BALTIMORE RAVENS
Head Coach John Harbaugh
(opening statement) "OK, obviously a disappointing loss. Give credit to the Chargers and especially Philip Rivers. I thought he did a good job, obviously. He's a great quarterback, and in the end, that was the difference."
(on whether someone talked to OLB Elvis Dumervil about lining up in the neutral zone) "Yes, we talked to him about it."
(on the pass interference call on CB Anthony Levine in the fourth quarter) "My understanding is that both players, the offensive and defensive player, is supposed to have an opportunity to go make a play on the ball. I saw a corner trying to make a play on the ball with a forearm on his chest and clavicle area being held down, not allowed to be jumped for the ball. That's a disappointing situation. I think a corner should be given the chance to defend, and I know he wasn't given a chance to defend on that play. That's not fair to the player. Players should be the guys determining the outcome of the game in a situation like that, without question."
(on what the defense will do this week to get better in the back end) "I think we'll just keep fighting. We made plays in the back end, [the Chargers] made plays in the back end. We made plays in their back end today. We ran the ball on them. There's going to be games in this league. There's going to be points scored, especially when you play against a quarterback like that. Those quarterbacks in this league are going to be tough to defend. We have the players to win. We have good enough players to win, and we have to go do it. But we'll keep working on all those little things, put a good game plan together and go down there and play against a good football team [Miami Dolphins]."
(on what he saw from the Chargers defense in the red zone) "I don't really have that answer right now. There were some plays made, some plays not made. [The Chargers] stopped us running the ball a couple times, which I think was probably the key, as I recall. But, they didn't do anything they don't normally do."
(on the amount of penalties and how much they set the team back) "It was too many penalties. No question about that."
(on RB Justin Forsett reaching the 1,000-yard milestone today) "That's a great accomplishment, I think, for Justin, obviously. His story is well-documented and he's having a great year. So, it's something to be really proud of, for the offensive line as well, wide receivers and everybody else who's blocking. Our run game was there again today. We just needed a little more at the end. To finish out that last drive would have been good for us. But, credit to him, he did it in 12 games and we'll see how many more he can get, along with the other guys, the rest of the way."
(on if there was thought to run the ball instead of pass the ball after the Chargers' final timeout in the fourth quarter) "That was a consideration. Yes, we were trying to get the first down, though. We wanted to be aggressive and try to get the first down and try to close the game out, if we could. That's what we tried to do there. You can look at it both ways. You can play it completely towards clock management. They were bringing everybody. We might've popped the run anyway. But, we felt like we had a good [running play] call. It was a play-action call. We felt like we'd get somebody open, we didn't. So Joe [Flacco] had to throw it away there. It's the way it goes, play calling."
(on when the team lined up for a field goal, with TE Owen Daniels lined up wide) "It just took a little too long for the official to get the thing set up."
QB Joe Flacco
(on if there was anything San Diego was doing in the red zone that caused the offense trouble) "Nothing crazy. Definitely early on in the game, in the first half, we would have liked to come away with touchdowns – and we obviously didn't. They played their defenses, and we probably would have liked to run the ball a little better than we did in those situations so we could have got some chunks and turned them into touchdowns."
(on how tough this loss is to swallow after having a 10-point late with six minutes left) "It's always difficult to lose a game, especially in here at home. You could kind of sense it was going to be that type of game even when we were up by 10 because it would go from 10, three, 10, three, six and you got to give your hats to those guys for playing a full 60 minutes and coming away with a victory."
(on the team's last scoring drive, when the Ravens got a FG, did he think they needed a TD) "It would have been good."
(on if the Chargers were doing something to negate Steve Smith Sr.) "I don't think they were doing anything necessarily to take him away, but I think other guys were getting freed up, and I think they did a good job taking advantage of some of that. I think we had a couple of opportunities [of] plays with him, and you've got pass interference and a couple real close calls."
(on thinking about just throwing a long pass and hoping for a pass interference call on the last drive) "It's tough in that situation because it's not like they're playing one-on-one on the outside, and you can give it a one-on-one chance and anything can happen. They're really just playing soft zone. They've got safeties back there who are just going to be waiting for the ball to be thrown up in the air. So I think we were trying to get in field goal range until that very last play. If we can get out of bounds there, we at least got a long attempt of, probably."
(on if it's frustrating not having more time-outs on the last drive) "Obviously, we would have been able to call [one] at the end. It's always frustrating when you don't have all your time-outs at the end of the game, but that's the way it goes."
(on if he thought a run might have been a better call on third down of the last scoring drive) "It's tough to look back on the game and say we should have done this or done this. It's what we did, and they covered it, We didn't convert it. We got a field goal. It would have changed the situation for them a little bit, I'm sure. But they still did a pretty good job coming down the field."
WR Torrey Smith
(on why he wasn't in on the last series) "That's something that coach [John Harbaugh] and I will have to address. I don't know when I am supposed to be going and when I am not supposed to be going. I'll let coach handle it."
(on being one first down away from putting it away) "No, it's definitely tough, very disappointing. Offensively we played a good game, maybe a field goal more, but obviously we wanted to score touchdowns and that came back to bite us. We played hard. There is no other way to put it, but we have to get back to work. We're in a little bit of a tougher spot, but at the end of the day all we can work on is what we can control."
(on the Ravens' red zone troubles today) "That was huge, it was the difference in the game. We wouldn't have had to worry about them scoring at the end if we had scored more touchdowns at the end of the game. The defense wouldn't have been under pressure like they were, and we have to take responsibility for that."
DE Chris Canty
(on the performance of the defense) "They were making plays down the stretch and that ended up being the difference in the game. Defensively, we knew it was going to be on us, and we just didn't make enough plays on those final two drives. That ultimately ended up deciding the outcome."
(on scoring 33 but losing) "Absolutely, when your offense is able to put up points like they did today we expect to close out games, finish, and make the plays at the end to help our team win. We were not able to hold up our end of the bargain today. It stings a little bit. This was a pivotal game, a great opportunity for us, and we let it get away."
(on how bad this one hurts) "It hurts, it hurts. But ultimately there is nothing we can do about it now. We have to focus our attention on improving and getting ready for a very good Miami Dolphins football team. We have a week of preparation ahead of us so we are going to put this one behind us and concentrate on the things that we can control moving forward."
(on facing a hot Philip Rivers) "In this league you are going to play great players. He's a great quarterback. We knew that coming into this game. We knew he was going to make plays and we just didn't make enough plays. And that decided the outcome."
(on what the defensive line can do up front to control the opponents passing game) "Up front, we just try to control all that we can control. We try to get after the quarterback, try to disrupt the passing game, the source of which was Philip Rivers. We didn't hit him enough today. He was able to get the ball out on time to his receivers. We take great pride in being able to rush the passer, but we didn't make enough plays up front and help our guys on the back end enough. That hurt us."
G/T Marshal Yanda
(on leading the whole way, but coming up short on the end) "Yeah, it's tough. It came down to the end, but San Diego made more plays than we did, and that allowed them to win the game."
(on losing the game on a questionable call) "It's tough, but you just have to play through it. We have to not put ourselves in that situation. The refs are going to make their calls, and they're human too. If they get it right, or if they get it wrong, we have to try not to put ourselves in that situation at the end of the game like that."
(on what this loss means to the Ravens) "Well, it definitely hurts. We're trying to get rolling here, but give San Diego credit. They came out and made the plays. I mean, we made a lot of plays too, but they did what they had to do at the end of the game to win it. So, we need to get our heads right and prepare for next week."
OLB Terrell Suggs
(on the loss) "It really sucks. You have to win all of your home games. Especially as tough as our division is and as tough as our conference is, you can't afford to lose games down the stretch. We have to play phenomenal this last quarter of the season. We have to learn from our mistakes, and we have to win out."
(on blowing a 10-point lead) "In the NFL nothing is game, set, and match as long as there's time on the clock, but like you said, we're up 10 at home in the fourth quarter and our offense gave us 33 points, usually that's enough. Unfortunately it wasn't, that's why this is so disappointing. There's no other word I can say. I was really disappointed. We've got to look to correct our mistakes, get on with it, and we have to play one hell of a game in Miami."
(on Philip Rivers) "He's one of the best in the league. He showed up to compete, and he made one more play than our defense did. I tip my hat to him with respect. They won the game. We're going to move on and get back after it. Don't count us out yet."
(on penalties deciding the game) "It's extremely frustrating. We know better. Us, as the Baltimore Ravens, we never want to leave it in the hands of the refs. It was just an all-around bad day. We've got to finish games. The offense went out there and put up 33 points, and they got a 100-yard rusher. You've got to finish these games off. We didn't do a good job of having our boys' back today."
(on getting pressure on Philip Rivers) "He dealt with the pressure, and they were making plays. We've got to play better. You tip your hat to them, but we have to play better. Like I said, they gave us 33 points, and usually that's enough."
(on the pass interference call in the end zone) "It's a gutsy call to call in such a tight game with so much at stake. You don't want to end the game on that play, but like I said, we know better than that. We know better than to leave it in the hands of the refs. We have to finish games, we have to compete, and we have to play better."
(on the last four games) "If we win them all, we're 11-5. Usually that's good enough. It all starts with next week. We definitely need to have that game."
* *
LB C.J. Mosley
(on how tough the AFC is) "It's tough, and when we play each other, it's always a battle. That's why it's so close now. Everybody plays to an elite level, and everybody wants to get that ultimate goal. We have to make sure that we learn from the mistakes of this game and get ready for the next one."
(on the pace of the Chargers' offense) "They just made plays when they had to. We have to do a better job of executing on some plays. We have to watch film and get better."
(on limiting [RB Ryan] Mathew's production) "Give credit to our defensive line. They did a great job of holding up their [San Diego] offensive line. They tried to hit us with a lot of runs up the middle and then bounce it outside, but we pursued the ball pretty well."
WR Steve Smith Sr.
(on the loss) "This is a stinger. If you look around the locker room, a lot of people are gone and disappointed. You've got to move on and get your mind ready to evaluate yourself. You have to be ready to practice on Tuesday."
(on the red zone offense) "We've just got to make plays. I pretty much played terrible today. When I got an opportunity, I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything to help us offensively. I think I got a pass interference penalty, dropped two passes and got a motion penalty. In a situation like that, they're playing with 10 men. That falls directly on me."
(on why he played poorly) "I can attribute it to a lot of stuff, but at the end of the day, I have to stay focused. The game is a roller coaster. Each individual guy has expectations, but at the end of the day, you get paid to be focused and focused throughout the whole game."
(on the Chargers' red zone defense) "It was a mixture of things. It wasn't anything complicated. They didn't do anything to trick us. You just have to go out and make plays."
(on the penalty at the end of the game) "Depending on what side of the flag you're on, there's always going to be opposition. You just evaluate it, and you allow the coaches to deal with that. As players, we have to play. You really can't run your route or cover a guy hoping or worrying about a flag. You just can't play that way, and I don't think guys really play that way."
(on Marlon [Brown] and Torrey [Smith] getting hurt) "It's tough. You're concerned about them, but you've still got to play, and you've still got a game going on. You try to follow up and hear what's going on. You never want to see a guy get hurt, that's tough."
(on getting over this loss) "You've got to be open-minded, and you've got to have tough skin. You have to be able to handle the corrections and not receive it as criticism, but just plain corrections and try to move forward."
* *
OLB Elvis Dumervil
(on penalties) "You can't do that. We made some good plays, and there's some things you wish you could take back. I give them credit – they came out, and they played well. They were well coached. We have to get ready for Miami."
(on the thought process when the Chargers are on the 1-yard line) "That's the way the Ravens think, we're always feeling like we can win it, but like I said, they made one more play than we did. Give them credit. [We're] on to Miami."
(on getting pressure on Philip Rivers) "We didn't do enough. They did a good job up front. Philip Rivers is a pro quarterback. He made a lot of good plays. He kept things alive. We have to do better. Rushing and coverage go hand in hand. They gave us some time to get back there sometimes, and sometimes it was the other way around. Collectively as a team, we just have to be more efficient."
CB Anthony Levine
(on the game) "We've got to compete. We were in a position to win this game, it was on us, and we didn't get the job done."
(on the final play where he was flagged for a penalty) "I was trying to knock the ball away. I was trying to knock the ball down and just trying not to lose him. The ball was up in the air, I went for it. I saw the ball, [and] I went for the ball. I wasn't even playing him anymore – I played the ball. [The referee] made the call, [and] I've got to learn from it."
(on if he feels like he made some contact with the receiver) "Again, I see him, I look back, and I see the ball up in the air; my attention was no [longer] on him. My attention went straight to the ball. I jumped; I knocked it down. I've got to go back, look at it and learn from it. That's all I can do from here."
TE Owen Daniels
(on how important the red zone opportunities were today) "Obviously it made a difference – settling for threes instead of getting sixes. So, we need to look at that. They actually weren't very good of a red zone team defensively. They're a good defense, but not quite as good down there in the red zone. So, we've got to take a look at some stuff obviously."
(on if this loss hurts even more based on what the rest of the division did today) "Yeah, 7-5 is a lot different than 8-4 at this point. And on top of everything else that happened, it was right there for us to take, and we let it slip away."
* *
RB Justin Forsett
(on earning his first 1,000-yard season) "It's bittersweet. It's a great accomplishment for us and the team, but we want to come out of here with a win, and we didn't get that done today."
(on the final third down play that could have sealed the game) "You've just got to execute. That's a big play, and we pride ourselves on finishing, and we didn't finish what we needed to, and we gave them the ball back."
(on if he could have imagined have a 1,000-yard season when he signed with Baltimore last offseason) "That's been my goal every year since I've been in the NFL, and to get it here, it's a big accomplishment, and I've just got to keep pushing."
(on having faith in himself to reach this point in his career) "Yeah, just continued faith and work, and perseverance through all the obstacles that I've had to go through throughout my career and just staying the course."
(on the feel of the team right now) "It stinks to lose a game that we should have had. We let it go at the end, but our job is to go out and get focused for next week. We've got a big game on the road, and that's our job. Our mindset is on Miami."
