MARVIN LEWIS
Head coach
Initial Comments ...
"Going into the game, we knew we couldn't hurt ourselves with turnovers, and obviously we did that. We ended up with four or five. We had the ball in the scoring zone (red zone) a couple of times, and we don't come away with anything. We turn the ball over and didn't make the big play before halftime. We come out the second half and give the ball right back. And we end up with no points there, because of another turnover. It's the difference in the football game. We don't have a chance to pout about it, because we've got to get ready to go (for Thursday), as disappointed as we are. I don't know if I've ever been in such a disappointing football game, (like) today. We hurt ourselves with penalties, from the first play offensively to a penalty on the first drive defensively. Those are things we can't have. They played a good football game, and we didn't play good enough to beat them today."
When you don't come away with any points, how much of an emotional toll does that take on the team?
"That doesn't matter. The key is looking at it play by play and series by series. That and getting better are what counts."
Was it surprising to see Andy Dalton struggle with turnovers?
"Two were off tipped balls, and on the other one (Brandon) LaFell gets grabbed, even though I don't know if that has an effect on the play. Brandon got tackled when he made the break on the play. Those things, and the tipped balls, didn't bounce our way. Sometimes they bounce our way, and sometimes they don't. Theirs happened to bounce right to them."
Would you agree that, if there's ever a good time to have a short week, this one might be it?
"We'll have a chance to do that."
What do you say to Dalton after a game like he had today?
"I haven't said anything yet. I'll have to take a look at it and see. Again, there are things that we need to do better. We've got to do a better job, even if we have to move him (in the pocket). We can't have the tipped balls like we had, because they played a big part in the football game today. It was off an 'action' linebacker, who got up and got a hand on it up in the air. The other one was right there in his face and tips up at the goal line."
How concerning was it to see Baltimore have an 18-play drive with Joe Flacco going only 0-for-2 passing?
"We had three penalties on the drive, so that kept the drive alive. We kept the drive alive for them in that case, unfortunately. We stopped them twice on third downs."
What did you see or not see from the running game?
"I can't tell you now. There's a long time ago."
How concerning was the play of your offensive line?
"Let me look at the tape. I can't tell you. Again, some things aren't necessarily always the (fault) of the line, and I know we had a couple of pressures we don't want to have. A couple of times, we have to move and get rid of the football because they're in a drop-eight (defenders into coverage) situation."
You put T.J. Johnson in for Trey Hopkins, when Hopkins got hurt. If Hopkins can't play on Thursday, are you going to stick with Johnson?
"I can't tell you that now."
Offensively, who's the guy on the sidelines to help pump some people up?
"When things are going bad, it's got to be the entire group. I don't think it can be just one person. It's up to the quarterback first, and then the group up front to carry the weight. A.J. (Green) carries the weight. We've got to have it from everybody. Their job is to move the football and score points, and we didn't do the job today."
On Jeremy Maclin's touchdown catch, was that a mix-up in coverage?
"They got picked and rubbed off."
What were your thoughts on how Joe Mixon played?
"I have to see the tape."
ANDY DALTON
Quarterback
What did you see on the interception C.J. Mosley had in the end zone?
"I thought I could get it over him. He made a great play on it. I worked through my progressions on that one, but he made a good play."
Today's performance was uncharacteristic of this offense. How much do you disregard it?
"We're going to look at it and see what we can do. We'll see what started the spiral downward. We have a short week this week, and we have to get ready for Houston. So that will be our focus now. We don't have time to think about this game. We'll take from it what we need and move on to the short week."
What happened with the strip-sack. Were you looking for someone over the middle?
"I wanted something else and it wasn't there. I was trying to get the ball over to Gio (Giovani Bernard). He got around me and made the play."
Is it hard to balance forcing it but also wanting to stay patient?
"Obviously we want to get the ball in the end zone. There's a big balance to it. They took that away, so I was trying to get it to the next guy. It took a second longer than it needed to."
Was there confusion on the looks you were getting?
"No. We felt like we knew the looks we were getting. We didn't make any plays, and it starts with me. It's my fault; I didn't play well and give us a chance to win."
Did it feel like you were under pressure more than usual?
"I have to make the throw, regardless of what's going on. I have to play better, and everybody feels like they have to play better. We have a chance to put this behind us quickly though. That's our mindset."
Are you almost glad a game like this happened so early in the season?
"We have 15 more games. This one game is not going to determine what happens this season. We can't let it. If we get a win on Thursday night, we're not talking about this anymore. Obviously you want to start the year fast, but we didn't. This is where we're at now. We have to put our head down and go to work."
