Los Angeles Chargers 29 - Miami Dolphins 27 approximate
Q. Did you feel out there?
JIM HARBAUGH: Great win, on a lot of levels. Just feel really great about the -- our team, and the way they responded. It was a game of rebounding. I mean, get the momentum, and they'd get the momentum. Then we'd get the momentum back. Back and forth it went. They responded as well.
I think the things I feel the greatest about, we talk about next man up all the time. But I get fired up for the next man up, because it's not just another game to them. It's the game, and guys like Bobby Hart and Austin Deculus, Kimani Vidal, and Miller, Nyheim Miller-Hines with the big return. And a lot of examples there, but also, I mean, gritty toughness of the guys that do play every game.
I'll start with Zion Johnson. I mean the play he made at the end of the game on Lad's run was incredible. Justin Herbert, I mean, he's like Hercules out there, shrugging off that sack. And great play by Lad. And Justin just played incredible, found a way to win. And same with Elijah Molden, Derwin James with the wrist, able to play the way he plays. I mean, reminds you of just -- reminds me, I find so many similarities to boxing and football that, you know, especially in the sense of man, your corner man asks you, can you go, can you keep going. And it's like give me one more round, give me one more round. And give me one more series, give me one more series, give me one more drive. Brad Bozeman, great game by him. Great game by Mekhi Becton, just kept chipping away at it, just kept staying after it. Those three guys on the inside, run blocking, pass protection was great. Talked about Lad. Talked about -- Oronde Gadsden, talk about responding. Turns it over on the fumble and then comes back and has seven clutch catches after that.
Keenan, clutch third down plays, and Lad, six really big clutch catches.
I thought -- and other guys, Justin Eboigbe, stepping in at edge, and also two great tackles on kickoff coverage. Del'Shawn Phillips, great tackle.
I thought we tackled -- I thought we tackled better. I thought we got did a lot of the things people think are little, the minutiae, which is one play at a time, smart football, tackling, blocking, getting on a man and ball security. Was chipping away at it, chipping away and getting closer to being the kind of football team that we think we can be and have been.
So all those things I feel great about. I feel great about other things, Ben St-Juste, getting his second career interception. I don't know how many guys had a career game today, but you talk about stepping up, having the best game of your career, stepping up when it's needed most. Feel great about that.
Feel great, you know, just the way everybody in the organization hung be in there, and just kept fighting, kept -- because it is. I mean like boxing, it is a football fight every single week. And you got two teams that, you know, desperate for a win, you know. And playing their hearts out there. And that's the nature of the NFL. It's diabolical that way. Everybody is good. Everybody gives it their absolute best 17 games, you know, one game at a time.
It's what makes the league so great. Everybody is great. The Miami, the way they managed that fourth quarter, tip of the cap. I kicked that last field goal fourth and two thinking we'd have another -- we'd have another drive, you know, or two to get a field goal that would win it for us, and I didn't think it would be with just 40 seconds left. They managed the clock extremely well. And the way they called the game, it was pretty darn brilliant.
And kickoff, as I said, that was a big play, Mr. Miller-Hines on that kickoff return set us up. And just enough protection there in the last drive. And Justin, avoiding two sacks to get the ball off twice, I mean, huge. I mean, he's Hercules, to me. He's just a mighty man. And goes for many of the guys that I've already talked about.
I mean, and we just keep going, keep chipping away and leave here with humble hearts and get ready for another huge game next week.
Q. ?
JIM HARBAUGH: Yeah. I mean there's no moral victories -- or no moral defeats, but there are moral victories. Great for moral. Great for just belief where, believe with, you know. Guys were talking about it on the sideline. Every time things got tough, you know be, saw our guys, the tough get going, and believing in each other, believing in themselves and their teammates.
Q. They score the touchdown at 40 seconds. You still have your timeouts. Can you describe the calls, maybe what you were doing on the sidelines?
JIM HARBAUGH: Yeah. It was incredible belief, and kickoff return unit especially, getting that ball out at the 41. That was huge. That was great momentum. You're thinking you need 20 yards, get in Cameron Dicker's range, and we got that and a lot more.
Again, I mean, that play will be burned in my mind till they throw dirt over top of me. Justin Herbert back to throw, defender wrapped around him. He's able to just mighty man it and shake it off and hit Lad McConkey. Lad does his stop, fly by, and starts getting that necessary yardage, and here comes Zion Johnson flying ahead of Lad, I mean just the type of effort, the type of -- the want-to, the great desire to win, he gets that block shield and there's another 20, another 20 yards. Yeah, I'm going to remember that play until they throw dirt over top of me. That's how great I feel about that.
Q. Are you going to check the GPS tracking on Zion's miles per hour?
JIM HARBAUGH: Yeah. We gotta get that. Incredible. Incredible athlete, incredible player. Just awesome. I mean, game-winning type plays, you know. That was one. And there was Herculean effort by Lad, by Justin, by Zion. Let's go. Yeah. Is that something to build on? Yeah. That's something really great to build on.
Q. What's going through your head at the beginning of that play, though, as the pressure is coming off the right side? What are you thinking in that moment as Justin is dropping back?
JIM HARBAUGH: I know I'm going to probably have to use my last timeout and still gotta get those 18, 19, now it's going to be more. It's going to be 20, 25 yards that we're going to need. And incredible player. I mean, I think there's a few others, maybe in the game today, not many, could make that play. And he managed the game, found a way to win. The way he quarterbacked the game, it was also great. I mean, those two touchdowns, you know, in the red zone when we were not punching it in, second half, get it in the end zone twice. Whatever he had to do, shake off a sack, scramble, find somebody on the run. Really good with the checks, and just played really tough and really good. I mean, his talent, his effort was on full display today, and his leadership.
Q. Spun and around by Phillips. From a quarterback's perspective, can you describe how difficult that is to keep your head in those situations and make the play?
JIM HARBAUGH: Yeah. It's -- on a physical level, it just can't really be done by many, you know. Just a couple, you know, just a couple, a handful of guys really that could do that. On a mental level, I mean it's an emotionally highjacking thing to have that occur. But to keep your wits about you and still be able to, yeah, be spun around and visualize where those -- where there is at least somebody you can get the ball to and then having the presence of mind to relocate, relock back in, make an accurate throw, it's -- that's just reserved for the best of the best.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports