Zac Taylor

Head coach

Initial comments ...

"First of all, that was a great win for us. It wasn't perfect. Week 1 rarely is. There are a lot of things we need to correct. I just loved our guys' will to win today. Something we've talked about for a long time is closing this thing out in the three-, four-minute drill. To see our offense be able to finish with the ball ... a bunch of situational things came up there that our guys excelled at and worked on for a long time. The defense getting four turnovers and really taking a ton of points off the board — that led to I think 24 points off the turnovers for us. And then our special teams was really big with Evan (McPherson) — Evan coming up big and making those four field goals. He's the best kicker in the league. We're fortunate to have him. Excited for the win, excited to make the corrections and move forward 1-0."

Did you anticipate Mike Gesicki having the game he had today?

"That's the thing about Mike G. It can come up at any time. I always count on Mike. He has great awareness to break off routes, and he and Joe (Burrow) just have a good feel for each other, especially during that two-minute drill. There were some things where he adlibs a bit. We give him that green light because he and Joe have that chemistry together. The coverage has to be perfect to take him away. Then, to get into the red zone — I know it wasn't super sexy that he caught in and rolled into the end zone, but we'll take it any way we can get it. Mike is a guy we can always count on. Joe has a lot of confidence in him. They have really good chemistry. So, it doesn't surprise me when he comes up big."

It seems like all the new additions on defense played some kind of role. What was it like seeing them have that impact?

"You felt their presence — all of them today. All those D-linemen. 'B' (Bryan) Cook coming up with a fumble and fumble recovery. It's really just fun to watch those guys get into the action, create those turnovers and create that energy for the crowd early on. You saw our crowd, with the delay of games, timeouts — they (the Buccaneers) had to use a timeout with 14 minutes left in the first quarter. I know we don't, but never underestimate (how) the crowd truly gets to play when we're in a home game. The crowd is a weapon for us. I'm thankful we got to play this game at home because that may have been the difference. Getting a couple false starts, getting a couple delays of game in a one-score win, could have been the difference for us. Hats off to the crowd today."

What did you like about the scoop and score for the touchdown? How big was it to establish that momentum early?

"It was. To get up 14-3 early was big. For Demetrius (Knight Jr.) to finish off that play gave us a lot of momentum. To be down early in the game, we needed something to kickstart us, and that was a big play that kickstarted us."

How did you like how your guys responded after the pick-six that allowed them to get back into the game?

"It really went 1-for-1. We had a turnover for a touchdown and they had a turnover for a touchdown. You just have to take a deep breath. It turned into a one-score game right there, so it's a little bit different. I loved the attitude of our guys to go down ... I think we kicked a field goal after that. It took some of the momentum away from them. We were able to get our crowd back in it after a tough moment. I'm excited for how the guys responded."

Last year, there was a lot said about defensive mistakes. Do you think today kind of flipped that narrative?

"I think so. I saw some big-time tackles by our guys. Those four turnovers are a gut punch to an offense when you're out there. We'll watch it. I'm sure there are going to be some corrections and things we need to clean up, but at least we're doing it after a win. We have a really tough one next week on the road, so we have to get our guys ready for that."

You've talked a lot about finishing games. What was your strategy on that last drive?

"We've done that exact drill many times in training camp. There are times we got in four-minute mode or three-minute mode against our defense and got heavy and ran the ball, and then we were punting with 2:30 left. We came out with more of an aggressive mindset. We did this drill against Chicago, which I think was really helpful, watching how they did it and watching how we did it. We trusted our guys — that's the biggest thing. Dohnte (Meyers) catches the first one off a fly-motion flat route, makes people miss and has the awareness to stay in bounds and get the first down. Then they play base to 11, so we're going to spread it out and throw it. Chase Brown does a great job in man coverage making one miss, getting a first down and getting down (in bounds). Credit to our guys for understanding how we wanted to run the clock there, while still getting maximum yardage. We had a second-and-10 after they made a stop and we were able to draw them offsides and get a free five. If you don't do that and you run the ball on second-and-10, you might be in a third-and-eight, and you're running the ball and kicking a field goal. Situationally, our guys did some things we worked on for a long time. They managed it really well — finished with the quarterback sneak, finished with the kneel — and we didn't have to run Evan out for his fifth field goal of the day. As you can see, I'm really proud. We've talked about these situations a million times, and these guys nailed it."

You talked about situations but then Tee Higgins levitates to catch one. Was that where that one was supposed to go?

"I'm glad you reminded me of that because I forgot about that play and meant to bring it up to the team. That's as big-time of a catch as you're ever going to see. It was a little bit similar to the Kansas City third-and-11 here to clinch the game (in 2022). That was a slant route, (and) this was a little bit deeper of a slant route. Joe trusts him. He sees the look. I kind of gave two plays on the sideline and said, 'Which one do you want?' He told me that's the one he wanted in that situation. He just trusted Tee. They jumped the out route we threw to Tee on second-and-10 earlier, which made us get to that call."

At halftime, you were up by a couple scores despite Tee and Ja'Marr having only one catch. Is that a pretty nice formula?

"I think Tee and Ja'Marr understand that when you have 24 points in the first half, that's kind of just how the game went. We want to get them involved as much as possible, but I was happy with the way the game was going. You want to keep it going, and you don't want to force anything. I thought we were running the ball well. We stuck with those things, and then those guys made plays for us down the stretch."

What is it like situationally to have a guy who can kick a 58-yard field goal?

"I'm calling the play and trying to manage the situation there and Darren (Simmons) is so quick to kick this ball. Do we punt in this situation? Do we kick in this situation? Kick it and he's going to make it. He made it, and he's tremendous at it."

You talked about the energy of the fans but what about the energy your team got from the defensive line? It seemed like early on they were winning a lot of battles ...

"That's why we did everything we've done, because you know that's an unbelievable energy boost when you have those guys who just dirty up the pocket the entire game. Credit to Baker (Mayfield). Baker got out of some really tough jams that could have ended the game multiple times. He pulled out of it, but our guys were there. We'll keep working to finish those plays. (We faced) a good quarterback who gets paid to do that kind of stuff, and he did it. Credit to him. But our D-line definitely gives us a boost."

Can you give us your quick thoughts on how Joe played? What did they do to take Ja'Marr out of the game?

"I didn't feel that. I felt like we just weren't forcing balls. The ball was just going where it needed to go. At halftime, we're writing plays up on the board and I asked if we had thrown an incompletion yet. It just didn't feel like that. It felt like we were in a really good rhythm. We weren't in many second-and-longs. We were in third-and-manageables. So, the performance for Joe was really good. I know he's already mad about the pick-six, but he manages the game really well for us. There were some tough looks there at the end of the game, and he stepped up and delivered. He gave his guys a chance, and his guys came up big for him. I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job. Some of the holes we had in the run game, especially early on, and then the protection overall. That is a really difficult blitz package they have overall. We had a long time to study it and they had a long time to study us. That's a huge credit to Dan Pitcher, Justin Hill and all of our coaches that put the time and effort to analyze every blitz they've ever gotten. Our guys stepped up and did a good job handling it."

Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. had some big plays. What did you like about what you saw from them?

"They continue to gain wisdom from the experience they are getting. They are playing faster and have great guys around them. They need to make the plays that come to them, and from what I saw, they did an excellent job with that."

Bryan Cook made some big plays. What's it like for someone who is from here to come back home?

"It's just a different sense of pride. There's a great pride in being from Cincinnati, and you're proud to say that. I'm proud to live here. I've lived here for eight years now, and I get it. 'B' Cook plays with a little different chip on his shoulder, playing for his hometown. Coming home and running out of the tunnel I thought was really cool. I know how much this means to him."

JOE BURROW

Quarterback

What did you think of the team's performance today and being able to get the win?

"Yeah, it was a great win. A lot of guys stepped up and made big-time plays. Obviously, we have some things to fix just like everybody does in Week 1, but it's great to come out with a win."

What were your biggest takeaways of the defense and how it allowed you to play complementary football?

