HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023
Q. Doug, you talked about eliminating negativity earlier in the week. How disappointing was it to get
into Ravens territory so many times and come away empty in the first half?
COACH PEDERSON: That’s the head scratcher. That’s the frustrating part. Again, we can’t get out of our
way. That’s the frustrating part because we do some really good things, and then it’s a play two or here
and there that keep us from scoring.
Q. When you keep saying week after week the team keeps shooting themselves in the foot, and it’s
things that are controllable mistakes, how frustrating is that?
COACH PEDERSON: It’s extremely frustrating because, again, it’s the pride of the team. It’s the individual
efforts. There’s great effort out there. It’s just that we’ve just got to be ultra focused on doing our jobs
and doing their jobs. The number one prized possession on the field is the football and we’ve got to do a
better job protecting it.
Q. Could you walk us through the final 30 seconds of the first half, the decision of the completion to
Zay [WR Zay Jones] and the decision to not immediately spike the ball and give it to Parker [WR
Parker Washington]?
COACH PEDERSON: We’re going to stay aggressive. We’ve scored before in those situations. It was just a
mistake, I think, by Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence], obviously, knowing the situation and knowing how
much time is left right there. It’s a great learning experience for us from the standpoint of don’t throw it
inbounds to be tackled in that situation. We’re learn from that one, but just another great opportunity
for us to try to get in the end zone.
Q. To be clear, though, the plan, he was not going to spike it?
COACH PEDERSON: He was not going to spike it.
Q. Defense, how do you feel it played? Communication-wise, that was an issue the last couple weeks.
How did you feel?
COACH PEDERSON: I felt the defense really came to play. Kind of kept them down. Did some good things
in the first half. Obviously, I think it was the third quarter Baltimore did the Baltimore things. They began
running the football, and those were the things that kind of started to show up in the third quarter. They
rattled off a couple of big runs. I thought for the most part defense kept us in the game, kept us close
and did some good things for us.
Q. Not to belabor the point, but should Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] be beyond making that kind of
mistake right there at the end of the first half and throwing it inbounds at this point, year three?
COACH PEDERSON: You can put it on us, too, put it on us as coaches. Coach that situation a little bit
better.
Q. When you saw the pass get completed, did you initially think it should be a spike, or what did you
initially think in your mind?
COACH PEDERSON: When you’re anticipating that we’d get out of bounds, in that situation right there,
you get to the sideline or you score. We did out-leverage the defense. They made a nice play, tackled
him inbounds. When the pass was completed, I thought we had a good chance of getting to the front
pylon.
Q. They ended up running for about 250 yards. You were about 75 yards on the ground. Are you
concerned at this stage with the physicality of the team in terms of running the ball, defending the
run? Seems like you guys are losing in the trenches a lot.
COACH PEDERSON: You get beat. You get edged. Those are things that are going to happen. But we’ve
got to continue to just grind away and just figure out how to win a football game, whether we’re
running it, throwing it, kicking it, it doesn’t matter. Right now we’re just not good enough to pull these
games out against good football teams. That’s the honest truth. Until we figure that out, it’s going to be
rough. It’s just a matter of continuing to work and taking your job serious and getting ready for another
one next week.
Q. In baseball, there’s a thing that says you’re squeezing the bat too hard, trying too hard to impress.
Do you sense that with this group? And how are they reacting with all this adversity at this point?
COACH PEDERSON: I don’t see us pressing. I just think that it’s a matter of just we have to understand
that the number one thing out there is the football; pre-snap penalties and the football. That’s the one
thing that’s kind of plagued us all season. We’re just giving points away and it’s hard. We’re making it
too hard.
Q. On the subject of running the ball, seemed like you guys established Travis [RB Travis Etienne Jr.]
on the first few drives. Got D’Ernest [RB D’Ernest Johnson] and Tank [RB Tank Bigsby] involved and
then got away from it. Did you go away from it because it wasn’t effective at some point?
COACH PEDERSON: No, I think, too, it was dependent on what they were giving us defensively, with
going in and out of their base defense, nickel defense and taking advantage of some opportunities and
putting the ball in the air. We did some good things throwing the ball, but then you fall behind and you
have to put the ball in the air more.
Q. How significant is Zay’s [WR Zay Jones] hamstring injury? Was Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] okay
on the last drive or two? Looked like he was shaking his arm a few times.
COACH PEDERSON: Zay, hamstring. I don’t know the severity of it. But it looked bad on the field. So he’ll
be evaluated tonight and tomorrow. So I’ll probably have a better update for you. In Trevor’s case, he
was evaluated after the game and he’ll actually enter the [concussion] protocol.
Q. What’s your confidence level in [K] Brandon McManus right now?
COACH PEDERSON: It’s still high. He’s a veteran kicker. He knows that these last couple of weeks haven’t
been his best. He had opportunities tonight to score some points for us and keep us close, and I know he
takes a lot of pride in that, and he’ll work on it this week and be better for it.
Q. Did you say concussion protocol for Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]?
COACH PEDERSON: Yes.
Q. Did that happen on the run play, do you know?
COACH PEDERSON: I think so. I’m not one hundred percent. But I think so, yeah.
WIDE RECEIVER JAMAL AGNEW
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023
Jamal, regardless of the outcome, did it feel good for you to get out there, run around and make some
plays?
JAMAL AGNEW: I mean, I just wanted to win, but it felt good to be out there playing. But obviously we
wanted to win. It was a big game for us against probably the best team in the AFC right now.
On the touchdown, did you guys see anything in the coverage you thought you could exploit before
that?
JAMAL AGNEW: I mean, we’re always going out trying to attack different coverages. That specific play,
when I scored, we knew if the corner grabbed Rid (WR Calvin Ridley), then I was going to be wide open.
Hats off to the coaching staff for drawing that up, and it worked out just how it did. We just want to win
though.
Did you give 26 (Ravens S Geno Stone) his ankles back?
JAMAL AGNEW: I didn’t even see what I did to him. I kind of just blacked out, to be honest.
What do you think were the offense’s issues? Can you sum it up?
JAMAL AGNEW: I think we’ve just got to be more consistent. Obviously, we’ve got to take care of the ball
a little better. Obviously, that’s been a trend this year. The effort is there. Guys are going hard. We’ve just
got to be more consistent and obviously take care of the ball a little bit better. We’re turning the ball over
at crucial times. It’s everybody, too, it’s not just one person. It falls on all of us. We’ve got to hold each
other accountable and just be more consistent.
Do you feel like there’s burnout at all this late in the season, third loss in a row now?
JAMAL AGNEW: I mean, it’s going to happen. It’s hard to win in the NFL. Especially this late in the season,
every team we just played is fighting for playoff spots. Obviously, Baltimore’s in a little bit different of a
situation. It’s hard to win in this league, especially in November, December, because every team is trying
to get playoff position. That’s just when we’ve got to be a little bit more urgent and more consistent, and
just take care of the ball a little bit better.
Jamal, did the mood on the sideline change a little after that touchdown? Was everybody believing
this was the start of coming back?
JAMAL AGNEW: Yeah, I feel like the energy changed a little bit. That’s just something we’ve got to take
advantage of. When the energy and the momentum flips, we’ve got to ride it. We can’t let it go up and
down. That’s going to happen sometimes in the NFL, because teams are good, they’re going to make
plays, we’re going to make plays. But we just can’t ride the rollercoaster. We’ve just got to try to stay
even-keeled.
You guys are still in control of the division, but your margin for error now has evaporated. You’ve got
to basically win out just to make sure that you guys are able to be heading to the playoffs.
JAMAL AGNEW: Obviously, losing three in a row, we put ourselves in a little bit of a tricky situation. But
we’ve still got to take it one game at a time. We can’t look ahead. Obviously, Tampa just got a really big
win today, their offense is playing at a high level, their defense is playing really well. We’ve still got to
take it one game at a time but we’ve got to be more urgent and just more consistent.
Are there any extra nerves now that you guys are on a three-game losing streak?
JAMAL AGNEW: There’s never any nerves. The urgency’s got to pick up. The accountability for each other
has got to pick up and we understand that. We put ourselves in this situation and we’ve been here
before. Last year, we were 3-7 in late November and we ended up making the playoffs. I’m not trying to
go back to last year, I’m just saying we’ve been here before, we know how to get ourselves out of
situations. The urgency’s just got to pick up.
Is there a feeling that it’s starting to slip away at all? Do you worry about that?
JAMAL AGNEW: No, I don’t think anybody in the building’s worrying about it slipping away. We know
what we’ve got to do. Like I said, we’ve got to take it one game at a time still. But, I’m going to keep
saying it, the urgency’s got to pick up, we’ve just got to keep holding each other accountable. Trust on
each other, loving on each other, through the ups and downs, because it’s not over. It’s going to be good.
Everybody’s good in this league. They’re going to make plays, we’re going to make plays. We’ve just got
to keep counting on each other, holding each other accountable and we just win.
LINEBACKER FOYESADE OLUOKUN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023
Initial Thoughts. What is going through your head right now?
We have to play better. Be on our calls better. Same thing week in and week out, we just have to be
better.
Do you feel like, 0-3, that there is not enough gas in the tank for the final stretch of the season?
That is the beautiful part, there is a lot more of the season left. We are fighters. We will find a way. We
just have to keep working to find these wins. It’s never easy. It’s the NFL, it’s never easy. Every team is
competitive. We are a competitive team too. We have to get back to what makes us successful and put
our best foot forward. We have to keep being positive in the locker room and we have to work to win.
We have to know that.
How has the communication been?
I felt like the communication has been good in terms of coverage wise. Some bumps and stuff, but we
have to own our calls better.
How much of this feels like a Jaguars thing rather than an opponent’s thing?
We have to play better if we want to win. You can’t win with a losing effort. That wasn’t a winning effort.
Myself, first and foremost, understand and be critical every week in what I can do better. I already know
things I want to do better and keep leading these boys to put their best foot forward.
Are there any nerves since you are on a three-game losing streak to end the season?
We just want to get it right, get it right. As soon as we get one, we are going to roll. I just want to get it
right.
We keep hearing that you guys that what you are capable of during these three losses. How do you
bring out that capability in what you guys are capable of now?
We just have to get one to start rolling. We have to keep practicing hard and keep owning our calls on
defense. Once we see one, it’s kind of like a shooter, once you see the ball go into the basket one time,
you are going to get hot. We have to get one on the win column. Get these spirts turned around, but
keep fighting, that is what we do.
Is the margin for error gone?
It’s has been gone. We have to find a way to win. It’s hard in the NFL to win. We understand that. (We
are going to) keep putting our best foot forward. I have got faith in the team, but we know we have to do
it. We have to do it.
BALTIMORE RAVENS TRANSCRIPTS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023
HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: “[I] appreciate everyone being here. Thank you. [It was a] late night with a great
outcome for the Ravens. [I’m] really proud of our guys coming here [and beating] a very good football
team. [The Jaguars are] a very well coached team that played well. [It was] kind of a playoff-type
environment that we were in. The place was rocking. It was loud, it was full, [and] it was a night game
here. I think it might have been the first Sunday night game here in a while, and they were into it. Their
team was into it, and we had to play a really good football game, a playoff-style football game, to win,
and that’s kind of how it played out. [It was] that kind of a football game, which we expected, so [I’m]
proud of our guys for the win. A lot of guys played really well. Of course, there are things we can do better,
but that’s a big win. We’ll get a day or two [off], and then, we’ll be onto San Francisco. We do have some
injury announcements. Keaton [Mitchell’s injury] is going to be a serious injury – knee injury – so it looks
like he won’t be back for the rest of the season. Marcus [Williams] is going to be kind of day to day
probably. We’ll see, but we’ll know more tomorrow. That looks like it will probably be day to day. Ronnie
[Stanley], I think, will be OK. Those guys will be looked at concussion-wise. We’ll see how that plays out.
What questions do you have?”
You said last week that QB Lamar Jackson played that game as well as he ever has. What did you think
about this game? (Jamison Hensley) “I stand corrected. I stand corrected. [Lamar Jackson] played even
better. He played even better this week. I could give Lamar Jackson our game ball every single game. He
wouldn’t take them. He wouldn’t have anywhere to put them in his house. [He’d have] too many game
balls, but that’s the way he plays. I’ve said it before; I believe he’s the best quarterback in the National
Football League. I’ve said it many times before, and he continues to prove it. He proves me right. He just
took the game over in so many different ways, all the different ways he does it, with spectacular throws.
[He] handled the gameplan. We had a lot of no huddle stuff. We had a lot of plays at the line [of
scrimmage] we were switching to and calling and changing around. We had a lot of motions and shifts
that they had to deal with, and then the play clock comes into factor there. Nobody is better [at] handling
the play clock than Lamar Jackson. [He was] managing the game, but also, making the plays. I’m just very
proud of him, obviously.”
Are you experiencing a thrill ride seeing QB Lamar Jackson escape the pocket or make a juke? Is there
this element where he’s kind of always close to danger or escaping danger? Do you develop a resistance
for that, or do you go along for the ride? (Reporter) “It’s simple; it’s a player’s game. As a coach, coaches
get a lot of credit sometimes for things that they really don’t [deserve]. If you’re a good coach, you build
your system and your plays and your schemes and everything – your operation – and basically everything
around your players. Players are the guys out there playing the game. We have a great football player in
Lamar Jackson, and not just Lamar. [We have] so many guys like that, that you try to build it around, so if
we’re smart, we try to build our offense in a way that Lamar can thrive in it, as best we can [and] as best
we can figure out. He’s a big part of that. He’s involved in all the game-planning every single week. [He]
has input, and he helps us decide those plays. He’s out there just playing the game, and that’s what the
game is. You go out there, and you play the game like that.”
You rushed for over 200 yards, I believe, in the second half. What was the difference in really getting
the run game ramped up? (Jeff Zrebiec) “[We had] 204 [rushing yards], as it was pointed out to me in the
locker room, and I think 251 [rushing yards] overall. We just kind of kept coming, and after a while, it had
its impact. Our guys were blocking really well, [our] backs were running really well, and Lamar [Jackson]
had a number of yards, as well. Yes, that was a big factor in the fourth quarter, too. We had a bunch of
yards – maybe 100 in the fourth quarter, or something like that – so it was good.”
Your team clinched a playoff berth. (Jamison Hensley) “We did know that. Yes. We’re very grateful.
We’re very excited about that. That’s the first step. That’s our starting-point goal, and we’ll go from
there.”
Jacksonville had these moments, especially at the end of the first half, where they wanted time, and I
think, there was another play where they quick-snapped it and got them with 12 men on the field. What
do you make of your team’s poise in some of those moments, as there was a lot of chaos, and being
able to take advantage? (Reporter) “Both sides of the ball … Lamar [Jackson] and the offense did a great
job [with] substitutions, and then that becomes part of the game within the game. Lamar catching them
there and getting that penalty … Look at Marcus Williams’ play at the end of the half. [Defensive
coordinator] Mike [Macdonald] made a great call. Marcus makes a great play [to] tackle. their guy running
a flat route in bounds – a play we had anticipated. It’s just a play [that] people run in that situation with
no huddle, and Marcus made a great play. That saved us, right there, at least a field goal. [It was] just a
fabulous play, and there were other plays like that in the game. How about Isaiah Likely [and] those
catches that he made? How about Arthur Maulet getting that fumble early in the game and really turning
the momentum a little bit? They had some yards in the first half, but we made the plays we needed to
make to keep them out of the end zone.”
Is the plan right now to bring RB Melvin Gordon III up on the 53-man roster? Is that what you foresee
yourself doing? (Jeff Zrebiec) “Yes. We’ll bring Melvin [Gordon III] up. He’s been working super hard, he’s
in great shape, and he’ll be ready to go.”
For RB Keaton Mitchell to suffer that injury, how difficult do you think that’s going to be? (Jamison
Hensley) “It’s heartbreaking. [Keaton Mitchell] is a guy that … I was just in [the locker room]. We were
just in there, and we were talking, and we prayed, and he just has a great attitude and demeanor about
him. It’s a guy that you want to see well. He deserves to do well. You just feel for his parents right now.
They’re watching, and I’m sure they’re feeling that, too.”
You have a lot of hype around this next game against the San Francisco 49ers. Does the 24-hour rule
still apply to this team with handling the noise that’s going to be coming its way when you guys get back
to Baltimore? (Jonas Shaffer) “Absolutely. That’s how these guys are. These guys are going to be thinking
about one thing – thinking about the next game. 1-0 has been their mantra. Lamar [Jackson] talked about
it before the season ever started, and it’s not going to change.”
S KYLE HAMILTON
On how important it was for him to play since he was injured in the last game: “My parents always raised
me, ‘If you can go, go.’ So, I felt like I [could] go and throughout the week got better. I felt decent Friday,
and then it was just up to me whether I felt my pain tolerance was enough. I went out there before the
game [and] had some pain. It was really just pain managing throughout the game, [and] adrenaline was
going and everything, so I feel good.”
On when he felt the pain, and if it wasn’t that bad when he broke up a screen play early in the
game: “Yes. Maybe the first couple plays, I was maybe babying it a little, but after that, I kind of trusted it
– after that.”
On what it means to clinch a playoff spot: “It’s dope. It’s the beginning of what we want to do – not the
end goal, obviously. We just [need] to keep on building, and I don’t think we’re even close to how good
we can be. So, everybody is stepping up. [There are] injuries, [and] people going down, [so] it’s a team
effort.”
On playing tough teams on the schedule, and if playing in a playoff atmosphere like this game sharpens
up the team for what’s to come in the next few games: “Yes and no. It’s always great getting wins against
good teams, and that was a good team. At the same time, playoffs are different, and we play different in
the playoffs. It’s win or go home. You never know who you’re going to get, so we have to be prepared for
anything.”
On the defense’s poise when time ran out on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ drive at the end of the first
half: “We just gave up a big play. For us to get lined up, ‘Ro’ [Roquan Smith] gave us the call and [said],
‘Everyone get set.’ Marcus [Williams] made a great tackle on the sideline to keep the clock running.
Fortunately, they ran out of time. That was a big stop for us going into halftime. It kept them at zero
[points] at that point going into halftime. That’s a good offensive team over there, and I think we did a
good job overall. [There’s] still stuff to improve on, though.”
On what it is like having QB Lamar Jackson as the leader of the team: “I remember on the sideline just
watching [Lamar Jackson]. He had a bunch of crazy plays tonight. One play, I just leaned over to Geno
[Stone] or somebody [and was] like, ‘That dude’s special.’ I’m glad we don’t have to play him, because it’d
be so frustrating as a defense. You know you have him bottled up, and out of nowhere he scrambles
and dudes are back there [in the secondary] covering for 10 seconds. It’s hard to do that in this league
with guys getting open and making plays. He presents a lot of problems for defenses, and I’m glad he’s on
our team.”
On if QB Lamar Jackson plays like a football player and not like a quarterback: “I definitely think [Lamar
Jackson] plays like a quarterback in a sense that [he does] what a quarterback needs to do. [He] delivers
the ball on time, is accurate, runs the offense well, makes checks – everything in a quarterback that you
would typically think of. Everything else is a plus. That’s what makes him so good. That’s what makes him
the best in this league, honestly. I think there’s nobody that can do what he does – arm-talent-wise [and]
his legs, obviously. He’s a different breed, and it’s something we have never seen in the sport – ever – I
don’t think. I’m glad he’s on my team.”
QB LAMAR JACKSON
On the pass to TE Isaiah Likely where he escaped the sack: “The defense went quarters [in coverage].
They dropped quarters on me. We had verts [vertical routes] going little stick knobs. I don’t know if it was
[No.] 91 [Dawuane Smoot], I want to say, [on the] right side. He just made a good play [and] beat our guy.
I just had to make a play [and] make something happen. I [saw Isaiah] Likely. I believe if he wasn’t so free,
Likely would have scored because I already [saw] him, but I couldn’t throw it because [No.] 91 was rushing,
and I [didn’t] want to have a fumble happen, so I just made something happen, and I [saw] him. I [saw
No.] 31 [Darious Williams] flying under. I’m like, ‘If I try to drive it, it’s going to be an interception,’ and I
already threw one, so I was [ticked] off. So, it’s like, just give Likely a shot. I know he can jump a little, so
it’s like, just give him a shot, and he made a play, a great play.”
On what goes through his head when scrambling: “[I’m thinking], ‘Make something happen [and] make
a positive play.’ I’m not trying to get sacked, but I’m also trying to keep the ball safe at the same time.
That’s the most important thing when playing offense and [scoring] points. So, we were driving the ball
down the field, we can’t mess up. If anything, [if] we can’t score, [Justin] Tucker kicks a field goal, points
matter in all these games.”
On what are his emotions when having to dodge rushers and does he feel calm: “Do I look calm? Do I be
looking calm?” (laughter) “Just keeping a level head. Like I said, I’m not trying to make a mistake. I’m just
trying to keep us with positive yards, keep us moving, and that’s what we had to do tonight.”
On the team passing heavy last week and this game rushing for over 200 yards and if this team can shift
gears between passing and rushing: “I believe they were prepared. Before I passed, their rushers, the
guys would just rush, clogging up the line and stuff like that. So, we can’t make our reads and progress
sometimes, but I believe we left some plays out there on that field because if I would have thrown a better
pass to [Rashod] Bateman in that end zone, that would have been a touchdown. So, I’m [ticked] off about
that as well, but we got the ‘dub.’ We clinched the playoffs, so I’m happy a little bit about that.”
On if TE Isaiah Likely is becoming a target for him like TE Mark Andrews with the amount of catches he’s
made in the last few weeks: “Mark [Andrews] and [Isaiah] Likely are two different players. But both of
them bring greatness to the game, and we already knew what Likely was capable of. But nobody is like
Mark, and nobody’s like Likely.”
On how it feels to reach the playoffs and also the Ravens fans chanting MVP to him as he came off the
field: “First of all, Flock Nation was in the building. I should have [already] shouted the fans out. They were
wonderful tonight for us. I didn’t know we clinched the playoffs. I’m just trying to win. I’m trying to get
there. I’m trying to win a game at a time, but I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
On how everyone on the offense has stepped up in TE Mark Andrews’ absence: “We’ve had those guys.
We have [Rashod] Bateman, [and] Bateman is that guy. We have Odell [Beckham Jr.], he’s that guy. Zay
[Flowers] is that guy. ‘Nelly’ [Nelson Agholor] is that guy. We have guys who are going to step up. They
just need an opportunity, that’s all.”
On how tough it was to see RB Keaton Mitchell go down with an injury and what’s the mood of the
team: “That was very tough. I believe [Keaton Mitchell’s run] was going to be a touchdown. He’s lights
out. He was just starting to get started, so that’s tough to see. My thoughts and prayers are with him
because he’s a guy. That was a crazy injury.”
On what it says about this team to defeat Jacksonville with a double-digit victory at their place on
Sunday night: “I believe we’re just getting started, but that was a tough team. That was a great team that
we just played. We can’t downplay what was going on out there on that field even though, like you said,
it was double-digit score. But that was a tough team. Things just don’t happen like that in the league, so
you have to be prepared each and every drive; each and every play. You have to stay focused, and I believe
both teams were.”
TE ISAIAH LIKELY
On his big catch from QB Lamar Jackson: “I [saw] Lamar [Jackson] getting ready to throw the ball, and [I
was like], ‘I have to come down with this.’”
On how he’s felt the entire offense has stepped up in TE Mark Andrew’s absence: “Really just having the
one-play mentality, being where your feet are and just trying to fill the void, like you said. [We’re] just
going by every day [and] really just being ready when the game comes.”
On if it took time to learn to keep moving when QB Lamar Jackson is scrambling: “Yes, for sure. That’s
just repetition [and more] repetition. I feel like now, I have a good idea of where [Lamar Jackson] is going
to be most of the time when he’s back there being Lamar.”
On if the play is never dead with QB Lamar Jackson: “Never ever. You all [saw] it when [Lamar Jackson]
threw the ball. I didn’t even know he broke three tackles before he threw the ball before seeing the video.
That’s just Lamar. [He can] make it happen when nothing is there.”
On what’s going through his head as two defenders were closing in on him as the ball was in the air: “I
didn’t see the one [defender] behind me, but the golden rule is if you wave your hand trying to get the
quarterbacks attention, you have to come down with the ball. So, that’s definitely what went through my
head.”
On if that’s two weeks in a row waiving down QB Lamar Jackson: “Yes.” (laughter)
On the feeling in the huddle when the run game started going and if they got the feeling that they were
breaking the defense down: “Yes. The emphasis was really just [having] that one-play mentality [and not]
to always look for the homerun shot. We knew they were a good team, and we knew that it was going to
take all four quarters, so we [really] just [were] staying true to who we [are], and it ended up working in
our favor.”
On what making contested, gritty catches means for himself and the offense: “It just puts [less] stress
on Lamar [Jackson] to be able to throw it in those tight windows, still, and really just be able to still have
that outlet when the going gets rough.”
ILB ROQUAN SMITH
On what clinching a playoff berth means for the team: “It’s big time. That’s the vision starting at the
beginning of the year – [to] win the division [and] make the playoffs. We’re just getting started. We’re
happy about it, but we’re not satisfied.”
On if he knew that if they won the game they would clinch a spot in the playoffs: “I’m pretty locked in
all the time. [I’m] just thinking 1-0 for each and every week. Obviously, I had friends and family that say
things to me like, ‘If you guys win, you guys are in the playoffs.’ I hear that, but it’s big time. [I] love being
in the playoffs, but that’s part of it. We’re not done.”
On how the defense bowed up in red zone situations: “I think that’s what we do – bend and don’t break.
The biggest thing in this game is not yards. It’s about how many points you score, because that’s what
wins games. You can go out there and run for 500 yards, throw for 300 and then you score three points.
What good is that? [I’m] just thinking about it from that perspective. Us as a defense – we bend [and]
don’t break. We just try to impose our will on people week in and week out. Obviously, those guys … I
heard their little motto this week was, ‘Be the bully’ or something like that. I overheard that saying that
they wanted to be a bully. That was their thing this week. Hey, I guess the bully gets hit in the mouth
sometimes. How do they respond? It was a great team win.”
On if last season’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was brought up in the meeting rooms during
preparation for the game and if that stuck in his crawl: “Honestly, it didn’t have to be discussed in the
meeting room. I think amongst ourselves, each and every guy including the coaches, knew everything that
was at stake. We knew we didn’t finish the game last year, but that’s a whole different year than this year
and a whole different team the way we wanted to. For the guys that were on the team [then for] some of
us, it was definitely personal. We came in to their house, and we got the job done.”
On if he was able to see QB Lamar Jackson escape pressure on offense when he was on the
sideline: “Yes, it’s pretty unique. I’m like, ‘I’m glad [Lamar Jackson’s] on my team.’ I’ll say that, at least.
Some of the things the guy does, he’s the only one that’s doing it. Some of the things he gets himself out
of or get the team out of, that just goes to show he put it on his back, put the city [of Baltimore] on his
back [and] the team on his back, and [said], ‘Let’s go.’ We’re all about it.”
On if the defense celebrated with DT Justin Madubuike after setting his sack-streak record and what
makes Madubuike so special as a rusher: “Honestly, I had no idea about it until we were in the locker
room when ‘Harbs’ [John Harbaugh] just mentioned it. ‘Buikes’ [Justin Madubuike] – we kick it all during
the week. [With] the way he works throughout the week – even out of the building – I’m just so proud of
the guy. The guy just puts his head down and doesn’t really say a lot. [He] busts his tail day in and day out.
You can’t do anything but respect him, and I think the guy can do it all. If you’re running gang [stunts] with
him, he’s elite. If you just want him to rush the passer, he can do that. [In the] run game, the guy can strike
blockers, guards – whatever the case may be. He’s shredded. Have you ever seen the guy with his shirt
off? The guy looks like a wild animal. I wish I looked like that.” (laughter) “He’s shredded, and I see why
he’s able to do some of the things he does. I’m just proud to be his teammate.”
On if S Kyle Hamilton showed him anything about his toughness this week: “I have the utmost respect
for Kyle [Hamilton]. That guy is a warrior. The way he came up there and everything he’s been going
through this season and just the way he forgot about it all and just said, ‘Hey, I’m going to put it all on the
line for us.’ When you think about that, that’s the ultimate teammate that you want in the locker room –
a guy that’s willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the team, knowing if he was good enough to
go, he was going to go. I’m just proud of him, and he’s a tough guy. That’s how they raise them down in
Georgia.” (laughter)
