Ravens - 33, Texans - 16
JOHN HARBOUGH: Yeah, great to see everybody. Really, really big victory for us in September. You know, these September victories, like I told the guys, they count in December, and a win like this is a big win, and very much valued against a very good football team, a well-coached football team on the road. So we're very proud of this one. I thought our guys kind of ground it out. That was the kind of game it was against a very physical, tough football team. Nine different players caught passes. Third down battle was tough. We were 5 of 13. They were 3 of 9. That was big. Probably one of the big differences was 14 points off turnovers, no question about it. We finished the game strong, but both teams were holding on to the ball in the second half. How many possessions were there. It wasn't very many. I thought our guys holding on to the ball was a big part of the game, too. And lastly, just a disappointing thing for a guy that we love, we care about and he's been through so much already, and we know he'll tackle this challenge as well, is Tavon Young, who I think he's got a season-ending knee injury the way it looks right now. So we're very disappointed about that, but we love him and we'll be there with him all the way through the next challenges that he's going to have to face. Okay. What questions do you have?
Q. John, defensively, I know a lot of times when you play with Lamar Jackson everyone kind of focuses on Lamar especially nationally. How impressive have you been especially with this defense not holding teams to 21 points or less for a long stretch but creating those turnovers as well?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Right. That's the thing. We got a bunch of guys that they call themselves dogs, I think and I'd probably have to agree with them. These guys love to play. They can't wait to get back to work. They know who's next, and they can't wait to go to work and just prepare. And they feel that week about every opponent. So they love ball. They love playing a certain style of football that they believe in, I think it defines them and us and I'm proud of those guys.
Q. Coach, could you take us through the 4th and 1 play with Mark and the surprise there maybe for you and how that developed?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Right. That's something that we've been practicing for many weeks now, something that the offensive coaches led by Greg Roman came up with. We've gotten a lot of reps on it, and Mark executed it really well as far as setting up the scheme itself in terms of his angles. And then the offensive line and tight ends just blocked it great. It's a critical play. It's something we had been preparing for that kind of situation. I give Greg and the offensive coaches and the players, guys who executed all the credit. They're the ones that made it happen, and that was big. It was a big play in the game. It was a turning point in the game. Gave us a little breathing space and I'm proud of them for that.
Q. John, you touched on this a little bit already but did you feel like this victory was sort of a testament to the fact that your team can win in a lot of different ways?
JOHN HARBAUGH: You know, I haven't thought about it so much in terms we're just trying to win. We're trying to figure out every way we can to win and whatever tools are at your disposal, some things were working that we thought might and there was a lot of things that weren't working in this game because they took them away. I though Anthony Weaver did a really nice job defensively with their game plan. He had a really creative plan and some different things for us and their guys were playing very disciplined, tackling well. So those were challenges that we were faced with. Ultimately overcame them but, it was not easy by any stretch.
Q. John, how satisfying, especially this early in the season when we talk a lot about conditioning and physicality, to see you guys kind of grind out -- I think you had the ball for like nine something minutes in the fourth quarter and just to kind of close the game like you closed so many games last year?
JOHN HARBAUGH: That was really big. That's something that we think is really important, our style of football. And it's something that you need to work on. You need to build into that, and we've been doing that. So if you look at the second half, really your point is such a valid point for the whole second half. We came out, hit a long drive. I think it ended up in a field goal. They came back with a long drive that ended up in a field goal. And I think we had a stop and we had a chance to have our long drive. That was that kind of game. Those are the kind of situations that call for that I think our guys did a nice job with that early in the season, as you said.
Q. When you look at your team, I guess the goal is to get better every week and you guys ran the ball much better, had four sacks, three turnovers. Are you happy with the progress from week one to week two?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yes. Our guys, we talked a lot about that, the week one to week two progress probably this year was going to be more important than any season because we didn't have the preseason. And our guys, man, they believe and they understand fundamental football, situational football. So now we gotta get better between week two and week three for the next challenge.
Q. I know you called a fourth down direct snap but the next drive when you had the sneak, what went into that thought process? Was that a math thing or a gut thing or what was that?
JOHN HARBAUGH: That was, what, maybe three or four inch thing. It was that close and we just felt like we could get it with that short. They were lined up in there to stop the sneak. They knew what was coming. I don't think it was tricking anybody. It was our offensive line getting the push, Lamar being determined to get it. I think that was all just grit and guts to get that one.
Q. Coach, in a league where defending a pass is so important, you talk about having the two corners like Marlin and Marcus, not only guys who can cover but make turnovers to create plays like they did today?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Right. L. J. and Marlin making that play was really the momentum turner in the game in so many ways. It kind of got us going, jump started us. And then Marcus Peters coming back with just really, Marcus Peters type of interception. I mean it's the kind of interception that really only he can make. You can't coach that what he saw there and how he handled that play. So he broke us. The first two guys got a game ball and Marcus broke the huddle in the locker room for those plays. That was pretty remarkable, pretty amazing and made a big difference in the game.
Q. Coach, the run game, what can you say about your run game today, 230 yards? And you really spread the wealth there with really everybody getting involved.
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. I'm sorry. Go ahead.
Q. With a lot of yards. I mean over like 48, 50 something, 75 something?
JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. That's right. We did the game balls. We gave it to the running backs. And the offensive line I thought really kind of built into it as the game went along, but the running backs were grinding out yards. They were getting extra yards on most every carry. They were breaking tackles. How about the J.K. at the end to break that tackle. The J.K. to break the tackle on the third down earlier on the pass catch. They deserve a lot of credit for that, you're right.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports