Texans 20, Colts 20
Matt Ryan.
Q. Bizarre game, highs and lows, a great flourish at the end. What's it like walking off this thing when it's a tied?
MATT RYAN: Yeah, it's always -- it's the first time for a tie in the NFL, so it's strange. It was a weird game. Obviously a lot of mistakes in the first half. Really the first three quarters. Then we got rolling in the fourth.
You're disappointed to not come out of here with a win. At the same time, we didn't lose, and we've got to find a way to tighten things up.
But the effort across the board to me is encouraging. I think if we play with that kind of intensity, clean up some of these mistakes, and just execute a little bit better, there's a lot of things we can build on.
Q. I know it's week one, but there were just so many kind of red zone moments, red zone opportunities for the passing game that for one reason or another didn't come together. Why do you think it wasn't quite what you wanted?
MATT RYAN: It's always tough to put your finger on right after the game. We've got to take a look at -- look at the tape tomorrow and check, but like everywhere else in the game, it comes down to the little things, those details. We'll take a look at it tomorrow, figure out what we need to do better, but we've got to find a way.
As a team, we've got to be opportunistic when we're down there and come away with points.
Q. You'll get a better look when you watch the tape, but on the interception what do you remember seeing and what happened?
MATT RYAN: It was a good play. He was engaged kind of when I let it go and just disengaged as the ball was coming out. It's part of football. It sucks because it was a really good call. I think we had action. I think we had it set up pretty good.
I've got to find a better passing lane. I've got to find a way to make that completion. It was a good play, though.
Q. Was the offense doing anything different in the fourth quarter? Almost feels like you flipped a switch that you didn't have in the first three quarters.
MATT RYAN: Yeah, I think we had like the self-inflicted wounds. We were moving the ball pretty good most of the game and just had a few things that kind of derailed us, which is strange, but they happen sometimes in openers.
I thought we had a great week of practice. I thought our prep was really good.
I think if we stay the course, we continue to have the mindset that we've had and continue to play the effort that we've played with, we're going to tighten these things up, and I think we're going to be good moving forward.
Q. First game for you to play with Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman. What did you learn about those guys and the plays they can make when you had to come back?
MATT RYAN: They're awesome. They are incredible competitors. There's no flinch. No matter what the situation is, those guys are going to keep competing, keep going. They've got incredibly strong beliefs in themselves and the guys around them, and that's huge for us as a team. We have got to have leaders like that, that other players see their confidence and their belief, and it's infectious. I thought those guys did a really nice job for us today.
Q. Describing that play on 3rd down before the field goal attempt; it worked earlier in the game when you did the boot. Were you surprised to see they had played it so well that time?
MATT RYAN: It's just how it shakes out sometimes. It was a good play by them. I thought we put ourselves in a good position, so it's one of those things, it's football, it's tough. But credit to them. I thought they played it well.
Q. (Indiscernible) issues, there were a couple of them.
MATT RYAN: Yeah, it's just on me. We've got to get that cleaned up. So we will. There's no doubt about that. It's just on me.
Q. You've got some young receivers. Were there some moments that they could learn from today maybe, just in a game like this?
MATT RYAN: Oh, yeah, for sure. The one thing I saw from all of them is they keep competing. Mike Strong, big catch for us. I think it was in overtime. The last two plays were kind of the same. But in overtime or at the end of the fourth quarter comes up with a huge catch for us to convert.
I think that's a big step for his maturation making those kind of plays. I thought he played nice for us. Alec did a great job coming back, big hit, staying in there, staying tough. I thought that was encouraging.
Those guys are going to continue to grow for us, and we need them to. If we're going to have the kind of team we want to be, we need them to grow, and I think they will.
Q. On the other end of the spectrum, Michael Pittman, he just keeps taking big steps. Where can you and him as a connection grow or go, I guess?
MATT RYAN: Well, I think we're going to need to play well, all of us are. This is a competitive league. I think we can have a really great connection, and we're going to need to. All of us are going to need to play well. He's a talented player, a great competitor, and I'm fired up to play with him.
Q. As frustrating as it is to have those situations, are you encouraged knowing that so many things were self-inflicted and so many things that you guys can handle on your own?
MATT RYAN: Yeah, definitely. I think if we can clean things up, tighten things up a little bit, we're going to be just fine. But we need to tighten them up.
There has to be a sense of urgency to get that done. This is a good example for us of it needs to be right. It needs to be right from the start. Coming back at the end, giving ourselves a chance, that's great, but all of the plays matter. We've got to be sharp from the start.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports