HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
(opening statement) "Alright, I appreciate you being here. Obviously, disappointing. I thought our guys fought hard. [It was] a tough football game against a good team. We lost the game at the end. What questions do you have?"
(on what went into the decision to go for the touchdown score instead of trying a field goal from the two-yard line) "Right. Well, I felt like it gave us the best chance to win the game because seven [points], the worst that happens is if they go down the field and score – and I think we'll get them stopped – but if they go down the field and score a touchdown, the worst thing that can happen is you're in overtime. But you kick a field goal there, now it's not a three-down game anymore, it's a four-down game. You're putting them out there, you're putting your defense at a disadvantage because they've got four downs to convert all the way down the field and a chance to again score seven, and then you lose the game on a touchdown. So, then the worst thing … The other thing you think you're going to get the ball at the two-yard line, so I'm very confident in the defense's ability to stop them down there with the ball on the two-yard line, so we have them backed up if we didn't get it. It didn't turn out that way, unfortunately, and we lost the game. So, hindsight, you could take the points, but if you look at it analytically, understand why we did it."
(on if the way the Bills' offense was moving the ball well was a factor in the decision to go for the touchdown instead of a field goal) "No, it's just a strategic decision."
(on if the Ravens were trying to let the Bills score to get the ball back) "Yes."
(on what he saw on the fourth-down play) "I couldn't give you a good answer now without seeing it now. There was a lot going on."
(on if it was communicated to the entire defense to let the Bills score) "Yes, it was."
(on CB Marcus Peters being very upset on the sideline at the end of the game) "Yes, emotions run high. We're on the same page, he and I. We have a great relationship; we have an honest relationship. I love him, I hope he still loves me; we'll see. (laughter) I'm a Marcus Peters guy."
(on the roughing the passer call against DB Brandon Stephens and if he thought it was a good call) "Did he hit him [Josh Allen] in the head or neck area? What did you guys see on the replay? (Reporter: "No.") Then, you have to hit him in the head or neck area for it to be a personal foul, I do know that."
(on if he is concerned about giving up a multi-score lead and not being able to finish the game) "I don't really understand the question."
(on WR Rashod Bateman's absence on the last few drives and if that was due to injury or performance) "I'll have to go back and look at that, I'm not sure why."
(on why the offense wasn't able to answer any points and if anything was off) "Well, you go back and look at all the little things that happen in a game, why drives don't get extended or whatever goes on. That's football. We're fighting and trying to do the best we can to score more points and to get them stopped. That's a football game. That's just the way it goes. It's football."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
(on the decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal) "I was fine with it. If we had executed on third down, there wouldn't have even been that question. Nobody would be disappointed. Next time we'll get it."**
(on what he saw in front of him on that fourth-and-goal play)"Tall defensive lineman with his hands up. I was trying to see around him to see where my guys were., but I saw [Devin] Duvernay late. If I would have seen him right off the bat, that would have been a touchdown. The lineman had his hands up and was bull-rushing a little bit and got in my peripheral. So, I couldn't really see what was going on and the play was breaking down. I tried to get back some more but it was too late."
(on what changed after the first 4 drives)"I feel like we just have to execute. I felt like we had some chances to keep drives alive on the field, but we just have to execute. We just have to do a better job and that way we will have success."
(on how concerning it is to lose back-to-back home games with significant leads)"It's only Week 4. We've been in this situation before. I remember we got blown out by the [Cleveland] Browns in 2019 and we started the season the same way. I'm not peaking on this too soon. I'm not looking at this like we have had a disappointing season. Guys are just coming back healthy now and I feel like we are going to hit our peak at the right time."
(on the return of RB J.K. Dobbins)** "I feel like it gives the offense a lot of confidence when he gets out there and does what he does."
TE MARK ANDREWS
(on his mindset during the game) "We were just finishing. Obviously, we put ourselves in a great position to win that game. It's unfortunate that it didn't play out the way we wanted it to. As a team, all you can ask for is to be in those situations and have that opportunity. That's what we had today. We didn't get it done. We'll be better."**
(on the fourth-and-goal play)"Yeah, I mean, it's just executing. I think all of our guys just need to be better and a little bit sharper. I have a lot of confidence in this offense, this team, the guys we have to be able to make that play right there. I love that Coach [John Harbaugh] trusts us to do that and hopefully put the game away. Hopefully, we get another opportunity like that and we will be ready to go."
(on what he thinks about the aggressive coaching style)"I'm a dog. I like to attack. I like to eat."
(on the confidence level of the team on back-to-back home losses)** "Like I said, I'm a dog. We have a bunch of dogs. We're ready to go. We are going to get better. We've been here before."
DE CALAIS CAMPBELL
(on if he worries the frustration level will start affecting the team) "Oh, no. Not at all. We all just want to win. That's it. We all just want to win. I don't think anybody in here … It's just frustrated. The goal is to win the ball game, and I think with the brotherhood we have, we're going to challenge each other, we're going to communicate with passion, because it's a passionate game. At the end of the day though, everybody here is on the same page. We all want to work together, fight hard and find a way to win ballgames, and hopefully, at the end of the year we're hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to do everything in our power to give ourselves the best shot. That's part of football. We'll be just fine."**
(on what changed defensively in the second half after playing so well in the first)** "We've got to watch the tape. I've just got to say, they made the plays to win the ballgame. Give them respect; that's a good team. I just hope we get to see them again. We're a really good team, too, we just didn't find a way to get the win today. I believe in this team, and we're going to make the plays to win the ballgame. Give them the respect; they made the plays to win it. We'll watch the tape and figure out what it was exactly that caused us to lose the ballgame, but it's kind of on par with how the whole season has been so far, and that's been us not taking advantage of opportunities when they're there and making mistakes that we need to fix. Once we get to a point where we're not making mistakes like that, I think we'll win a lot of ball games."
S CHUCK CLARK
(on how disappointing it was to not be able to stop the Bills' offense in the second half) "I think it's very disappointing to us. We were preaching at halftime, 'We've been in this situation before, and we have to finish it out.' So, I think we know what we did and didn't do. We have to finish."
(on his thoughts when the offense went for it on fourth-and-2 instead of kicking a field goal) "We trust them – whatever they're going to do. Defensively, whatever the outcome is, we're going to be ready for whatever. So, there's trust as a team."
(on if the Bills made any adjustments in the second half that gave the defense trouble) "I think they just started executing, caught a little fire, a little momentum. It's just in football about how you handle that momentum."
(on if the gameplan was to take away the Bills' big plays) "Definitely, definitely. We know who they have back there at QB, and the threats that they have on the outside. That was one of the main things; we knew they could push the ball downfield, so let's take away the shots and the big plays first and then let everything else handle from there."
(on if not being able to finish a game for the second time this season makes this loss more disappointing) "Definitely. Like I said, this is the second time in a row at home that we kind of did that, but we've been here before, 2-2 before, so I think we're going to be alright. We have a lot of room to grow and get better."
T MORGAN MOSES
(on the decision to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal) "That's our coaches having the utmost confidence in us, and when they call a play – whatever the case is, whatever the look is – it's our job as players to execute. So, I have no issue with it. But at the end of the day, it's our job to get in the end zone, and we've got to perfect those things."**
(on what a veteran voice in the locker room says after another tough loss like this)"No. 1, it's an early season; nothing is written in stone. Obviously, hats off to the Buffalo Bills; they played a great game, and they won. But we've got a tough task next week. We've got somebody in the division that's coming into our house, and that's the Cincinnati Bengals, and they're coming off a great win on that Thursday night game. So, that's our next step – is Cincinnati. That means a lot more, because it's in-division. So, it's our job to prepare ourselves, look ourselves in the mirror, see what we did good, see what we did bad, as individuals, and come in next week and correct those things."
(on the cultural differences of the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders)"I'm not going to get into that. I'm a Raven all through. So, that was the past, that was then; I'm here now."
(on T Daniel Faalele)"I told him in the locker room after the game; I said, what he's done in the last two weeks, as a rookie, is unheard of. The way he's prepared, his preparation, being coachable and coming in a hostile environment … Last week, he came in [against] the Patriots, in an away game – silent count – [and] it wasn't pretty at first, but he grew as the game went, and then he got the start this week. And that's what you ask for [from] rookies; that's what you ask for [from] anybody that's not a starter – is to prepare themself like they are the starter, so when they get that opportunity, they can thrive in that opportunity. And I think he's doing a great job doing that."
(on the biggest reason for the Ravens struggles in the second half of both their losses this season)"Finish. Finish. Simple. We've got to finish. We can't come out in the second half and not move the ball five yards. When you come out in the second half and you get the ball first, you've got to make movement, you've got to make that defense feel you, and we didn't do that. As players, it's our job to go out there and execute, whether it's [in] rain, sleet or snow – it doesn't matter – and we've got to be better at that; as a collective group, we know that. And so, especially, coming into next week, we've got that Sunday Night [Football] game against Cincinnati … That's a defense that thrives on mistakes and a defense that thrives on competition. So, it's [on] us to bring our best competition on Sunday and get ready for that."
(on if it seemed like the offense went away from the running game in the second half)** "I have no idea. At the end of the day, this is our offense. We have a beautiful offense, where we're running the ball one time and then Lamar [Jackson] is running the ball; you've got J.K. Dobbins, you've got motions, you've got Mark Andrews. There are a lot of things that go into this offense, and obviously, when you've got great players that can perform at a high level, like Mark Andrews and those guys, you've got to spread the ball out. So, whether we're running the ball or passing the ball, we're elite in both categories, and so we've just got to find ways to finish. I look at that drive [when] we started at the 5-yard line and took it all the way down; you've got to finish. There is no other answer; you've got to finish. [When] you go 95 yards, you've got to finish in the end zone. And that's on us as players. We've got to find a way to get that extra yard."
OLB ODAFE OWEH
(on Buffalo coming back in the second half) "It sucks, but being in the NFL, everyone is good, so you have to expect that everyone is going to try to make plays. We've just got to do better next week."**
(on if he felt like he got close to bringing down Bills QB Josh Allen many times)"Yes, I've got to do better just wrapping him up. That's on me."
(on if there was confusion at the end of the game about whether or not they should have let Buffalo score a touchdown)** "When we were in the huddle, the call was to either strip the ball out or let him score. So, I was trying to strip the ball out – watch film, you'll see it – [he] fell down. If the call was let him score, I'm going to let him score."
OLB JASON PIERRE-PAUL
(on how it felt being out there) "It felt OK. I went out there, did what I could do. Obviously, we lost the game. The point of the game was to win, but we didn't win. We'll go back and look at the tape to see what we did wrong."**
(on the emotions of this week after signing with the Ravens on Monday)"It's just football. It's just football, and the better team won today. It wasn't our ball game, and we'll have to go back and study and see what we did wrong, and we just get better. To go forward, we have to get better and correct our mistakes. That's what we're going to do Monday."
(on what he thinks went wrong defensively)"I don't know. We have to go back and look at the film and see what we did wrong and correct it. That's why we play the game, but I don't know what we did wrong. I know we tried our best, and they just won the game."
(on what was said at halftime while they were leading 20-3)"Nothing was really said. It's just like, 'We have to keep going.' That's the game of football; you just never know when there's going to be a comeback, or when you're going to have to play the next down. That's why we play every down, to make sure stuff like this won't happen. But like I said, they did a good job, and they won today. That's it."
(on if this loss is made more frustrating because the Ravens had a 17-point lead)"I think any loss is frustrating. At the end of the day, that's why we go back and correct it and do those things that we did in this game that hurt us, and just get better."
(on how he thought he played in his first game back from injury)** "I think I did OK. I wasn't tired at all. [I'm] just trying to figure out all the plays and all the calls. [It's] different terminology, but I'll get it."
ILB PATRICK QUEEN
(on the Bills coming back from multiple scores) "It was kind of sort of the same [as against Miami]. We had the opportunity; we've just got to capitalize. Things could have been better [on] both sides, but I feel like it's just [that] when we get those opportunities, we've got to capitalize."**
(on the communication at the end of the game)"Once they got down to the red zone, it was just a point of [that] once they get the first down, let them score. So, once they had the first down, we were trying to let them score, and just we ended up tackling them."
(on if there was a communication error that allowed a late tackle to happen, when instructions were given to let the Bills score)"We said that across the board. It was probably just missed."
(on his reaction to the Ravens deciding to go for it on a late fourth down)"I've got all the confidence in our offense to score. They didn't score, and that's our job – to have their back. So, whatever [head coach John] Harbaugh calls, that's what we've got to roll with. At the end of the day, if they don't get it, we've got to stop them."
(on if there was a specific play that he could feel the momentum shift Buffalo's way)"They're a great NFL team, too. So, I think, when you go with the punches – back and forth – it's just [that] they're going to keep going; you can't ever fold; you can't ever stop going. So, like I said earlier, just capitalizing on the mistakes that they have."
(on if there are similarities in the second-half performance against the Bills and Dolphins)"Yes, it's just … Like I said, the mistakes that they had, we've got to capitalize on. When we get them to third down and we have them where we want them, we've got to capitalize. It's as simple as that."
(on if the message changes with the loss)** "No, we knew what we needed to do. We've just got to go out there, and when we get the plays that we had out there to capitalize on, we've got to capitalize on them. It's as simple as that. They [the offense] didn't get the fourth down; we've got to go out there on defense and stop them – that's our job. When it's the end of the game, we've got to dig deeper."
DB BRANDON STEPHENS
(on his initial thoughts on how the game ended) "I thought we just have to finish the game. We have to finish the game. It's not a play here or there, we just have to finish the game. We're going to look at the film, make the corrections we need to make. We have a big-time game next week, so we just have to move forward to that."**
(on trying to let the Bills score at the end of the game and if it was chaotic)"There was some time left, so we wanted to get the ball back and give our offense a chance, but they executed and kicked a field goal to win, and that's all that happened."
(on how the team will move on to playing the Bengals next week)** "Right, we're looking forward to that one. Like I said, we're going to look at the film, make the corrections and just be better and get a win next week."
G KEVIN ZEITLER
(on if he was surprised by the decision to go for it on the late fourth-and-goal) "No, this team, we're always ready, whenever it is, to take big chances [and] go for it on fourth down or go for touchdowns and put us in a better position to win. We have faith we can get it done. Obviously, it just didn't happen that way this time."**
(on if he saw more defenders in the box in the second half)"Off memory, I think so, but I won't know until I get to watch the film."
(on if he's worried about a loss like this carrying any greater affect as the weeks go on)"Obviously, it's very disappointing. That's a very good team, and we battled, we started hot, and we battled the whole second half, but obviously, we couldn't pull it off – for whatever reason that is. The way I think our team is looking at it right now is it's still early. It hurts, it burns, everyone is angry; that's good. We need to use that and get that to improve. But we've got to move forward. We have another tough test next week, and we've got to get it going."
(on if he was confident that the Ravens' offense would be able to use heavy formations against the Bills' defense)"We know going in [that] they're a very good defense – there is a reason they're like No. 1 in everything – and it was going to be a tough game. We started off nice, and things were rolling our way, but just like any good team – which they are – they made adjustments and they battled. It was an absolute battle out there, and we couldn't pull it off."
(on the reasons why the offense wasn't able to keep momentum in the second half tonight and the second half against Miami)"I honestly don't know. Our offense is very confident in what we can do. Whether we call passes or we call runs, the guys in the room, we truly believe [that] whatever is called, we can get it done. And obviously, I think it's just more [about] consistent execution, and I don't think there's any reason to panic. We've just got to keep getting better."
(on RB J.K. Dobbins getting in the end zone twice in the first quarter in his first home game since 2020)** "[I'm] absolutely ecstatic for him [J.K. Dobbins]. I mean, it sucked [with] what happened to J.K. last year, but for him, he kept a great attitude; he worked so hard with his rehab. He was frustrated he couldn't be out there Week 1, because he's a competitive guy. But I'm just overjoyed for him to get back out there and start getting to do the things we know he can do."
