Vikings-21, Browns-17
Q. Those two sacks that you got in the third and fourth quarter, did that really anger you coming down the homestretch or your experience, to say it, this is not how Carson Wentz is going to finish out this game?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, any time you walk off the field punting the ball again, frustrated, especially given opportunities. Defense was stepping up late in the game like that, and we had a couple of chances and just didn't finish the way we wanted to, but I'm glad we got that last chance down the end there. The guys made plays to get it done.
Q. Were you worried you weren't going to come able to come back in the game? What was going through your head after?
CARSON WENTZ: Any time you go in to evaluate things, you never really know the outcome. Yeah, I thought the medical staff was awesome to work with and get back out there, and glad I was able to.
Q. Can you walk us through the final throw to Jordan from your vantage point?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, first of all, he's a stud. Justin Jefferson is as good as it gets and gets all the recognition, but Jordan Addison has been nothing but a baller since I've seen him live these last couple of weeks.
It's one of those just a simple route, simple concept, but he saw the coverage and converted his route, and the ball had to come out. I wasn't going to take a sack in that situation, given where we are on the field. I tried to put it high and give him a chance, and he made a heck of a play where.
Q. What did you think of the offensive line today?
CARSON WENTZ: I'm so proud of those guys. For guys to do what they did today in a unique week over here all week, you know, we were down coming into the game. We were down a handful of guys. Blake Brandel starting first game at center. Joe Huber starting for the first time ever. Justin Skule starting at right tackle and then flipping to left tackle against arguably one of the best defensive ends in the world.
Those things are not easy to do. For them to keep fighting and battling -- guys make mistakes. That happens. I made mistakes. The way they kept battling and fighting, I'm so proud of those guys.
Q. How are your nerves in the Browns final drive?
CARSON WENTZ: Great, great. It was one of those things, there's so much going on. You're doing everything you can to just stay in the moment and stay focused. We were able to get it done, and that makes that flight a lot more bearable back home going home with at least a win today.
Q. Kevin O'Connell has preached about situational masters, making sure that you got command of the situation, which with kind of an issue last week because of the play clock, whatever was going on with that. This week it seemed like there was some trouble with the down in distance markers. I don't know what was going on there, but did that maybe complicate things as you were setting up for the file drives?
CARSON WENTZ: No, I mean, there's things within every game that you can point out that maybe were weird or off or all those things. That didn't, I don't think, have any factor today.
Again, I thought guys, you talk about situational masters, to get it done the way we did, defense to get a huge stop and get us that opportunity and offense to just make those plays down the stretch the way they did, it was a lot of fun.
Q. You talked about Jordan. What did Justin mean to you today and the offense?
CARSON WENTZ: Justin is as good as it gets. Been watching him for years from afar. Pretty fun to get a front row seat.
We missed a couple today. I missed a couple. Gave him some chances. Want a couple back, but he's so good, I'm just going to keep giving him those chances.
We talked about things on the sideline, made sure we were on the same page. Like I said, I can't say enough good things about him, not only as a receiver, but as a leader for this team, the way he goes about his business, his work ethic.
You know, a couple of weeks ago his catch, run after tackle, or breaking tackles, he does so many things at a high, high level. I can't say enough good things about him.
Q. You played with some good receivers, but I don't think anyone is in that echelon of where Justin is.
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, he's different. He's different. I'm still finding out every week, I'm not going to lie. You know, a couple of high balls down the field today. Just giving him a chance, and his ability to go up and obviously at times go up and over guys, but just in traffic to go high point a ball gives a quarterback the utmost confidence to just let it rip, honestly.
Like I said, he's different. He's fun to play with, and can't say enough good things.
Q. What has it been like navigating these games specifically today with Kevin just given all the ups and downs?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, you know, I love his demeanor in the headset. He's still calm and just calling plays and helping me kind of get locked in on what the task at hand is, and I think he's done a good job of understanding where we're at as a team, who is in there, all the things, who we're up against, formatting and game planning.
