LOS ANGELES CHARGERS vs. BALTIMORE RAVENS
Saturday, December 22, 2018 | ROKiT Field at StubHub Center | Carson, Calif.
BALTIMORE RAVENS HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement:
"Great to see everybody here, thanks for coming. What can I say, I'm just very proud of our guys. Very appreciative of the effort. I think how we played today is reflective of a lot of work and a lot of faith and what our guys have been doing since day one to put themselves into position to win a game like this against a great opponent. This is a really good football team, a great environment out here. It was a great football game and we just played Ravens football. I am proud of our guys and I could go through all the guys. I went through the list in the locker room — so many guys stepped up and made plays. Turnovers, tackles, big hits, blocks, runs, big plays. [TE] Mark Andrews and [QB] Lamar Jackson, all of the different things that happened in the game to do what they need to do to win, and for that you just appreciate their effort."
On how difficult it was for Lamar Jackson to come in and get the win:
"It had to be a challenge. You think about what an accomplishment it was for Lamar to come out here and win this game. This is a really good defense, it's a really good team. This is an 11-3 team coming into this game. It is a team that is fighting for the division out here in a very important game with a lot of rest and a lot of time to prepare for this offense and for him. They did a good job defending it, but he handled himself with great poise and operated the offense and played quarterback, and that's what he did."
On the momentum shift and how they were able to get it back on their side:
"We know we are going to play a 60-minute game. We know there are going to be ups and downs. Our guys understand that and we've been through this before. They know how to brush it off. [CB] Tavon [Young] might be the best I've ever seen at doing this. To answer in that way with that kind of a play, something we've been working on all year, over and over again. For him to score and stiff arm and make the play — we've been pretty hard on him about the last one, he didn't get it in but he's a talented guy and that was obviously the turning point of the game."
On how the defense was able to finish the game and what lessons in the past helped them learn to do that:
"I don't know. It doesn't matter to me or to us. It doesn't matter. You take the next challenge and our guys have done that. They are playing for the next game and the next situation and do their best and that is what they've done."
On how aware he is of the playoff scenarios and how they feel with their fate being up in the air:
"We're pretty aware of it. We try to stay on top of that stuff. We feel like we need to win, that's it. We feel like we need to win and that's been our thing: Just win. Just win baby. I think a well-revered football man said that. So that's where we are."
On how the pass rush was able to get to Chargers QB Philip Rivers in the second half:
"We had a couple of good little schemes. I think our defensive coaches did a good job of putting a couple of schemes together to go after their protections, but our guys were winning one-on-ones. Our linebackers were doing a good job on the backs, [OLB] Za'Darius [Smith] and some different guys did a good job winning some one-on-one battles. I thought our coverage was really good. You force [Rivers] to hold the ball a little there, he doesn't want to throw an interception. Guys are covered so he holds it and that combination is the combination you're looking for."
On if this win is a win that can define a team:
"We have to win next week. That's what we're thinking about. That's all we need to think about right now."
On what Lamar Jackson does that allows the defense to do their job:
"Football is complementary football, it's all three phases working together. That's the kind of football that we've always wanted to play here. We want to stay on the field, we want to get first downs, we want to score touchdowns. We want to get as many three-and-outs as we can get. Obviously, we want turnovers, but special teams wins field position battle. Those things all go together so any group of players and any set of plays that complements the other side of the ball is positive and Lamar is a big part of that. He's the quarterback and he's playing quarterback. He's playing great football his way, his style. I think our guys have done a great job of adapting. Look at our receivers — look at the job they've done adapting to a different style and how well they are making plays when they have to make plays. I think they deserve a lot of credit for that so I would give the credit to the entire group."
On how crazy the last 36 hours have been between the announcement of his return and now the win:
"it's not part of it. I say that in absolute honesty. It's not part of it. This is about our guys in the locker room and our team and us as a group of men just working together and fighting to try to accomplish something so that's all we are thinking about."
On what it was like playing in a small stadium and how they handled the difference in scenery:
"I don't think it's a big deal in how you play the game, I just think it's a neat atmosphere. I give them a lot of credit, the Chargers organization. This is a really cool environment. It had a great feel with the drum sets out there. It kind of took you back a little bit to another era. I think it was really great, the fans are great, our fans were great, their fans were great. I love the setting, it was really fun. It was a fun place to play."
On if he learned new things about Lamar Jackson in a situation like tonight's game:
"I think you learn something about Lamar or any player all the time. He's your quarterback and we are learning about them all the time. There are a thousand things more for him to learn and there will be a thousand things after that for him to learn and for us to learn. It'll always be an evolution and a growth. To your point, we are learning that it's never too big for him. He came off the sideline on the rollout pass and the reason he didn't throw it away, which you normally would in that situation, was that he was thinking about the clock. That is a veteran move right there. That's pretty impressive."
On how getting turnovers has helped them win games:
"Every game is a new game. The next game is the next game. The turnovers are huge. The way we play defense, I think turnovers should complement our defense. We were surprised we weren't getting them, but were practicing for them. To see guys like [ILB Patrick] Peanut [Onwuasor] and Tavon [Young] make those plays, that's the final piece to our defense so we just can't lose any ground anywhere, keep gaining ground in every area we can and see where it takes us."
On going for it on fourth down and if they considered taking a safety on the last punt:
"No, we didn't talk about that. It just didn't come up as part of our consideration. I'll have to look at that and see if we should have done that, that's a good question. As far as going for it, that's a 50-50 call there. We could have kicked the field goal there, we just decided that it was a little longer than you normally want to go for it on and I was kind of mad at myself when we didn't get it, but on the same token, we had them backed up, we got the ball across the 50 on our side of the 50 and ended up kicking the field goal anyway so that's kind of how we look at those situations."
On if the team is moving toward being able to force two or three turnovers a game:
"That's it. That's the biggest key to a victory. Any time you can force turnovers and protect the football, that needs to be our starting point: Protect the football on offense and take the football away on defense — and that's when you go far."
BALTIMORE RAVENS QUARTERBACK LAMAR JACKSON
On being more nervous for games like this than he was in college:
"No, I'm used to playing on big stages, people doubt us and stuff like that and it's my job to go prove them wrong in football."
On TE Mark Andrews' touchdown:
"I can't tell you the play call, but it was a successful play with lots of play-action. The offensive line did a great job protecting me. Mark got open, made a great catch and he was just off to the races and knew he couldn't get caught from behind. He proved everybody wrong, he did a great job."
On feeling like he knew he made the touchdown when the ball left his hands:
"Yes, I felt it. I didn't know if It was going to be a touchdown because I saw two guys facing him but he got it and I said, 'Oh yeah!' It was more for our defense, we put them in a bad spot where they punched it in off the fumble. It's a team game, so it's our fault [as an offense], and we had to go back down and respond."
On how Andrews has developed since training camp:
"He's been on the same base since training camp to me. I was messing up if anything, but Mark has been doing an incredible job getting open, making great catches and getting yards after the catch — big improvements."
On his celebrating gestures in the press conference when he saw CB Tavon Young and ILB Patrick Onwuasor:
"Man, every week it's something different with those guys, Tavon is always making great breakups. This time there was a scoop and score, he just saved us because we weren't producing — and Peanut [Onwuasor], he always does dance moves when he makes a sack and I like that, so I was thinking about that."
On beating Los Angeles:
"We can win, we can play against anybody, any great team. That is a great team, they have a great defense, great offense. It was a fight and everyone can see that now."
On saying the Chargers defense is fast:
"It's still in my head, nothing changed. They were out there flying around, slapping on my foot a couple of times — so yes definitely still feel the same."
On the past month preparing the team for a postseason run:
"I feel the same way, we have to keep fighting. We are proving people wrong as we go along. People expect us to go out there and blow the game, but we go out there and we compete. We fight and we came out with a victory tonight."
On what he made of the announcement that John Harbaugh will remain as the head coach:
"That's pretty cool. He was the coach that was here when I got drafted and he's going to be here while I keep excelling and keep improving, so yes, I love it."
On breaking 200 yards during this game:
"I finally had a 200-yard game huh? It was definitely the team, people thought it was going to be a big test for me and it was going to be difficult, but our offensive line did a great job because if it wasn't for them, I would have only been 100 and some yards again."
On the playoff scenarios:
"We are not worried about that right now. We have the Browns coming up, so we have to focus on that. We can have a team celebration tonight, but then we have to get ready for the Browns."
BALTIMORE RAVENS INSIDE LINEBACKER PATRICK ONWUASOR
On the forced fumble:
"I told [CB Tavon] T [Young] earlier in the game I had seen a couple opportunities where I could punch the ball out. That was one of them. I saw the ball and I just punched. We work on that at practice every week. Going out there and practicing stuff like that. When I saw my opportunity, I just took it and the ball came out."
On not having as many scoring takeaways earlier in the season:
"We just let the game come to us. We work on it every day at practice. We just flow with the game. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, it doesn't. What we want to do is play physical defense and that's what we're doing."
On the defensive performance:
"It's great. We have a great defense and we have a trio of linebackers inside with Kenny Young and CJ [Mosley]. We can rotate where me and Kenny play on special teams as well and if I need a breather Kenny [Young] can come in and do the same thing I do. It's great with that. We never take any gas off the petal especially at will because we need that."
On watching QB Lamar Jackson grow and mature:
"It's great. We just watch him run around and keep the chains moving. Every time I see Lamar, I just tell him, 'Swag. Swag." He goes out there and he has the swag. He makes plays."
On knowing if the ball was out:
"Oh yeah. Once I punched. I didn't know if he was really down or not, but when I saw Tavon [Young] scoop-and-score, I just started celebrating."
On having one week left in the regular season and potentially making the playoffs:
"We're just going to take it one game at a time. We had Cleveland coming in. We have a short week to get our bodies right. We have to get back mentally in this short week. We're going to go out there and take it one game at a time and do what we do."
On letting defense set the tone in December:
"It's always about December football. December football, that's where you make your shot. Every game right now is like a playoff game, so that's how we go into every game."
On Head Coach John Harbaugh coming back next season:
"It's great. We love Coach Harbaugh. We love his mentality especially with our team. We love the way he gets everybody riled up. He's an offensive coach, defensive coach and special teams coach. We love that about him."
BALTIMORE RAVENS CORNERBACK TAVON YOUNG
On the touchdown after the fumble:
"Just like any game, [ILB Patrick Onwuasor] got the fumble, I scooped it. Today, he got the fumble, I scooped it. We played great."
On determination to beat the Chargers:
"This whole week we've been talking about shutting them out. That's our goal every week. We have high standards over here and we try to live by those every week. Tonight's one of those nights and it paid off.
On Chargers QB Philip Rivers:
"I'm not really worried about it. They come out here and do their thing, we go out there and do our thing."
On beating the hottest team in the League:
"We stand big on just playing together and never giving up. We came in this week and we knew we were in a great city. We love it here. We came out here Thursday. We knew it was a business trip always and we always kept our head down, head forward thinking about this game."
On what if felt like running down the field knowing he was about to score:
"I didn't know if he was really down and I was just running, but I wasn't going to let the quarterback catch me. Once I scored, and I saw the flag I was looking down there like, 'Lord, please, let him not have been down,' but he got it out in time."
On if they matched up well against the Chargers:
"I feel like we match up well against every team. I feel like we show that every game — and this time in the season, we just have to keep it going. I'm looking forward to next week."
