Quotes from:
ZAC TAYLOR
Head coach
How would you explain that whole game went from the turnovers to the penalties, that whole game?
Yeah, penalties are unacceptable on offense. Way too many of them. Way below our standard. We're generally first in the league, typically, as a team on offense and so just to have as many false starts as we had, there were some procedural penalties that we'll get into behind the scenes, but the false starts set us back and led to two drives where we didn't score points. I think we didn't score on three drives or four drives and those are crucial. So, unacceptable. But really happy with the way the defense got the turnovers, five turnovers, three of them in the second half was huge for us and kept them on the field for a long time. Our defense had to play a lot of snaps in the second half. It was a strange game that way but I think they'll gladly take that when we're taking the ball away and having to play because of that.
At left tackle you had to go with (Devin) Cochran because of Cody (Ford). It looked like line gave him time...
I thought he settled in there. There's some tough matchups in there sometime, but I thought he settled in there and did a good job in his first career start. Really proud of the way—that's an example of a guy who just practices. Devin Cochran has practiced the right way. He's proven to his teammates all season long that he'll be ready if his number is called because of his approach to that. So, really, you want your top players to play Orlando (Brown Jr.), and Cody (Ford) and all of those guys, so this isn't even any knock on them, but to hear Devin's going to play in the game, wasn't a gut punch because you just trusted him. He was ready for the moment, and we knew that we'd be able to go out there and produce with him.
When did Sam (Hubbard) get hurt exactly?
On the touchdown.
What was that moment like? The whole thing? He's hurt but to call that play for him, to have him have his first receiving touchdown in the NFL?
Really happy for him because just what he does for this team. He's willing to do anything. Willing to go in there. He's played fullback in the goal line in 2018. We put him back in there and he's typically on the backside of the run game and the goal line just to work on the backside. So, you have to pick your moment at some point this season to release him and give it a shot. Usually that's going to come pretty wide open; they had two backers leave the game, so they had back up linebackers in there, so we thought it was a good time to call it, catch them sleeping and they covered it really well, and Sam made a heck of a catch. Really happy for him. Obviously disappointed the way the play turned out physically for him. But just happy for him to be able to go in there and help the team by any means necessary.
How did you address the Jordan Battle fumble?
It's something we address weekly. We show these clips and it's not something we can ever have happen. It's within our control. You go two yards across the goal line, letters and logos, it's very simple. And then you can do whatever you want to do. We preach oftentimes that it's going to happen to guys that aren't used to carrying the ball and used to being in that situation. It's not normally a Ja'Marr (Chase) or Tee (Higgins). So, again, I appreciate that the energy he plays with and a lot of the plays he made, that's a situation obviously we can't have, and we expect our team to do better with that going forward.
Any thought of sitting him (Battle) down after that?
He knows, a guy knows when he makes a mistake. So, again, there were moments where we're pulling guys in and out there because they were getting tired, quite frankly. They played three straight possessions because we had the pick-six and then we had that one that resulted in a fresh set of downs for them. So, our guys were pretty worn out. So we were kind of rolling through because of all that stuff.
Do you know the extent of Sam's (Hubbard) knee?
I don't yet. No, I don't. We'll get more information on that tomorrow.
The first touchdown (Joe) Burrow held the ball for nine seconds. Is that just kind of an example of what he can do in the red zone? The poise to hold onto that. Most quarterbacks would probably throw that away or just give up.
I'm trying to think of what the play was to be honest with you. It hit Chase Brown, but I don't know what the play call was. Trust me, I've learned it over five years to just shut up. Your brain is thinking to throw it away and get us to the next play and way more times than not that I've thought that something great has happened for the Bengals and that's just part of the Joe Burrow experience. He extends plays as good as anybody in the world and makes team's pay for it. I know they lose a lot of sleep probably in the red zone presentations explaining that this is going to happen, he's going to scramble, you've got to cover forever and it's just impossible to do. So, it's something he knows it's a weapon and uses it the right way.
Zac, I know you said that you've faced friends on the other sideline many times throughout your career, but is it a relief to get through this one and maybe go back to a normal cadence of texting with Brian (Callahan)?
Yeah, I enjoyed pulling for Cally (Brian Callahan). So, when you're playing against somebody like that, I think that's really the only thing is you're trying to do everything you can to bury the other team and win the game and feel good on Sunday. And then once you put it behind you, you're able to go back and pull for people that you appreciate in the business.
Because of all the turnovers and the penalties, was this one of those games that felt like it never settled down?
Yeah, the rhythm of it was difficult. And just speaking offensively, they got the ball to start the second half, we got the one possession and then it didn't feel like offensively we were out there until the fourth quarter, I don't think. I could be wrong. So, just a strange—and then defensively, these guys are tired. I don't know how many snaps they played in a row, but it was a lot of snaps. So, there's a balance there where you're trying to sort through should I use a timeout to get them a break, to make sure they can get a stop on a third possession. But ultimately, we made enough plays to find a way to win. At this point in the year, it's December, you've got to come off the field with a victory. And there's a lot to sort out for us. There was a lot that wasn't good enough that we've got to correct, really in all three phases, quite frankly, but happy to get the win and sort it out from there.
What happened with the delay of game at the one?
The headset went out a couple times on that same drive. So, I'm not sure what he's getting through there because helmets make mistakes too. I should have been aware of it and called a time out to keep it on the one-yard line. Sometimes you're focused on getting a play in and on that one I lost track of the play clock.
It looked like you and Joe (Burrow) were having a conversation after that drive that the broadcast caught. It looked like it was a pretty serious back and forth. What was going on there? What prompted that?
It was just a conversation back and forth.
Looked like Chase Brown kind of settled things down for you. It was a little chaotic there in the fourth quarter, but he had some key runs.
Ultimately, I think that was the key. It was a chaotic second half if you're just speaking about the offense. We had the turnover on the first possession, punted on the second possession and then our third possession, last possession we had, we were able to bleed over five minutes, I believe, and score a touchdown. So that was a really good way to finish the game for our guys. It wasn't perfect but to bleed a bunch of clock, to keep getting first downs, we did it a lot of different ways. We did it on the ground, we did it in the pass game, we did it baiting them into penalties on defense and to be able to finish it off with a run, I thought it was an appropriate way to finish it off.
JOE BURROW
Quarterback
You know obviously you're happy with the win, but can you just explain kind of the roller coaster of the game that was for you guys as a team?
Too many self-inflicted wounds, I had too many turnovers, we had too many penalties, but you know defense stepped up. Had some big turnovers for us and we got a good win.
Have you ever been a part of a game like that, I think there were 26 penalties, 10 turnovers between the two teams?
Eh it's tough to say if I ever have, I'm not sure. It was obviously a sloppy one.
The first touchdown, to Chase Brown, I think you had that thing for 10 seconds, what's going through your mind there as things are breaking down?
Just try to make a play, make guys miss. Chase (Brown) does a great job in those situations with getting open, understanding when's the right time to start moving and so that was a great play by him.
How long had you been talking to Sam (Hubbard) about the possibility of throwing him a touchdown pass? How'd that bubble up for you this week?
Yeah, we had been putting him in down there all year to hopefully get a good look for it. It was a great play by him.
You said you guys have been practicing it during the week, he was working on it, obviously it was a harder catch than it probably was in practice, how would you rate his receiving skills there?
Yeah, that was great, that was great. I'm sure he could have been a tight end if that's what he decided to do.
You didn't hesitate, looked like you were going-
Yeah, it was going to Sam (Hubbard).
Just that's what- you just wanted him to get it or you just-
Well, that was the play, we had other options, but you're calling it because you want Sam (Hubbard) to get a touchdown.
When you guys were at Ohio State, he was playing tight end, you were playing quarterback, how good a tight end was he?
Nah, I don't—that was before I got there. That was his true freshman year. I came in the year after, so I never saw him play that.
You tracked the ball down for him, were you watching for that once he spiked it your first thought was, 'I got to go get that ball?'
Yeah, I was trying to find it
I mean that's a big play, that's third-and-two, you're down 14-7, I mean that's arguably the game's turning point.
Yeah, that was a big play in the game. I had faith in Sam to go make that play, he's got good hands. And it's a play we've talked about. So, I think that was a four-down situation that's why we ended up going with that one. Felt good.
With Cody (Ford) down, how good of a job did Devin (Cochran) do and the rest of the offensive line given the situation?
Yeah, I thought Dev really stepped up big. You know he had a couple in the first two drives, and then after that he really settled in. I thought he played great.
On third down, in the first half you were seven-for-eight and two of your touchdown passes were on third downs, was it something that you guys felt comfortable that they were doing or was it just really good execution?
We just executed well in that half. I don't know how many times we had the ball in the second half. Two or three, but first half third-down execution was really good.
Speaking of Sam (Hubbard) obviously we don't know what the extent of his knee injury is, but can you just talk a little bit about what he's meant to you in your football career? I mean obviously everybody know you guys are really good friends off the field, but going back to your Ohio State days how influential has he been on you?
Yeah, I mean I stayed in Sam's dorm on one of my first visits to Ohio State. He's been part of my life for a long time. He's been a great friend and really a guy that you can look up to when you're young because he does things the right way, works really hard, he's about the right things and when you get into the league helps you with your process, all the off the field stuff that I do, a lot of it I got from Sam (Hubbard). And he's just a pros pro, has been for a long time, works really hard at it, plays great when he's in there. Just can't say enough good things about him.
Touchdown to Tee (Higgins), you didn't see it until you were flat on your back, I think Dev(in Cochran) said he kind of got caught on a stunt or something like that, but were you hung with it. Can you go through that play?
Yeah, we had a post outside and the field safety stepped down, so I knew I had a good look for Tee. The corner's playing outside leverage, and I knew if I just could hang in there for an extra second, I was gonna have Tee down the field. I threw it inside a little bit to keep him away from the corner and then he made a great play and showed his toughness with the safety coming over. Great play by him.
How was the view from down there?
I was just hoping it got there; I was just hoping it got there.
The broadcast camera caught you looked pretty irate talking to Zac (Taylor) after the last touchdown. What was the issue there?
I was just frustrated in the day that we had on offense. It was too sloppy, we had too many penalties, too many procedural penalties, I had too many turnovers. It was just a frustrating day on offense.
But it's a win and you guys have been able to string together a couple wins now and keep those hopes, faint as they are, alive to win in December, that still matters right?
Absolutely, we're not out of it yet. We got to play better than we did today going forward, but we need a lot of help from across the League. Teams beating teams that need to lose for us to get in, but as long as we keep controlling what we can control and keep winning, give ourselves a chance.
Joe, is that a meaningful carrot to dangle in front of yourselves, the fact that playoffs are still a remote possibility? I know you said earlier this week you weren't thinking about it.
Yeah, I mean it's always in the back of your mind until you're out of it. But we know the chances are very slim. What I'm focused on right now, is playing as good as we can play, myself playing up to my standard. That's why I was so frustrated, because I didn't feel like we did that today.
It was a little chaotic in the fourth quarter, but Chase Brown seemed to kind of settle things down for you. What he's done in the last month, I think four straight with 100-plus from scrimmage, I mean what has he meant to you?
He's been unbelievable, he really has. It's exciting to see him come along like that. He's going to play here for a long time, he's going to be a great player for us for a long time. That last drive the O-line came off on the ball, we ran it really well on that drive. He ran it really hard, that was a great way to finish it off.
You spent a decent amount of your time pregame talking with Brian (Challahan), good to see him?
Yeah, it was great to see him. He's meant a lot to me in my career. Great to see him get that opportunity. I know he's going to continue to put himself and them in a great position to go and win. When he gets that thing going, I have a lot of confidence in him.
A road win in the NFL is nothing to take for granted, back-to-back road wins I mean something to hang your hat on, you get two at home in a row now, can build on it a little bit?
Yeah, some nice wins back-to-back. We haven't felt that feeling a lot this year. So try not to take it for granted and enjoy them.
How's your knee feel?
Felt great!
SAM HUBBARD
Defensive End
Were they ever that difficult, the ones that you were practicing? That was a tough catch.
No, they warned me that it'd be contested, I'd have somebody on me. But I walked up to the line and was talking to the tackle like, 'Hey, are we cutting off?' like talking about a fake block and tried to get as free as I can. But Joe (Burrow) gave me a great pass. It was really fun.
It looked like he (Joe Burrow) went and got the ball for you.
Yeah, that's my guy.
Did you thank him for going and tracking that down?
I did. That's my guy. He went and got the ball; I'm going to cherish it forever. Catching a touchdown from Joe Burrow, that's something not everybody can say.
Sam, you haven't scored a lot in your career, but the plays you have scored were pretty big. How would you compare that to the Baltimore return?
I mean, that touchdown right there was special. I don't think that a Bengals defensive player has ever scored a receiving touchdown. Anyone want to check me on that?
'68 is the only time a defensive player scored a touchdown.
Yeah, so first pass, I think, ever. I think that it was just a really cool moment. Something that Zac (Taylor) drew up for me and I'm thankful to him. He's done so much for me and my career. I'm just thankful.
Zac [Taylor] said that you got hurt on the play. I know you don't know the extent of it yet. When did you realize you were hurt - because you celebrated? Like, I mean, you were hype.
Yeah, I know. I landed weird, banged my knee in the ground. Could be a PCL, but I need an MRI to see more. We'll see what it is. Whatever it is, I'm happy to get the win. Happy to, you know, be a spark for the team.
Was there always going to be a spike?
Yeah, I definitely worked through the celebration a couple of times. The spike and the flex was the plan.
CHASE BROWN
Running back
Such a back-and-forth game, it felt like you guys were trying to find your rhythm there. How do you kind of describe what just happened?
To be honest with you, we weren't playing good ball today. A ton of penalties that were unneeded that killed some of these drives. It feels good to get the win, but it was a messy game.
What do you have to say just about the offensive performance as a whole today? I know you just mentioned penalties.
I mean, defense backed us up there a couple of times, got us back on the field. So big tribute to them. Outside of that, we could have been a lot better. We put some points on the board, but when we watch the film, there's got to be a lot to learn from.
You made some key runs there down the stretch. What do you have to say about at least putting your team in a better position there?
The o-line line was getting up to the second level and making my life easy. If they do that, I can make five to 10 yards every single time. That's just what happened at the end, and we were able to execute and lower the clock down and finish the drive with the touchdown.
You guys have talked about having to stack wins. How important was it to get a win today?
Huge. I mean, you've seen the reports, you've kind of seen that little thing that gives us a chance that we could make the playoffs. We know what we've got to do. We know what has to happen. We're going to focus on this one game at a time and control the controllables.
Take us through the touchdown, the first touchdown. Joe Burrow's back there for nine seconds.
Oh my gosh, yeah. I was just trying to get open. When Joe (Burrow) rolls out of the pocket, you know it's scramble drill right away. I'm just trying to find some space for him to give me the ball and I was able to.
How many different ways did you scramble? Were you just running back and forth?
Left, right, up, down and then back and I got the ball.
Are you amazed after all that, that he's still holding the ball when you look up?
Yeah, a little bit. He's so poised in the pocket and he's able to navigate through there and just by him, his ability to extend plays is a lot of fun, especially as a skill player in the red zone. You never know when you're going to get the ball.
How many times did you go back and forth?
Like I said, I might have went up and down, side to side. It was crazy.
Are you aware of the stretch you've had in recent weeks? You're playing like one of the best in the game as far as the numbers you're putting up.
I'm just focused on one game at a time. I'll reflect on at the end of the season.
After your last touchdown, the cameras caught Joe Burrow in a pretty animated conversation with Zac Taylor. Do you have any idea what he was upset about? You guys had just scored.
It was just messy. I mean, two penalties. We're on the one-yard line. We could have done that right there. And then we went back to the five or the six, and then another penalty. That's frustrating. Especially when we have a high standard for ourselves and the way that we want to operate. It's just tough to see that and we want to be better.
TEE HIGGINS
Wide Receiver
Talk about the deep touchdown catch you caught from Joe (Burrow). I don't know if you have seen the replay or anything like that yet, but he got flattened. He's on his back, he threw it up to you and the next thing we know, he's on his back getting a touchdown because you made a play for him.
I actually just saw that. He trusted in me to get me the ball. We have been working on that all week. He trusted in me, and I came up and made the play.
Devin Cochran started at left tackle today. He had one offensive snap in his NFL career prior to this. He and the entire offensive line did a nice job.
Oh yeah, they did a hell of a job. Gave room for Chase (Brown) to run. Hats off to him and hats off to Chase as well.
I never asked you this question. When you're playing on the road, wearing the helmet and all the noise you hear down on the field, can you hear your Bengals fans that you love say "Tee" every time you make a catch?
Yeah. Cincinnati fans travel well. Any and every game they yell that "Tee" and it's a good feeling. Especially back home. I feel like even their fans were saying "Tee" because I'm back home.
Been an interesting week beginning on Monday night where quarterback (Joe Burrow) publicly campaigning in hopes that you'll be a Bengal moving forward. What has the week been like for you?
It's been just focusing on ball. Try and put my best foot forward and get a win.
Tee, you talked about coming back home. What's it like being back here in your home state, in front of a good crowd, being an Oak Ridge native and everything. What does it feel like coming back to Nissan Stadium?
Man, it's amazing. As a little kid coming in here for the Mr. Football things and just seeing myself in the locker room saying, "I want to be on this stage one day." Coming back home and actually playing on this stage is the best feeling in the world. Playing in front of friends and family is a feeling like no other.
Tee, when you get in that rhythm, especially at the end of the first half, do you sense that rhythm with Joe (Burrow) that you guys got it really going? Is that where you get the play-action deep threat too?
Yeah, for sure. Once we get in that rhythm we feel like we are unstoppable. We feel like everything is working for us. Obviously, we had a few penalties and turnovers. When we have those, we just have to go back, sit on the sidelines, reflect on what happened on the past drive and go back out there and keep going.
GENO STONE
Safety
Can you take us through the pick-six?
It was something I saw on film during the week. I'm pretty sure (Kerby) Joseph for the Lions had the same exact pick against them. I saw that during the week. It was something that me and the coaches talked about that it was something I could disguise in Banjo, that's our coverage we had.
When you caught the ball did you think you could score right away?
Oh yeah. I always think score. I always get a lot of stuff that ends up out of bounds. But that time I had a lot of room to just run right to the endzone.
I know all season you guys have been trying to generate turnovers and score off the turnovers. Is today one of those examples where obviously if you do that, good things are going to happen.
Definitely. I feel like we had a really good game against Kansas City earlier in the year. We had a lot of turnovers, but we weren't able to win. At this point, we are just trying to win and do as much as we can to do that. We still got a lot of fixing. Got a lot of tackling we still got to get better at. That's on everyone. Today is a great start to get ready for a divisional opponent next week.
It feels like over the last three weeks you have settled in as you got more comfortable and been more productive. Is that fair? Or is it just we are seeing the results?
I am definitely getting more settled in. I am starting to show who I really am. I feel like I've adjusted to the defense the past two weeks. I feel like it has made it simple for us to be able to play fast. I feel like the results are showing what we can do.
How hard was it for you to even keep your breath in the second half? You guys had a ton of snaps out there. Were you guys getting tired?
Definitely. Lou (Anarumo) gave me a one snap break. I needed it a little bit. It was definitely tiring. I feel like I was on the field for 50 plays in a row. It's fine though. That's something we work for during camp and everything. A lot of two-minute drills. I was fine though at the end.
Is this one of the weirdest games you have ever played between all the turnovers, penalties, and as long as y'all were out there in the second half? It was a weird game all around.
Definitely. We had so many turnovers, so I thought the score would have been different. I thought we should have opened it up a lot more. It is what it is. It's the NFL. They can turn the ball over too and they got turnovers. I was happy to get the win at this point.
