Head Coach Marvin Lewis
(Opening statement)
"That was what we expected — a total, total football game, for 60 minutes. You've got to give our guys credit for hanging in there."
(The NFL's Competition Committee last offseason put an emphasis on offensive pass interference. Would the offensive pass interference on Steve Smith Sr. have been called last year?)
"I didn't see it. Hopefully (laughs). Steve is very good at that. He's exceptional at that. He has a way of separating himself when the two guys are even. He's a strong catch. He's a rare, rare player that way."
(Is this one of those classic "no flinch" games?)
"They're such a physical football team in every way, and we've got to understand that. So we had to be just as physical and use our speed and athleticism to make football plays."
QB Andy Dalton
(Before the last drive, what was your message in the huddle to the team?)
"Just (have) confidence that we were going to go down and score. Regardless of what goes on, you have to make up in your mind that the next play is going to be a big one. It's exactly what we needed to have happen. Things can turn around pretty quickly when you have everyone on board."
(Was the long throw to Mohamed Sanu your way of giving him a chance?)
"We had a good play call and saw the blitz they (the Ravens) were bringing, and we were able to get the protection set right. I didn't really see how it finished, I just know he came down with it and got us in great field position."
(What were your thoughts on Haloti Ngata not getting fooled by that play?)
"I didn't think he would be on me that quick. As soon as I turned around, I still had the ball in my left hand, I've got to find a way to get it tucked."
(What were your thoughts on the play to Steve Smith?)
"I'm glad there was a flag. It was one of those things you watch happen and hope they call it, but you never know. Luckily for us, he pushed him enough and the refs saw it."
SS George Iloka
(What was your take on the touchdown that Steve Smith Sr. caught that was eventually called back for offensive pass interference?)
"When plays take that long, guys usually get open . That's just the negative about it; it is what it is. Put your hands on my chest and knock me off, and the ref made a good call and we got the win."
(Was there ever a "oh no" moment when you turned around and saw where the football was?)
"No, I had told him I turned around, you know? It definitely wasn't PI (pass interference) on me. I looked back, saw the ball, was waiting for the jump ball, and he didn't allow me to jump. He pushed me and as much as they call defensive PI, that was a great call in my opinion."
(That call rarely goes defenses' way — how relieved were you when it was?)
"They should call it every time. If it's PI — that's like asking the receiver if he was relieved the ref called a PI (in his favor). If it's PI, call it. If it's not PI, don't call it. He called it and I knew it was PI right away, so we were on the same page."
(There were so many "what if" moments in this game — can you describe what it was like when you saw Smith running towards the end zone on that play?
"I never thought we lost. Like I said, I knew it was PI right away. Once I knew it was PI, I looked at the ref and he was running the whole time ... I started walking back. I already knew it wasn't a touchdown, so there was no 'What if' (for me)."
WR Mohamed Sanu
(You snatched two wins from the Ravens. You're back in first place in the AFC North — how big of a statement game was this?)
"It was pretty big — we had a rough three weeks. To get a win like this over the Ravens is awesome."
OT Andrew Whitworth
(Do you think the quarterback sneak caught them off guard?)
"It was a good situation to catch them off guard. I think they were prepared for us to throw it or move the pocket, and we caught them in a good position."
RB Jeremy Hill
(Can you talk about the significance of sweeping them in regards to a divisional tiebreaker?)
"We're definitely going to need that, especially having a tie on our record. It was huge. It was huge to sweep them — I don't know the last time we probably did that — but it was a big, big win for us, especially at home. That's a tough, tough football team. They're going to win a lot of football games this year and it was great for us to get that win at home."
CB Adam "Pacman" Jones
(Tell us about that play where you intercepted Joe Flacco?)
"I knew it was a slant from the get-go from watching film and I stayed inside and got a good jam on (the Ravens receiver) and it worked out for me, you know?"
(What happened to Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith on that play?)
"I think Leon (Hall) hit him afterwards, if I'm not mistaken. I didn't get to see it, I don't know ... I got a good jam on him."
(You haven't swept the Ravens in years — it gives you an advantage over them in a tiebreaker in the division if it comes to that.)
"It's good for us. It's good for the city and good for the guys in the locker room, the coaches and the people upstairs (in the front office)."
(Joe Flacco has thrown more interceptions against this team than any team in the NFL. Why were your pressures effective in this game?)
"I think (Bengals Defensive Coordinator) Paulie (Guenther) does a great job of putting us in good positions to make plays, and we understand what Paulie is telling us in different things that we do. And we play those guys two times a year, so we watch a lot of film on them. It's always good to win in the division."
(Have you ever played in a game like that with such emotional swings?)
"Never in my life ... This was a movie. It was."
