Saints 34, Titans 26
KELLEN MOORE: As enjoyable of a win as I think we've had this year from the standpoint of the first half going the way it did, not meeting the standard, having to navigate some stuff in there.
The second half, the way our guys responded, and it took all three phases. Complementary football at its finest. All three phases contributed really well in the second half. Had some big-time plays by some big-time players.
Q. Adjustments you made at halftime to come out be dominant?
KELLEN MOORE: Our guys just played well. I don't think halftime you have some big Knute Rockne speech or some new offense or defense. Guys start playing really, really well and I thought handled the second half at a really high level.
Q. What do you think of Shough?
KELLEN MOORE: Tyler, just an awesome, awesome game. The composure, navigating stuff early. Big play after big play. He's obviously having a special season. I know he doesn't start the season as a starter, but just the way he's handled himself through this whole journey, I think really, really special. I think, obviously, the on the field speaks for itself.
Q. What do moments like that, where basically (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah. I think it's just resiliency, his ability to handle each and every play. That's a really good quarterback on the other side. Cam is going to be a really good player in this league. I think what everyone just watched was two quarterbacks that will probably be big-time quarterbacks in our league for a long time.
We're fortunate to have Tyler. Cam is going to do a great job here in Tennessee as they build this thing. I thought it was a fun game.
Q. What got you guys -- the first half, Cam Ward was kind of was in and out of every play and you guys (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Again, I think just execution, rush playing, playing together, back end playing really clean. He's a really good player so he's going to make some plays. You saw those show up in the game, his extended plays. It's a really special attribute of his. He makes big-time plays because of it so you've got to keep going. You've got to keep going. He's going to make plays. You have to keep playing.
Q. Seems like there was a lot of personnel to slow down the run. Was that complicating the pass rush when he was able to extend?
KELLEN MOORE: They've ran the football really well the last two weeks. They've got two really, really good running backs. Those two are really, really good players. It certainly was something he had to start with. We had to start with the run game, do our best controlling that.
Q. Would you like to make a case for Tyler winning Rookie of the Year?
KELLEN MOORE: I think Tyler's just had an exceptional year. His composure, his growth. Really, really special season. For him to navigate this and the momentum, I think, we're carrying as we've gone through this journey together is really, really special. I think we've got an awesome team around him, building it the right way. Tyler is doing special stuff.
Q. We've asked a few times about him being an elevator of everybody around him.
KELLEN MOORE: I thought he made some big-time plays. So credit with him. I thought other guys stepped up, Estime with 98 yards of total offense, making plays in the run game, a pass game play. Kevin Austin getting a touchdown pass. He had some stuff with the penalty and stuff he had to fight through. I thought it was awesome on offense.
On defense, we have some guys. Chase and Cam just kept rushing. Demario's got six tackles. He's at 137 now. Career high, year 14. I know he wasn't in the Pro Bowl, but he's a Pro Bowl linebacker each and every year. He's just a really special player. So we had a bunch of guys make plays.
Q. Was he doing something at the end of the game (no audio)?
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, he had something come up and so those other guys rolled the rest of the way.
Q. Is that a challenge?
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, the communication had to adjust there. We did bang a time-out to settle everything down, make sure everyone was good to go after one play, once we made the transition.
Q. Do you think it was so late in the game (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, yeah.
Q. Do you know how he's doing?
KELLEN MOORE: Just a calf thing that came up.
Q. And what did you think of Estime?
KELLEN MOORE: Just the physicality of the run game. He's just a physical, physical runner. The play that he scores and has a big run, by no means is that the design and the intent of the play. We have issues we've got to clean up. His physicality showed up. It was really special.
Q. With Kevin Austin, what did you see from him?
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, Kevin I thought made some plays. Obviously, big-time catch in the red zone really against not ideal leverage across his face on the DB and winds on the out breaker. He made some plays. Dante made some plays. Unfortunate fumble on the big-time play by him. Obviously, guys will have to step up, and they have.
Q. You use the word resilience a lot. Was it just kind of things didn't go well through a lot of the game and --
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, that's the beauty of this game. I feel as happy about this win as all of them just because of the standpoint of not the standard met in the first half.
Chase makes a big-time play to score. Other than that, we're not playing to our standard. Everyone kept going, kept going. Then felt like we were making plays as the game progressed.
Q. Did Chase's play spark something in your guys, to have that play in that moment?
KELLEN MOORE: Those are big spark plays. Special teams and defensive plays like that, when you score in those phases, it's big time. It gives you a chance. It felt like at least kept the game tangible and within reach there just with that play.
Q. Charlie, he obviously (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: I thought Charlie did really a good job. There was wind with this game, some different elements he had to navigate. Two really big kicks, long kicks. He had good stuff in there.
Q. Did flipping to the other side of the field help him?
KELLEN MOORE: I don't think so, but there was obviously wind he had to navigate.
Q. Chris with over 100 catches. What does it say about him that he keeps seeming to get better?
KELLEN MOORE: Just keeps taking advantage of opportunities and has done a nice job. Big-time touchdown. We needed that to come out the second half. He made a really big-time play there to have 8 catches, 119 yards, a touchdown. He's got 100 catches now this year. He's made some big-time plays.
Q. I know he was dealing with a back injury (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Obviously, we're toward the tail end of the season, and these guys are battling. That's what I appreciate and respect so much. These guys are sore. They're tired. They've gone through a lot physically. These weeks, they have to put a lot of time in their bodies just to get them ready on Sundays. Certainly Chris is going through that. A lot of our guys are going through that. For them to be ready to roll, credit to them.
Q. You mentioned Cam Ward. What goes through your mind when you see the opposing quarterback spinning out like that or holding the ball for (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: There are special quarterbacks in this league that are going to make plays. He's going to be one of them in this league. Obviously, everyone saw what he did at Miami and throughout his college career. He's a really, really good player. He was the first pick in the draft for a reason. He'll do a lot of positive things for the organization, building it up.
Q. (No microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, replay assist. Obviously, we'd have challenged it if we had to based off the evidence that we had, but it obviously worked in our favor.
Q. Juwan, caught 20 of 21 targets. Have you seen him (no microphone) from a security perspective?
KELLEN MOORE: I think he's doing an excellent job being friendly to the quarterback, finding voids in the middle of the field. A couple design, a couple off-schedule plays today that he was able to make some plays. He's made some extended plays after that. The catch and run, the ball security, he's doing it the right way.
Q. You're technically eliminated from the NFC South, but you would only be a game back from what you were at the end of the season to be right where you are just (no microphone).
KELLEN MOORE: Yeah. I think it comes down to people. We have a really special group. They do it the right way. They're so connected. These guys are battling such at a high level and competing for each other, and I think it's really special.
Thanks.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports