Head Coach Zac Taylor
What do you say to your football team after a game like that?
"We're a better team than what we showed today. We ran into a team that's playing as good of football as we've seen all year. They're certainly peaking at the right time. But that was not our best today. That's not what we expected to put on the field. We're going to have to live with that and continue to build this offseason."
Over 400 yards rushing for the Ravens is a rare feat in today's league ...
"Yes it is. It was a tough day all around."
Was your team's effort there today? Were they checked out early?
"It was a challenge. We were missing a fair amount of guys. That's no fun. I don't question the effort. I haven't seen the tape yet obviously, but there wasn't anything that stood out from that standpoint. We ran into a really good football team that can run it as well any team in the league. They had enough long runs there that really broke our backs in some situations. We do expect to be better, but it was a tough matchup right now."
Your defense played well against Baltimore earlier this season. What was different today, compared to that first matchup?
"We were down several (defensive) tackles, several corners. It was a challenge."
It was a tough day for Brandon Allen, particularly after his productive game last week ...
"It's a challenge. That's some of the best defensive backs you're going to face all year. We lost Tee (WR Tee Higgins) on the first pass of the game. Those other guys battled and fought, but it was a tough challenge for us. It was the lack of rhythm in the first half. We had three three-and-outs to start. Our fourth drive was the one right before the half. That lack of rhythm set us back from the onset and put is in a hole we couldn't quite get out of."
That seemed to be a big sequence when Higgins went down. By the time you get the ball back, you're down 10-0 and that plays right into what Baltimore does ...
"It was tough. That's really what they've done, especially those last couple weeks — they build those 17-0 or 27-0 deficits on other teams. Their defense is as deep as any there is. They're really 12-deep up front. I know they only had nine (players) active today, but they can keep bringing that pressure from all areas. When they get a lead, they're tough to come back against."
QB Brandon Allen
How big was the offensive pass interference call in the first quarter that nullified the big gain on your opening pass to Tee Higgins?
"It was obviously hard, all day long, to get any sort of momentum going. That would have been a big one momentum-wise to get going, and obviously, it didn't go in our favor. It came down to just sustaining any kind of momentum — and that would have been a big one for us — but I just felt like we couldn't get anything going offensively all game long."
Did the Baltimore Ravens do something different than you were expecting on defense, or was it a matter of a lack of execution on the Bengals' offense? Was it a combination of both?
"I'd say both. Obviously, we didn't get it done on our end by any means, and a lot of that comes on myself not being able to find completions and get guys the ball. And, they (the Ravens) did a good job on defense. They did disguise a few things that they had shown on tape. That's a very good defense, and they played a good game today."
This is the second meeting this season, and in both, the offense couldn't get going, scoring only three points. What makes them so tough defensively for this team?
"You know, I just think they're so talented at every position. And then, like I said, they do a good job of playing man coverage and being all over guys. Today, (they were) disguising a few things and making it hard (to read their coverages), throwing a lot of different looks. They're good about going into each game, knowing their own 'tells' and using that against an offense. I thought they did a good job (of) that today, and we just have to be better offensively, obviously. You (have to) give them a lot of credit for how they played and the kind of defense they are."
What happened on the throw to him that was intercepted near the sideline?
"We had him on another double move, trying to get him the ball. Give that guy [Marcus Peters] a lot of credit, (because) he came from the middle of the field — flew across field — and that was a hell of a play on his part. But again, it came down to me not putting the ball where it needed to be."
Ravens Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale seems to have a specific blitz package for each opponent every week. Did you feel or see that today? Did he keep coming back to it?
"He did have a game plan for us, obviously. He does for every team, and it's always different. It's something you probably haven't seen on film, so it goes back to just following your rules. And they got us, I think, at least one time, where we had to roll out and throw it away. It was a great disguise — a great look — and they got us on one of those. But there's definitely other plays out there that we had and should have capitalized on, and we just didn't. But give him a lot of credit. He does a great job with that defense."
With Higgins going out early, did the Ravens pretty much stay in man coverage for the rest of the game?
"They doubled (Tyler Boyd) a little bit when (Higgins) first went out and made that difficult. Like (I) just said, (Martindale) had a couple blitz packages that we hadn't seen that were tough on us. And beside that, there was tight coverage across the board. That's just this league — it's going to be tight-window throws and contested catches. I can definitely help our receivers out by making better throws to get them open. It's just how this league is — tough — and I'll definitely learn from this game and get better."