"(When you get) four turnovers, you're going to win a lot of football games if you get four turnovers. We have to be able to capitalize on them a little bit more. We had — I think — two touchdowns and two field goals off of them, but so we have to get that fixed. But it was a good one."

You said you were excited to watch the defense before the season. What was it like to see what they did today?

"Yeah, the pressure was there. Guys were sticky in coverage — making a lot of plays. I'm sure they have some things that they want to fix, just like we do. So, we'll get back in the lab tomorrow."

What does it do for you to see this kind of performance from your defense this early, knowing where you want to go? What does it do for you to see all of that?

"Yeah, it's great, but just like I said earlier, we have a lot of room to improve and we're going to continue to work for it."

Tee Higgins makes a big catch on the final drive. Is that because he's a great player getting a chance to make a play?

"Yeah, just give him a chance. Put in a play, knowing he can get it. And let your guys go make plays. They were worried about Ja'Marr (Chase). They basically doubled (him) — their safety came out of the post and cut his crosser, and so that's an alert for Tee, and Tee made a big play."

What do you like about those hockey-line changes up front for the defense? Four in and four out for a defensive line. What did you like about that?

"Yeah, that keeps guys fresh. When you have eight guys that you feel great about going in there, making plays, performing well and executing. That makes their job a lot easier."

Obviously today was a Mike Gesicki day, but it was Dohnte Meyers who made a big play on that final drive, with Tee capping it off. Is that you having your eight different guys that you can go to with the game on the line?

"Yeah, I have so many guys that I can put the ball in their hands quickly, and they're going to go make plays. And Samaje (Samaje Perine) on the last drive, making a guy miss and getting a first down, and Dohnte (Meyers) — two guys catching in the flat, going and making guys miss and making big plays for us. You're going to see a lot more of that."

With 2:19 left in the game, Zac Taylor has done this for (question inaudible due to locker room noise) ...

"Yeah, they're playing man, they're trying to stop the run. They know the situation. So we know the situation too. And we have to go and make plays with man coverage. That's what we did. Tee (Higgins), Samaje (Perine), Dohnte (Meyers) — big time plays. Chase (Brown) being smart and staying inbounds on a good run. That's how you win football games."

Every week is important in this league. But to get off to a 1-0 start, how important is that?

"Yeah, it's great for the vibes. It's great for the vibes. There is a lot of attention around Week 1, just because there's so much anticipation around it. So going out and getting a win feels great. But we just have to keep it rolling."

Take us through the interception ...

"Terrible, terrible for me. I had an out route to the field, and a flat defender got underneath it. So, I'm trying to throw to the replacement, and the guy made a good play. But I can't make (that throw) again."

What was the environment like out there?

"Yeah, it was great. Fans were into it. We're going to keep giving them things to be happy about."

There were a lot of pre-snap penalties ...

"Yeah, that's what you see in Week 1, a lot of procedural penalties. We had some as well on defense. So, we've got to get that cleaned up. Offensively, our procedure was pretty good. We had one where we had to call timeout on. We had one that we didn't quite get called the way we wanted. But other than that, it's pretty good."

Zac Taylor talks a lot about situational stuff that you worked on in the offseason coming to fruition today. What's it like knowing that all the work that you put in actually made a big impact this early in the season?

"Yeah, it was great to see the work come in and execute in those situations. But it's one week. We have to keep getting better and get back in the lab."

When games end in kneel downs, will there be a lot of Bob Marley music?

"Haha, yeah, you'll probably hear some of whoever that was on before I put that on. That wasn't my favorite, so we had to get some good vibes going."

Did you put the Bob Marley on?

"Yeah."

When you saw that second and that third turnover in a row, what were the emotions like?

"Yeah, guys making big time plays. Not a ton of emotions in the heat of it. We were just trying to lock in and understand the situation and go and execute, but guys making big time plays."

How big of a weapon is Evan McPherson?

"He was unbelievable today. He keeps on getting better and better and better. I'm so happy for him to have the day that he did today. He's such a weapon for us."

Is this the type of win that championship teams have to win? Is this what you have to do?

"Yeah. What were we up at half 28-10, 24-10? Something like that. You have to put those games away. We put it away a little later than we wanted to, but we still put it away."

Knowing the challenges that the Buccaneers give teams with their pressure packages, how did you think the offense overall played today knowing that and what were your thoughts on your performance? I know you talked about the interception, but how did you think you played overall?

"Yeah, if I didn't have that interception, I'm feeling great walking out of here. You can't make plays like that. So, I have to get that fixed. But the offensive line was pretty lights out. I thought we ran the ball well. I gave the ball to my guys in space pretty quickly. We just have to keep playing better."

After the pick-six, you do find Mike Gesicki on the next drive for a big first down. You guys get points there. How big was that?

"Yeah, Mike is going to find space. I know Mike is going to find pace. We must've been on the same page. We had to go down and get points and it was a two-possession game at that point. So, you know we responded. Would've loved to get a touchdown there, but we got points and made it tough on them."

Is there anyway you were not doing the sneak on third-and-one? It had your name written all over it at the end there ...

"Yeah, that's a situation that everybody is going to be ready for. We have a lot of different plays in that spot that we feel good about and that's one of them."

How does it feel to put one away with both sides of the ball contributing?

"Yeah, it was a great win. Great team win. Big time players making big time plays in big time spots. I know nobody is satisfied. Obviously, it's one week. We still have a lot of football to be played. But it's a good start."

Is there a guy on your defense that surprised you the most or you enjoyed watching?

"No, I'm not surprised about any of those guys. That D-Line pressured the quarterback and made great plays. Just like I said earlier, I'm sure there's some that a lot of those guys want back, just like we do. But we have the right guys that are going to learn from their mistakes and keep getting better."

MYLES MURPHY

Defensive end

With so much talk about the defense prior to the season, once you saw Demetrius Knight Jr. pick up the fumble and score, what was going through your mind?

"Honestly, I didn't know what was going on until he was in the end zone. I knew the ball was out, but I thought they hit the ball out of bounds. But I looked up and he was in the end zone, (it was the) cherry on top. That play, I think it was a collective effort with the defense up front and the coverage gave us time."

Is this how you guys thought you would be able to play as a unit coming into the season?

"Yeah. We knew the guys that we had and we knew the guys we were bringing in, so this is exactly the vision we had going into the season. It came to fruition in the first game and the thing is we have to continue to build on top of that as the weeks go on."

What has it been like to have Dexter Lawrence II on this team and what does it mean for you as a defensive unit?

"Honestly, stats don't mean too much because he wrecks the game as soon the week starts and offensive coordinators have to prepare for the week. Just having him in the middle, being a stump in the middle, creating a push — that's not a stat line, but he's creating a push all game. That's exactly what we were looking for."

DEMETRIUS KNIGHT JR.

Linebacker

Was this the vision you guys had as a defensive unit coming into the year?

"Absolutely. It starts with confidence. It starts with believing in the guys around you, the guys to your left and your right and just continuing to work on your basics every day and master those to the point where it's important to you. It's got to mean something to you to come out there and to know they're going to give you different looks. It's Week 1 and you're studying for Tampa (Bay), you're studying for Atlanta and you've got to play those looks that they give you. When a team has to go to tricks and things like that and can't operate their offense, that shows you that you've got them behind the eight-ball and they're trying to search for things to do to move the ball. If we're able to clean up the things that we need to clean up, we're only going to continue to go through the ceiling that we have for ourselves."

Take us through the touchdown. It seemed like you struggled a little bit to keep your feet in wanting to get into the end zone ...

"Yeah, somebody swiped my leg so I'm thinking 'Please don't go down right here.' Like they say, a lesser athlete would have fallen, but it was an amazing opportunity and a blessing from Jesus. The Holy Spirit kept me up and we got in the end zone."

BARRETT CARTER

Linebacker

The defensive line had a great day, didn't they?

"Playing behind those guys, it's truly an honor. It's truly a blessing. Football is not an easy game, as we all know. But they definitely make it a little easier. There's still a lot of stuff to clean up, but there's not a defensive line I'd rather play behind, there's not a line I would rather go to war with every single game, and I love those guys like they're my brothers. There's a lot more plays to be made, a lot more stacking to do. We have a lot of work to do, but the Bengals are 1-0 and that's all I could ask for."

Is it especially validating to answer all the questions people had coming into the season with the performance you had today as a unit?

"We haven't answered any questions. Like I said, this what we expected. We haven't answered any questions. The Bengals are 1-0, we had four turnovers — that's great — but we should have won by much more. I don't mean that (in any offense) against the Buccaneers, but we need to dominate teams, so there's a lot more plays to be made. This defensive team, we have not done anything. We have not even scratched the surface. There's a lot more plays to be made."

When you're on the ground, did you see Demetrius Knight Jr. scoop up the fumble before he scored the touchdown?

"Yeah, I popped up and I saw the ball come out. He had it and I didn't even run. I knew he was going to the crib. I knew he was going to take it back. I'm glad my brother was able to make that play. That's a big momentum play for our team."

TEE HIGGINS

Wide receiver

How was the crowd today?

"The crowd was amazing. Shout out to the fans today. They did their thing. They bought in. The defense went out there and played their asses off. We were able to capitalize off some of their turnovers. That's all we can do — play complementary football and the rest will take care of itself."

How would you describe your catch on the final drive?

"Those are plays I make. Those are plays I make. Unfortunately, the one they said I did drop, I thought I caught it. I don't know the rules — I guess I didn't hold it. I was able to get another chance right there at the end and I was able to complete it."

Did this feel like the third-down catch you had against Kansas City a few years ago to put that game away?

"Kind of actually, yeah. It was kind of the same."

When you have to completely lay out for the catch, is it a matter of 'I have to put my body on the line' to make the play?

"Yeah, man. There was one play earlier in the game where I went back to the sidelines and said, 'I should have dove for that one.' I had another chance and said, 'I'm not missing this opportunity.'"

The way the defense played with all the expectations there are for this team, when you leave Week 1 with a win, what's the feeling for a guy like you who wants to get back to the playoffs?

"I feel good. We started off on the right track. Now, we've just got to keep building off this. I think we left something out there on both sides of the ball, so we've just got to keep building off this and keep getting better and better each day as a team."

MIKE GESICKI

Tight end

Describe how you guys were able to share the ball well today ...

"Complementary win. Everybody got the football today. Defense played phenomenal. Offense was clicking. Special teams too with Evan McPherson — a complimentary team win."

The defense played really well, especially Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook ...

"That's why they get paid the big bucks. Shout out to them. Credit to the scouting reports that got them here. Today really was the first time they played a game together since OTAs and they deserve a lot of credit."

What did Tampa Bay do today on defense that made you a primary target?

"It was the two-minute drive, they were out there in zone and when we had Tee (Higgins) and Ja'Marr (Chase) out there, they played in man coverage, and when it was in zone, we tried to find the holes and make plays."

That's a good win over a good team ...

"Yeah, that was a great win. On special teams, Evan McPherson was unbelievable. Defensively, winning the turnover battle. And then offensively, scoring all those points. Tee (Higgins) had an unbelievable catch and Joe (Burrow) was great."

What does this win mean for the fans?

"We have the best fans in the entire NFL, in Cincinnati. They deserve this. Shout out to them, shout out to Cincinnati."

BRYAN COOK

Safety

Al Golden emphasizes takeaways, how did that workout for you guys today?

"It was a great day. We won the turnover battle with a huge margin. It's huge, especially with an explosive offense as you can see. It was a great feeling and we did it as a team."

How big of a momentum swing was it when you scored that first touchdown when Tampa Bay fumbled?

"It was huge. We had to step on the gas. We were trying to go out there and get our offense out on the field. That's complementary football — no matter what, we have each other's back. We weren't trying to score, but when we put those points on the board, we felt more confident."

How did it feel playing here in your first regular-season game as a Bengal and in your hometown?

"I was about to tear up during the national anthem as I came back to where I grew up. But yeah, playing here in College Hill across from Aiken High, but now I am a Bengal. It's a beautiful feeling. I wanted to put a show on for the fans and help my team win games."