Is it frustrating to prepare so much for Baltimore, and then not perform well?
"Yeah. They say this is the longest week in football. There's a lot that goes on. I have to put this one behind us. I know the type of player I can be. I can't let this affect the next one."
So you put this on yourself?
"Yes. I didn't give us a chance to score the points we needed to win. It starts with me."
Did you get the sense that they were reading you well?
"Yeah. I thought we saw the looks we needed. They had three runners on us, and we didn't know what was coming. We have to find a way to execute and make the play."
They dropped eight defenders into coverage a lot. Were there not a lot of holes passing opportunities?
"Yeah. I was able to check down to A.J. Green sometimes, but there was the turnover there. I have to find a way to get that fixed."
How do you learn to bounce back?
"You have to learn the type of player you are. You have to put your head down and go to work. You have to do everything possible to put yourself in the best position. It's a short week, so we have a quicker time to put this behind us."
It looked like Tyler Eifert was open on the interception in the end zone by C.J. Mosley ...
"I was trying to put it over (Mosely's) head. He made a good play. I thought I put it high enough."
Did the same thing happen on the ball intended for A.J. Green?
"Yeah, I was trying to throw around him. He was able to get a hand out and deflect it."
How important is this Thursday game, with two straight home games?
"You have to do everything in a shorter amount of time. That's the biggest thing. We have to prepare for what you normally do in six days in three. That's part of it. I think it's a good thing we have a short week, so we can put our mind on the Houston Texans."
On the deep ball to Cody Core, when he was open but the ball sailed out of bounds, does that hurt more than an interception?
"No. We were close. It was one of those things where you have to make the throw. It's a missed opportunity."
This team struggled at times in the red zone last year, and it seemed like it was a struggle again today ...
"Yeah. It's not what we wanted. We have to move on from it."
Is this one of the games where you want to look at the tape right away?
"I'll watch this as soon as I get home."
Do you take comfort in that you usually bounce back from bad games?
"You have to bounce back. That's where we're at now. We have to bounce back. We have to come out way better than we did today. I don't have any doubt that we're going to do that. We have the right guys that can handle this. We will have a good week this week."
Why do you feel like the red zone issues persist?
"I didn't throw the ball high enough on one. The hit happened on the other one. We have to find a way to make it work. We'll look at it and see what we can do."
Was that the highest you've seen a ball tipped?
"It went high. I wish I could have grabbed it."
JOE MIXON
Running back
I have to imagine this isn't how you pictured your NFL debut. What was your take on the game today?
"Just have to play better."
How frustrating is it to start off this way?
"Just have to play better. I don't know what else to tell you."
Do you think the three running back approach is going to work going forward as far as the rotation? Is it something that worked today for you?
"It isn't my call."
Did you enjoy any part of today getting out there and playing in the NFL?
"Yeah. I'm blessed to be here."
What's the sense around this team about what needs to get better?
"Everything."
Everything as in what sense?
"Executing. Finishing."
What wasn't working with the offense? Was there not enough time for Andy Dalton to execute plays?
"Just have to play better."
Is it a quick fix in your eyes?
"It's quick fix for anyone."
How hard is it for you to shake a game like this off?
"Quick. Just gotta play better next week."
A.J. GREEN
Wide receiver
How difficult was it to have this game go this way, especially given that it was a division game and home opener?
"Yeah, man — we know every time we play them it's going to be a tough game. They have a great front four. They got a lot of pressure on Andy today. (We've) just got to do better. I felt like we were prepared, but three times in the red zone, we came up empty with no points and turnovers. It's tough.
"The good thing about this week is we get back to work on Thursday and try to get this bad taste out your mouth."
As you said, to come away with no points three times inside the 15-yard line is almost incomprehensible with this group, isn't it?
"Yeah. Like I said, we've got to find some way to get these points. It's tough, but we can't turn the ball over like that."
Houston lost to Jacksonville big at home today and they find themselves in a similar situation as your team did today. You guys can't let one bad game turn into two, right?
"No. Like I said, I'm going to rally these guys around me. Nothing's going to change in my body language or the way I act, the way I practice. I'm just going to go about my business and bring these guys with me."
You showed some real emotion on that final interception; was that just boiled over frustration coming out?
"Yeah. It's tough. We're all competitors out there. I hate to lose, I hate the ball to be intercepted, so it just comes with the game. That's just the way I am, and I'm going to continue to work my butt off and bring these guys with me. It's the first game, so we've got a long season ahead of us."
TYLER BOYD
Wide receiver
Obviously, the game didn't go the way anyone in this locker room expected. What was the main thing, in your view, stopping the offense from being as successful as it expected to be?
"I felt like we was executing on everything we had to do; they were just getting a lot of tipped balls. That was really hard to maneuver around. That's not really anybody's fault, because we were moving the ball however we wanted."
When momentum swings in a positive sense, everything feels like it's firing on all cylinders. If you have another game like this, however, where the momentum begins to swing in a fashion that seems like almost everything is going wrong. What will it take to keep the team from falling into the "it's all going wrong and we can stop it" mentality?
"Just everybody staying together — everybody having each other's back. Staying locked in, everyone continuing to play ball. Everything can go right, so we've just got to stay poised and stay together. We came out strong, we had an (interception), but we got the ball back and should have punched it in (for a touchdown) and (instead) had another tipped ball, so it was tough. There was a fumble ... It's tough to overcome turnovers, you know? We're going to get back in the swing of things."
How frustrating is it to start off a season like this?
"It's really tough because we all came out with intentions of winning, and going out there and playing and giving it all we had. Unfortunately, there were a lot of tipped balls, a lot of balls batted down and fumbles, and it's hard to overcome turnovers, like I mentioned. Guys are going to be OK. This is just the first game. We're going to regroup and come back and be ready Thursday."
What was the biggest issue? What led to all the turnovers in this game?
"I feel like they couldn't really stop us on offense. We were moving the ball however we wanted (to); they've just got real tall guys on their front and they got their hands on it a lot. It's tough to make plays and get the ball over those guys' heads a lot of the time. It's not a problem we need to fix on offense, we just have to secure the ball, protect the ball better and find better windows to throw the ball in."
T.J. JOHNSON
Offensive line
Starting G Trey Hopkins injured his knee in his first NFL start and you had to come in unexpectedly, but when you did, you didn't do anything to make yourself stand out in a negative sense. Just doing your job is pretty much your mentality, right?
"I appreciate that. It was a little bit of a tough start coming in with two minutes (to go), but I tried to get in a rhythm. We just weren't doing what we needed to do on offense. That's the bottom line."
You guys were inside the 15-yard line three times and came away with no points. That's almost impossible to do with this group, wouldn't you agree?
"Yeah. It's unfortunate. We've got a quick turnaround this week and we've got a game this Thursday night. I guess it's time to watch film and see where we need to go and get ready for Thursday night."
Your opponent Thursday, the Houston Texans, had a similar lopsided home defeat to start the season and you both find yourselves in a similar situation. But that's life in the NFL, isn't it?
"Yeah, you've just got to be ready to go."
NICK VIGIL
Linebacker
Today was obviously a tough day as a team, but you had nine tackles and an interception. Can you talk about what you saw out there today happening on the field?
"Well, I thought as a defense, we played pretty well. We gave up one explosive play (to Ravens wide receiver Jeremy Maclin for a touchdown) right before the half, and then we let them in the end zone again right before the half, so in those situations, we've just got to (hold them)."
Ball security was an issue today and to be in the red zone three times and have this offense come away with no points is almost unbelievable. But it happens in the NFL, doesn't it?
"Yeah. The offense will be fine; they moved the ball well — they just had some turnovers. But us as a defense, we've got to make stops. That's what you work for. That's when you've got to be able to play in uncomfortable situations. As a defense, that's our responsibility — get stops."
They went on an 18-play drive and only threw it twice and you guys eventually held them to just a field goal, but the clock seemed like it became your enemy at that point ...
"Yeah, on that drive, we hurt ourselves a couple times with some penalties on third down that gave them some first downs, and we had some missed tackles on that drive that could have gotten off the field on third down. We've just got to do better."
Houston was struggling with Jacksonville at home today and now you get them on Thursday night. You've got to shake today off and just get better, right?
"Yeah. We've got to look at the film, fix some stuff and then start preparing for Houston because (the game) comes quick."
TYLER EIFERT
Tight end
I am not sure if you were on the field for all of the turnovers, were you able to see anything?
"I was normally in a route or had my back turned, so I didn't see any of them."
You have to turn around quick with a game on Thursday night. How do you reset after a game like this to start the season?
"A good thing is, we get to play on Thursday; a quick turnaround. We don't have to sit around thinking about it all week. We can get back on the field; try to get that bad taste out of our mouths against a different opponent. We really don't have an option. If we want to make a run this year, and do some big things, you have no other option than to turn it around right now."
You didn't score a lot in the preseason, and you didn't score today. Is it fair to be concerned about the Bengals offense?
"I mean if you go off what you saw today, you can be concerned. I think we all have confidence in everyone's ability, Andy's ability, the line's ability, my ability and our skills guys' ability, to move the ball up and down the field. We moved the ball early; we just had some drives stall out. We have to be better in the red zone, and we will be alright."
With the score 3-0 in the second quarter, you marched 82 yards and got inside the red zone, but turned it over. That seemed to swing the momentum. Did it feel that way on the sideline?
"Anytime you turn the ball over against Baltimore, you going to put yourself in a tough position to succeed, and we have to do a better job all around. Andy is throwing it, but the receivers aren't getting open, the line isn't giving enough time, or whatever. There is plenty of blame to go around. We will be better."
JEREMY HILL
Halfback
It was surprising that you guys were turning the ball over ...
"A couple of them were bad breaks; tips in the air and they came down with it. Like we say all the time on offense, a ball gets tipped and it won't come down to the right team. Obviously, we didn't get anything today, so we have to do a better job executing in the red zone. It's something we have been talking about for a while; we just haven't been able to execute at a high enough level. We have to get that fixed."
What was the rhythm like? You and Gio usually trade off series, but working in a third guy this time, were you able to get into a rhythm?
"We all had some good runs today. The turnovers kind of stopped our offensive flow and the rhythm we had. It's a long season. We are not going to get our heads down about this one. Obviously, we have to play better, and we get a chance to get this taste out our mouths on Thursday."
How have you seen Andy bounce back?
"Andy is our leader, and none of us in the locker room are worried about that. We know he can play at a high level. He has done so much for this organization, and our team; that is the last thing on our mind. All we can do is do our best to make plays when we get the ball in our hands, and the rest will take care of itself."
Was the three-back rotation expected?
"Yes; of course. It keeps us all fresh and over the long haul it will definitely benefit us."
A lot of talk in the preseason about all of the weapons on offense. Could you have imagined a game in which you get blanked?
"Not at all. No one in this building, in this organization figured that. There is so much talent in this room, but we did (get shutout). It's a reality check and we have to get back to the basics, and do what got us here. And that is execute in the red zone. The best year our offense had, we were killing it in the red zone."
CEDRIC OGBUEHI
Offensive tackle
With the rotation at running back, was it difficult to get into a rhythm with the nature of the game and having to chase?
"We kept having penalties that brought us back; too many negative plays, and we had to chase. We have to score points in the red zone. We have to do better for the defense."
What is the secret to playing against (Ravens DE Terrell Suggs)?
"I don't think there is a secret, you just have to block him."
Does it help having another game so quickly?
"Yes. You can't really dwell on this game. You have to move on to the Texans."
Did (Terrell Suggs) do anything to surprise you?
"No."
The one he tipped, did he just jump up on you?
"He jumped."
Is there anything you can take away from the game?
"We have to score points. We have to do better as an offense to help out our defense."
What did Suggs do that was most effective?
"I don't know. The nature of the game is every bad play gets blown up. You can have 30 good plays and two bad plays, even one. Those two plays, he got me."
Do you think it was just two plays?
"That is all I saw."
As an offensive line, how did you feel you did today?
"Not good at all. This offense goes off us. We have to be better. The offense will be better with us."
GEORGE ILOKA
Safety
Did you feel there was some momentum switch when you got the turnover in the third quarter?
"Yeah, definitely; when Nick (Vigil) got that, it was crazy. We were just talking about it coming out of half; it starts with one play. Don't look at the entire score; it's one play at a time kind of thing. Get a turnover, try to get them the ball back, and get them more opportunities. We wanted to give the offense more opportunities. When we got it on the first series, 'I was like alright cool, this is exactly what we were talking about.' It definitely felt like we had some momentum, but they did a good job of stalling that momentum."
What were some of your takeaways from the defense in the game? You guys look good in some aspects of the game ...
"We did some positive things out there, and there are some things, obviously, we have to clean up. Overall, it was a decent starting point. Obviously, we didn't play well enough because we didn't win. Any time you lose, there is always something I could have done better, there is something the next guy could have done better; there is always something we could have done better. There are definitely some positives, so that is good going forward. But we have to get better because it wasn't enough. You can't be satisfied with the results."
RAVENS POSTGAME QUOTES
SEPT. 10, 2017
BALTIMORE AT CINCINNATI
JOHN HARBAUGH
Head coach
Initial comments ...
"Really good win. Very valuable win for our football team — win the opener, a road opener, a division game against a very good football team with lots of weapons that was playing very well in the preseason. Very happy with our guys. The credit goes to our players — the players got the job done and played winning football. And to our coaches — our coaches did a great job of getting guys ready. The game plan was very solid, very strong. I thought our players executed and coaches taught it very well."
What did you think of Terrell Suggs' performance?
"I thought Terrell Suggs played great from what I could tell. I think he was in the backfield pretty regularly. They had to hold him, had to grab him, had to tackle him. He was a huge factor in the game."
Defensively, you got the shut out. Standing on the sidelines, did anything stand out to you with the defense?
"I just think we were on point. That's an offense that presents you with a lot of problems. They move guys around, put them in different spots. They've got different playmakers that do different things for them. They do a good job of hiding those things and getting in position to have matchup problems where they want. We didn't really allow too much of that to happen and I think that's a real credit to our guys."
How gratifying was that drive in the third quarter that you took off almost 10 minutes? I don't think you completed a pass on the drive. You just kept running ...
"I think that goes in the category of doing what it takes to win the game. Our guys did that. To run for those first downs, even on third down — it was downhill football. The backs ran north and south, they got their pads down and ran upfield, protected the football. The line was physical. It was a very important drive because it took the time off the clock and really put them behind the eight ball in terms of their chances to come back. And we got three out of it. Sure, we would have loved to get seven, but the time plus the three was hugely valuable."
You talked about wanting to run the ball throughout the offseason. Is that something you thought you wanted to get after today and do this?
"Well, we wanted to, but I'll say this, you've got to do whatever you have to do to win the game. The fact that we were able to crack them a little bit and hit a few runs, I thought was important for us. I don't know what we ran for or what the numbers were or anything like that, but I know we're going to get better at everything we do, and every game is going to be played out a little bit differently, but this was a game that running the ball turned out to be a key to. I thought we were really patient with it. I thought we called it really well. I thought we blocked it really well and our guys ran it really well. Joe (Flacco) was a big part of that as well, in terms of organizing it. It was a good day that way."
How did you feel Joe held up?
"Well — Joe's tough. That's the thing about Joe Flacco — he's really tough. I'd like to keep him cleaner, obviously. We're going to have to keep working to do that. Joe's just a tough dude and I'm really proud of him. You've got to respect him."
JOE FLACCO
Quarterback
Are you surprised in general with how well today went?
"I'm not surprised with as well as it went. It's always a tough place to come in here and play, so you don't expect a game like that. It was a different game. It's a tough game when it ends up going like that. I was kind of joking because we were going to win the game, but we were running like 40 seconds off the clock at a time after that one drive — that was a huge drive. After that we didn't convert very many first downs. It was one of those kinds of games, though. The defense was really getting after it with the turnovers. (It was nice) to be up 20-0 after a quarter and a half and be in the kind of mode where we were just running the ball. We talked a little bit on the sideline about taking a shot on the sidelines or something like that, but they were still kind of protecting (against) that. The last thing you want to do is drop back, with the mode we were in for a quarter and a half, and do something stupid to let them back in the game or have something crazy happen. It was definitely a different game. It was one of our old-fashioned games. It reminded me of my first couple games as a rookie. It was one of those where we had to run the ball late in the game and just run the clock out. It's good coming here to get a win. I don't care how you do it."
You took a few hits out there. How do you feel now?
"I felt good. My back didn't take anything, really. My chin did on one those play-action plays down on the goal line."
How fun is to be playing on the offense when your defense is playing the way that they were today?
"Let's be honest. I was 9-for-17, for a hundred and a couple (121) yards. I mean, it's not that fun. I'd rather throw for 350 and win 42-0. But it's fun to win, and that's the most important thing."
Did it feel any different at all, after not having training camp or preseason and being out there for the first time in the opener?
"Not really. Same as always. (I was) lying in my bed this morning, trying to kind of stay in bed until a certain time, but you can't. You start thinking about the game, your job, doing all those things. Up until that whistle blows at one o'clock and you take the field, all that goes away and you start playing. Once you get out there on the field, you're back in the huddle."
How much did it hurt to have Danny Woodhead go down early in the game with an injury?
"You can see what he's capable of doing. Hopefully we have some guys that can step up and make some plays. We've got a good receiving corps. Mike (Wallace) is one of those. Mike's one of those quick little guys that can do stuff on the side. Danny's been struggling with that hammy. I don't know what this one is, but it will definitely hurt us."
What's it like in the huddle when these guys are pounding the football?
"They love that. My job's just to keep the task at hand — keep them on the task at hand. For instance, when you've got two minutes and something left in the game, we want to end with the ball there. We want to get the last first down and take a knee. We don't want to put our defense back out there. They live for those drives that we have."
TERRELL SUGGS
Linebacker
You guys talked about how good this defense could be. Is this what you had in mind?
"No. We did some good things today, but we're still a little (ticked) off about the bad things that happened. Me personally, I (messed) up on a particular play that almost cost us. By the grace of god, we had 10 other Ravens on the field and it didn't cost us. I'm talking about the one to A.J. Green — that's my guy. It's a good place to start, but you can't be satisfied. I'm in Year 15 (of my career), and I've seen it all, with all kinds of starts and all kinds of finishes. It's good to take one. We're going to enjoy it right now. It felt good."
You said this was as good as you felt physically in years. Do you feel that showed today, with a couple of sacks and a batted pass?
"We did some good things, but I think it's going to get better. There were some plays where we could have gotten off the field earlier, sooner. The guys schemed up and you had to kind of react to them. Like I said, we did some good things. But be more concerned with things we didn't do so well. We're going to go back and try and get those fixed."
But for you personally, last year you played almost half the season with basically one arm. How did it feel to be healthy out there today?
"It felt good. (Director of Performance) Steve Saunders, he pretty much trained me and got me where I, as a 15-year veteran, needed to be. It ain't perfect, but we strive to be perfect. There are some things for me personally that I still need to work on. We're just going to build from this until it's good."
C.J. MOSLEY
Linebacker
How are you feeling?
"We did a good job showing different things. We did a great job with turnovers. We're plus-four (in turnover differential) after the first game. We have to keep building on that to make some big plays."
You were in Andy Dalton's face quite a bit ...
"He's a great quarterback. If you take his first route away, he can be very dangerous getting outside of the pocket and making plays. At the end, he started scrambling a bit, but our defense did a great job keeping pressure on him."
Andy Dalton threw only eight interceptions last year, and you guys got four off of him today ...
"It's a great start for the defense, and a great start for the team. It won't mean anything if we don't come out next week and play even better, especially against another conference opponent. It's always about getting better."
What happened on your interception in the end-zone ...
"We tried to show man (man-to-man) pressure. We knew it was a passing situation. I did a good job reading his eyes. Give credit to the coaches for putting us into the right positions."
You made a great play ...
"I felt like the ball was in the air for a long time. I tried to get as many return yards as I could, but I was tired from that whole drive."
MICHAEL PIERCE
Defensive tackle
How do you feel after a big win?
"It was amazing. We haven't gotten a win here since 2011, so to come in and have them not score any points was pretty awesome."
What did you talk about on defense when you continued to shut them down?
"We just wanted to keep our goals in mind and not let up. We started off fast in the first half and settled in on the run game. We wanted to apply pressure the whole game."
What are the conversations on the bench as you continued to make plays on defense?
"It's amazing. When you get them behind the chains, you can really let loose. We were rolling defensive lineman and everyone else, because we kind of knew what we were going to get. We were having fun."
How rewarding is it to shut out the Bengals in their home opener?
"It's very rewarding. Any time you can stop an explosive offense like those guys, it's amazing. You don't really expect it. We expected to have a strong game, but not to shut them out."
Did you feel the momentum going on your side early?
"We felt like we had them behind early and knew we just needed to continue to apply pressure."
MARSHAL YANDA
Guard/tackle
How would you assess the offense's performance today?
"It seems like we did a good job. It felt like we were running effectively. I haven't seen the stats yet. The defense had five turnovers, and we ran the football well and protected Joe Flacco. It was fun out there."
How much did you enjoy being in that huddle?
"When we get to run the ball, it takes the air out of the defense and takes the air out of the pass rush. It helps our football team. That's what we're there to do — pass-block and run-block."
How does it feel as an offense when the defense is playing so well?
"We just had to be ready to capitalize. When we got the ball, we tried to score every time. We did a good job. It's awesome when they're getting turnovers. We had one turnover, so we were plus-four (in turnover differential), and that's going to help us win games."
What did you think of Joe Flacco's performance today?
"It's nice to not have to make him throw the ball 55 times in his first game. He had a good game, and we're going to keep rolling."
