Coming out of a Bye week, how does a road win like that feel?
"Yeah, it felt good. We were able to execute well enough to win. We still have some points out on the field, so just like every win and every loss, you're going to learn from it and watch the tape, but it was a good day."
What does it say to beat a team like this given how you all started the year and where you want to end up?
"Yeah, we needed this one. So, big win, but it was just one. We get a lot of football left to be played, so we're going to enjoy this one for a day and get right back to it."
Can you break down the 3rd & 10 in the first quarter when it looks like you were going to be sacked twice and you managed to scramble and make a completion to Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins?
"Yeah, it's tough to break those down. They just kind of happen. Really, that was athleticism, acceleration, explosiveness, and those were really a big focus of mine in the offseason. I just haven't really been able to show that too much, so it was nice to have that hard work pay off."
So, how much does it feel like after the Bye week that it's go time for you guys? Because this is now three straight years where right out the bye, you get a huge road win.
"Yeah, it was great week of prep. That's really where it starts. The urgency was really high all week. Great days of practice, and it wasn't perfect, but you learn from every rep that you get and you were able to correct it very quickly. So, it was a great week. We're going to learn from this one and move on."
You throw the touchdown to Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase and then find Cincinnati Bengals LB Logan Wilson and Cincinnati Bengals LB Germaine Pratt on the sideline. What'd you say to those guys?
"Man, Germaine's play in the red zone was unbelievable. I told him that was one of the best defensive plays I've ever seen. That was big time. He just needs to stay in bounds and go score next time, too."
*What did you think about going under center did? Did that help loosen things? *"Yeah, we were able to get some big play-action shots off of that. We got some great production out of that, so that's going to continue to be part of what we do."
Can you take me through the wild scramble on the first drive? You held it for almost 10 seconds. Did you think you were going down? What did you see on that one?
"Well, I never think I'm going down. I'm going to fight to the end on those. When plays break down like that, I've always prided myself on being able to get out of those situations and make plays. Like I said, that's something that I worked really hard on in the offseason. I just haven't really been able to show that. So, it was nice to see that hard work pay off."
One trademark you guys have shown is overcoming adversity, like at the end of the first half. You turned it over there, Cincinnati Bengals TE Irv Smith fumbles, and then you come out and put points on the board. How important a stretch of that game was that?
"Yeah, like I said, it wasn't perfect. That's for sure. We left points out there and we had some mental mistakes that we have to clean up, but overall it was a well-executed game. But it was a great team win. Complementary football. Defense stepped up in big spots, offense stepped up in big spots, and special teams stepped up in big spots."
What did you see from Cincinnati Bengals WR Andrei Iosivas in his growth, because he has had touchdowns in back-to-back weeks?
"Yeah, he's not getting a ton of opportunities, but the opportunities that he's getting, he's making the most of. He's really savvy in scramble drill situations. Both of his touchdowns have come that way, so that's exciting to see and we're going see more of it going forward."
For the first three years of your career, there was a lot of talk about the offensive line and when things weren't going well, it was always comments on the offensive line. How'd you feel like they played today and specifically Cincinnati Bengals LT Orlando Brown going up against one of the best edge rushers in the NFL?
"They were awesome. Not just in the in the pass pro, but also in the run game. That was a big part of the game today. We were super efficient in the run game. I think we ended up with over a hundred yards rushing. So, that's going to be a big part of what we do going forward. That was a complete game on offense. We have to stack more of those together."
You got a chance to see Joe Montana before the game. Did you notice that they were honoring past 49ers teams and that stuff?
"No, I did not, but me and Joe are good friends. He's a great guy. We've done some marketing things together, so it's always nice to see him. I always enjoy spending time with him."
Why are you guys as an offense so able to evolve and just change who you are over the course of the season?
"You have to if you want be good. We have great coaches that know what it takes and we got players that are able to take great coaching and really apply it very quickly. Coming out of the Bye, we had a lot of things that we wanted to work on, and you saw it on the field today."
After the first drive, putting some of that stuff in to place for the first time, did it feel like a big moment for the offenses growth?
"It was a great start for us. Offense, defense, special teams. When you get off to hot starts like that, it puts the defense in a much better position than if you're playing from behind."
The touchdown to Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase, head coach Zac Taylor had said you guys had been thinking about that. Can you run through it? Did you know when you got the ball you were going to go right there? It looked like kind of a fake screen or whatever.
"Well, it's no secret that we like to get the ball in Ja'Marr hands quick on, you know, little perimeter screens like that, and so you have to have stuff to compliment that. And that was a great call by Zac."
How fired up are you after scrambling for first downs, because a couple times today you slapped your helmet and looked pretty fired up?
"Like I said, I worked really hard on that all offseason. And for four to five weeks, I haven't been able to really show that, and so when you see hard work pay off, it's exciting."
Obviously you guys have perspective, have made runs after starting slow. How significant of a win does this feel like?
"It was a big win, but like I said, it was just one. There's still a lot of football left to be played. This is Week 7, we got 10 more, so this one means nothing if we come out and lay an egg next week and the week after that. So, we just have to keep stacking them together."
Did you know how many consecutive completions you had? Did you know that that number was getting up there?
"I did not know."
Did you know what it ended up at?
"I think Zac said 19 or something like that."
To be 28 of 32 passing, it's kind of an almost an absurd number. What does that mean to you? I know you value completions and all that, so what does that mean to you?
"I was able to put the ball -- for the most part all day -- in the right spot, and spot that I was trying to. That's what I expect out of myself. My footwork, I think a lot about and my mechanics. And so when I'm not that, it's disappointing. And so this is my standard."
Your completion percentage has shot through the roof the last few weeks. Is that more indicative of where you are with the calf than maybe anything else? It's just the completion percentage?
"I think there's a lot of layers to that. I think my mechanics have cleaned up over the last couple weeks, and then also, with my calf feeling better, I feel more comfortable extending plays instead of maybe throwing the ball away in those same situations that I had in the first couple weeks. And so I think it's a combination of a couple things."
I have to ask, because the last time you were wearing a compression sleeve on a certain part of your body, it alerted a lot of people and you have a compression sleeve on your arm. Is your arm alright?
"My arm's fine. It's just a little swollen. That's what happens when you play football. You have to get the swelling out. Everybody's got something."
Did those throws that you didn't like from Seattle eat at you over the Bye week? You would've liked to have completed more passes against Seattle, obviously. To come out here and be this accurate, was that a product of those kind of sitting in your head for two weeks?
"Yeah, I think so. It was a combination of a lot of things a couple weeks ago. When you have the Bye, you're able to sit back and really deeply think about mechanics, routes, timing, footwork, all that. So, that was really what I did on my Bye and it was nice to see that work pay off."
When you look at what the team did or has done over the last couple years and what the expectations are, is the performance today kind of what you expect this team to look like when you all started training camp at the beginning of the year?
"Yeah, this is the standard. Like I said, it wasn't perfect. There's still a lot to get better at, and we're going to, so we just have to keep stacking days together. It was a great day. Then, Wednesday's has to be be a great practice, Thursday, and so on. Thanks guys."
