it one day at a time."
On how much he feels his sack production drives the entire pass rush: "I think it's huge. I believe I'm a big pulse on the defensive line. I'm a leader on the defensive line, and it starts with me and just my attitude and my focus. I feel like guys feed off of me, and I take the initiative just to stay focused and [have] high energy just to get back there. It's one thing to say it and it's one thing to do it, so I try to do both and just encourage my teammates to do it as well. It's what we're going to do."
ILB TRENTON SIMPSON
On making the defensive stops when they had to: "Just to see the defense come back and make a stop at the end ... I think the whole team came together at the end and made our work pay off. We put a lot of work in during the week. There were a lot of highs and lows in that game, but we came out victorious. Now, we go back to practice and get better."
On coming back from 14 points down in the third quarter: "Just staying positive. We have a non-quit attitude. Everybody is fighting until the end and that's what we pride ourselves on. We fought to the end and that's what it's all about. Next play mentality. This was a team effort and a great display of our team."
On Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja'Marr Chase: "Those guys are special. They made some plays tonight and a credit to them. But we came out victorious. There are some things we need to go back and correct, of course. But this is the National Football League, and guys are going to make plays."
On what it is about Baltimore vs. Cincinnati: "Man, it's real. It's a dog fight, and the records clear out when we get together. Just put the ball down and may the best team win. I know one thing now, being in this rivalry now, that it's going to be a physical game and it's going to come down to the end. You just have to be ready to play 4 quarters or however long it takes."
On playing Pittsburgh next week: "I'm going to take these next couple days to get my body right, but I'm ready to go watch film now. It's going to be a great game, great opponent, much respect. It's going to be a great challenge against a great team, but we'll be ready."
On if he will talk to Steelers ILB Patrick Queen during the week: "Oh yeah, he's a great guy. He was a great teammate, and he's my brother for life. I wish him the best, but once we get between those lines it will be time to play ball."
DB BRANDON STEPHENS
On if he thought he had that interception: "I thought I got both of my feet down, but the replay didn't see it that way. It was unfortunate."
On CB Marlon Humphrey's forced fumble giving momentum to the team: "That play was a crucial part of the game. We needed to get off the field and give the offense the ball. It was a great play by him, a clutch play."
On what was said at halftime: "We just said we are going to stick to the gameplan. We just needed to come out and do what we had to do. We let a couple plays slip in that second half. But we'll look at it and come next week we'll learn from it."
On covering Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase: "He's a hell of a player. It's a battle out there every play, and you can't take a play off. It was a fun matchup, a great matchup."
On what it is about Baltimore vs. Cincinnati: "It's two teams who know each other well on both sides of the ball. We really don't want it to be this type of game, and we really don't want to make it close. But it is what it is, and that's all that matters."
On his reaction to the WR Tylan Wallace touchdown: "Man, I just had flashbacks from last year. It looked exactly the same. I was hoping he would make that little leap into the end zone like he did last year. But, yeah, it was a hell of a play."
On getting 10 days off before the next game: "It's about rest and recovery, look at the film tonight, learn from it and get ready for this next game."
On coming back from 14 points down in the third quarter: "We just had to settle in. It was a two-score game and we just had to settle in defensively. We knew our offense was going to score, and we wanted to give them opportunities to get the ball in good field position."
On the two-point conversion: "Man, 'AD' [Ar'Darius Washington] made a great play. I'm not even sure what they ran on that side, because I was on the opposite side, and I thought for sure they would be coming to me. But, yeah, it was a great play. We needed to make that play to seal the game. And that's what we did."
WR TYLAN WALLACE
On the resemblance of his touchdown tonight to his walk-off punt return touchdown last year against the Rams: "It was almost the same reaction, same moment. I was just thinking, 'Alright, I've just got to stay in bounds, try to get as many yards as I can,' and I just took it from there."
On cracking 100 receiving yards for the first time in his career: "It feels great. Like I said, I've always been happy to be able to make a difference for the team, make a difference in the game, so to be able to do something like that [for] the first time in my career, it feels awesome."
On maintaining his balance and staying in bounds: "Yes, like I said, I was just trying to do my best, get as many yards as I could, and I was just happy I stayed in bounds and just took it all the way."
On the numbers saying he had only one yard of expected yards after catch on his long catch-and-run touchdown: "Like I said, I'm just grateful to take advantage of the opportunities that I get. Whenever I get out there and Lamar [Jackson] trusts to throw the ball to me, I just want to be able to put that trust in him to know that I can make plays with it."
On how good it feels to make a big play and what it does to his confidence: "It always builds it. I feel like the confidence has always been there. I feel like, for me, like I said, it's just always [about] waiting for my moment, waiting for my opportunity. So, I feel like I've always known I've been able to make plays like that; it's just waiting for the right moment to be able show everybody else."
On what was said at halftime after the slow first half and what changed in the second half: "We all knew [that] we weren't playing Ravens football. When we came in, we were like, 'Guys, we're fine. We don't need to panic or anything like that. We just have to go out and do what we know how to do and play Ravens football.' And I think we came out in the second half, and we did that."
On the on-field adjustments in the second half: "Offensively, we just needed to calm down [and] just do our assignment – 'do your job.' I think we were kind of overthinking things, trying to do too much, trying to make big, splash plays, and I think we just needed to take it one play at a time and just go from there."
On how having QB Lamar Jackson helps the team manage any halftime panic: "I don't know who else you would want to have back there. [Lamar Jackson] makes plays out of nothing; a lot of quarterbacks in the league probably can't [do that], so just having him back there, having that trust in him, having him trust us, you couldn't ask for anything better."
On CB Marlon Humphrey's momentum-swinging forced fumble: "[When] you go out and you make a play like that, we have the momentum now. So, just doing that and seeing ... [When] you watch other guys make plays, that makes you want to make plays, so seeing [Marlon Humphrey] do that, it just made everybody else want to go out [and say], 'Alright, now it's my turn.'"
On the step-by-step of his touchdown: "So, I was out there. It was just a simple out route – nothing crazy – so [for] one thing, I just need to make sure I catch the ball first, before anything, and then once I spun out of it, the guy missed a tackle, so I was like, 'OK, I've got some space here, so I'll just keep running, running as fast as I can,' and [I] saw a safety come by; I tried to get more yards, and he ended up missing the tackle, and I just took it from there."
On if RB Derrick Henry's stiff arm is rubbing off on guys: (laughter) "Yes, you can say that. You can say that. I've been taking some notes on it."
On the high-scoring affairs against the Bengals this season: "Like I said, you've got two high-powered offenses [and] two playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. It's just an AFC North-kind of game, so I'm happy we came out on the right end of it this time."
On if he had flashbacks of his punt return touchdown last season: "Yes, [I] definitely did. It was crazy. It was a pretty similar moment, actually – breaking one tackle, then coming down and staying up, staying in bounds, keeping my balance. It was definitely good flashbacks, for sure."
On if he thought about his punt return touchdown from last season during his long touchdown tonight: "Yes, once I had the free space, I thought, 'Oh, wow. This is crazy. This is the exact same moment.'" (Reporter: "Like Déjà vu.") "Yes, literally. It was crazy. But yes, I'm just blessed to be able to have a moment like that. Yes, it was awesome."
On being capable of making big plays: "Like I said, I just try to take advantage of my opportunities, go out there and just make a difference for the team."
On how the crowd really made a difference tonight, especially in the second half: "Yes, for sure. First of all, just having a night game like this ... Our crowd is always involved and super ... It gets us ready to go, so going out there [and] making plays helps them want to help us make plays, I guess, you could say. So, it was awesome having them out there. They were super loud tonight, and I hope to see them again next time."