They work their tails off in making sure we have to come to the stadium every single week with the best game plan we can have, and I thought they did a good job of that today.
Q. Speaking of game plans, you obviously we want up against the Steelers and their defensive front last week. You come up against another great defense there with the Browns. How much did that Steelers game last week help you prepare for today?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, that's a great -- they were a great defense. Today, another great defense. Different schemes and different things over there between the two defenses, but both great fronts.
Yeah, you could argue that maybe that game helped us a little bit, but again, they play so different. Their play style is different in terms of their schemes and everything, but again, I'm just so proud of those O-linemen the way they stepped up and just kept fighting, kept battling.
Q. You mentioned Kevin O'Connell in your helmet. Is he giving you more than just the play call? Right before that 15-second cutoff, is he giving you things to look for?
CARSON WENTZ: There's times and moments for sure, but just more than anything, he just stays composed. No matter what just happened in the play before, whether it was good, bad, ugly, doesn't matter. He's composed even as a play caller helping me lock in one play at a time and not make things too big, all those things, and I really appreciate that where.
Q. How was your feeling after finishing the game playing?
CARSON WENTZ: It feels great with a win, I'm not going to lie. Yeah, we're okay. We're okay.
Q. What's the plans for the bye week?
CARSON WENTZ: I'm ready to see my family. It's been a long time being away from them and my three crazy, little kids. Not sure. Not sure. Hang out, spend a lot of time with them, and just get healthy.
Q. You've been around a lot. Was that sideline celebration kind of unique for a Week 5 victory? It seemed like it was pretty emotional?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, I think -- I mean, this is a very, you know, in my brief time here, it's a very unique group of guys in this locker room, and I mean that in a really good way. Everybody is so close.
I think this week was great for that, too, and the weirdness of it. I think guys were very close and connected. You know, it's hard to win in this league. At the end of the day it's hard to win in this league, and when you get it done in a dramatic fashion like that, it doesn't matter who you are playing. It doesn't matter if it's Week 17, Super Bowl, Week 1, it doesn't matter.
You have to enjoy those moments, especially like guys stepped up like that, and I thought it was fun to see the excitement from everybody.
Q. J.J. is on the mend, but do you look ahead in a couple of weeks, and do you kind of have to see yourself as preparing to start in the next couple of weeks?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, I've done plenty of looking ahead in my life that I'm done doing that. I'm very much trying to live in the moment and appreciate the moment right now. I'm going to enjoy this one, get healthy, and see what happens.
Q. For a lot of your career you've utilized a lot of your athleticism. I don't know how much you feel like that's changed, but to the degree that it may have. Is that a difficult thing to kind of adjust to? Myles Garrett ran you down. He's going to run down a lot of people.
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, I'm never going to win that one.
Q. It seems like the ability to kind of figure out what your speed is relative to a lot of other people, it might be more important for people who use their athleticism a lot in the pass.
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, are you saying I'm not as athletic anymore? I mean, I am getting older.
No, it's one of those things. Guys are fast on the other side of the ball. Guys are athletes. At any given time there's at most one guy I'm faster than on the other side of the ball, and that's just the way it is.
So I'm not trying to run around. I'm not trying to make plays. It happens when the pocket collapses or the secondary has guys covered, and you're trying to make plays. That's not what I'm trying to do back there. Some guys are in this position. That's not me. I got some elite wide receivers and tight ends out there. I want to get them the ball. Not do it myself.
So, yeah, those things happen in a game. Yeah, just trying to do the best I can.
Q. Carson, as an experienced quarterback in the NFL, what did you make of your counterpart making his debut? Obviously it's very hard to make your debut away from home and especially millions of miles away from home overseas. How did you think he faired?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, I can only get to watch so much, obviously. I'm staring at the tablet over there trying to make sure I'm locked in, where I was in the locker room for part of it, but I know I remember those emotions and all of the craziness that comes with starting your first game.
It looked to the eye like he handled it well, but other than that, I can't speculate much about that. Happy for him to go out and compete the way he did, but thankful we got it done.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports