Falcons 24, Bills 14
RAHEEM MORRIS: Big-time team win. Well-fought by the guys. You knew it would be a tough game. Playoff-type atmosphere. The fans, the engagement, and everything they brought to the party tonight was absolutely outstanding.
To see guys playing that way versus that team and that caliber and that quality of a team is absolutely outstanding. Let's you know what you got a chance to do.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Could you speak to the play of the defense throughout the game?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I really can. They went out and executed their game plan. They did a great job. I can't wait to watch the film to see all the execution and the things that we talked about come to life. I can't wait to watch those guys go out there and play for each other like they did today.
It was a very excellent job by those guys going out there, rushing their very good quarterback, keeping him in the pocket up until that last drive, whatever the case was. He was able to get out, but those guys did a great job of executing the game plan, doing exactly what we wanted to do versus a very good football team.
Q. Offensively it looked like Bijan and London were working for you. Had 335 yards at halftime. Can you speak to what the offense was able to do to get you that 21-7 halftime lead?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Yeah, you know, those guys came out, executed the game plan, drove right down the field, and were able to score touchdowns. We talked about the importance of scoring in the red zone. We talked about the importance of scoring against this type of team, against this type of quality of a team. We talked about being able to go down there and really execute our game plan, whether it was moving the chain on third downs or being able to own time of possession.
Not really sure what the numbers were. Stats are for losers, but that was our goal, and the guys went out and really got it done today.
Q. I know you have high expectations for Bijan, but how special was this in comparison to what he does every other day?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Yeah, he's the best player in football. I've said it multiple times. I can't say it enough. You can always have your pick. You can always go out there and figure out who you want to go for, but in my opinion he's the best player in football.
Q. Did you get any indication that Monday Night Football up against Josh Allen were any sort of extra motivating factors for him?
RAHEEM MORRIS: No, I just think these guys love to play for each other. It was the selfless attitude from all the team and all those guys going out there playing. Obviously, Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills, this team brings a playoff-like atmosphere. They bring guys that have been to where we want to go, and they've done what we want to do. They've been in those games, and they brought that to our stadium tonight, and it was a lot of fun to go out there and compete.
Q. Was there any point once the game started that you saw something from Bijan that you thought, maybe this is going to be different, maybe this is going to be...
RAHEEM MORRIS: Not really. You see it on Monday. You see it on Tuesday. You see it on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, throughout the week.
When he comes to work, he comes to work. That's just what he does every single day. He comes out there ready to play and just like the rest of those guys. All of those guys come to play in practice. They love each other, and they play for each other, and that was a great sign of it today.
Q. What's different about this team than the one that lost to Carolina a couple of weeks back?
RAHEEM MORRIS: We didn't play very well. The biggest difference is I thought that was the anomaly as opposed to what we've been doing the other games. I think the other games is more of what we are. It's more of a true story of what our team are.
We didn't play that well that day. I came out here and admitted to our guys that we played bad. I came out here and admitted to you guys that we played bad.
I told you to throw the stones as they would necessarily occur. Our guys have been doing what we're supposed to do the rest of the time.
Q. In a lot of weeks Drake London might have been the first guy you were asked about tonight, but we were wondering before the game about the surprise that Ray-Ray was not active, and as the game went on, it looked like Drake could do it by himself. Can you address both of those guys?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Coaching decision on Ray-Ray tonight, just like everybody else, anybody that you put down that's not active. Decided to put him down tonight. He'll be back out competing next week. We'll see where we go. We had everybody we needed. We got everybody we wanted tonight, and we got out there and got a big win.
Q. Talk about Dee Alford's interception in the play in the secondary tonight?
RAHEEM MORRIS: We challenged those guys throughout the course of the week to play throughout the first play and to play throughout the second play, when we're talking about a guy like Josh Allen, keeping plays alive. Those guys went out and competed at a high level.
We had a couple of penalties down the field, but things are going to happen throughout the down, throughout the course of the play, but I really like how those guys went out and fought and competed. You know, Mike Hughes, A.J. Terrell, I think they all made big plays at different times throughout the game. You play one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League, if not the best.
Q. Got a couple of things for you. When a guy is in the zone like Bijan and, like you say, you see it over and over again, what does that do for the confidence of the offense to know that it's working?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I mean, it's hard to talk about the confidence of this offense. I mean, they come every single day with a lot of confidence. You're tall Kyle Pitts. You talk about Drake. You talking about Bijan. You talking about Tyler Allgeier. You talking about all the guys, Mooney when he's up there and running. All those guys, our O-line. All those guys bring a certain amount of confidence that they can move the ball on anybody like they've done throughout the most of the course of the year.
We had the one game we had the hiccup, but these guys, man, they don't go out there and think they can't move the ball on anybody. When Bijan is playing that way, like he has throughout the course of the year, we got a lot of good things for us.
Q. How special was that 81-yard touchdown run?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I mean, I just thought it was -- you know, it always feels like he's going to break one of those every single time he touches the football. It was nice for him to finally got one. I think it was the longest play in his career, whatever the case may be, but we've been waiting for that moment. We talked about those Saquon-type moments last year, and that was one of those that Saquon pulled off last year when he was on a special season.
Q. Jake Matthews, any update?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know anything right now. I knew he went out the game, and we had a bunch of guys come out there and step up. Jerrell came out and stepped out and do what he had to do for us and played really well down the end of the stretch, so I was fired about that.
Obviously I'll have more for you on Jake Matthews tomorrow.
Q. Was that like the easiest challenge flag you had today early in the game where --
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know if any of them --
Q. -- the catch was right there in front of the bench?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know if any are easy, but when you see it live, you still go through your process and go through your course of checking upstairs and checking everything and making sure you got the time. They hurry up to the line of scrimmage, so you are sitting there waiting and give yourself enough time to be manageable and get it.
I wouldn't call any of those things easy, though. Those are all hard decisions, all tough decisions, and all the situations that happen in football.
Q. Very modest of you.
RAHEEM MORRIS: It is what it is.
Q. Drake, you referred to him as kind of like an emotional leader. The things that he did in the first half for the wide receiver position, does that kind of set a tone for reaching over, making those plays after plays?
RAHEEM MORRIS: He's an absolute dog. When he gets the ball in his hand, he's ferocious, he's vicious, he's tough. He brings a certain amount of toughness to our team, like our O-line. He brings a certain amount of toughness to our team, like our defense. He sets the tone. He is everything that you want in a wide out and everything you want in a player. I love him.
Q. The blocking scheme, it looked like you doubled the nose guard. Was that something you saw on film and it opened up and seemed like, man, you guys just ran big, gaping holes there in the first half.
RAHEEM MORRIS: Yeah, we got a lot of different schemes, a lot of different setups, things we want to go out there and get accomplished. Let's just say what we did today went out there and worked.
We had some good looks. Our guys went out there and took advantage of those looks, really made the plays, really executed up front, really executed on the back end.
I think our down-the-field blocking today, particularly in the 81-yard run by Casey, was absolutely outstanding. You don't make plays like that without blocking on all three levels. I really thought that was -- that really fired me up.
Q. A.J. Terrell, can you tell us about his play and what he means to this team?
RAHEEM MORRIS: A.J. coming back this week was absolutely awesome. It was an awesome lift for us. Obviously losing Billy during the course of the week, you know, all those things happen, but getting A.J. back, one of our leaders on the back end, is always going to be great for us and great for our team.
Q. You've mentioned a couple of times tonight you feel like this shows what your team truly is, shows what you can do. Did you communicate a similar message to the team after the game about, you know --
RAHEEM MORRIS: There's no doubt. It's no secret. We want to a playoff organization. We want to be able to compete in those type of games, and we played one tonight. There's going to be no secret. Nobody is going to shy away from those moments. We got to go do it, but those are the moments you want. Those are the moments you thrive for.
Those are things you dream about from a coaching standpoint, a playing standpoint, an ownership standpoint. All of those things we want to be a part of, and I think that was just something that we wanted to go out there and show tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports