Jacksonville - 28, Baltimore - 27
Q. Doug, can you first start by giving us detail on what the locker room was like and the celebration post-game, please.
DOUG PEDERSON: It's everything you kind of pictured. After a hard fought game and a two-point conversion to win, it was exciting, electric. Guys were kind of beside themselves.
Besides the excitement, the guys believe, right? I think that's the thing that I see is they believe in themselves. They believe in this team. And amongst all the excitement, that's what it means more to me with these guys.
Very excited, electric. These guys really deserve this one.
Q. What went into the decision to go for it for the two-pointer? And then can you describe sort of how Trevor and Zay executed that?
DOUG PEDERSON: What have we got to lose? This is something I told the staff during the -- during that last five or six minutes of the game, it's like we've got to think players, not plays, and tryst our guys.
That's what this game -- our guys believe. They believe. Once we scored that touchdown at the end, they wanted to go for two. It wasn't my decision. The players were like, let's go. I got a lot of faith and trust in them, and just a well-executed play. It's a play we've had in our game plan pretty much every week, and we were able to pull it out.
Trevor today was lights out. He played extremely well. That throw, that catch for the two-point was a thing of beauty.
I think as a football team too, a win like this just kind of heads us in the right direction.
Q. A little bit earlier in that drive, Doug, third and 22, fourth and five, I believe it was. It feels like around here typically there would have been a lot of panic. Trevor looked like a veteran quarterback, and you didn't really sense any of that happening. What was your view of those two plays in particular?
DOUG PEDERSON: I mean, you're exactly right. I think that's what you're seeing with our team is just now the growth and maturity. Again, there's no panic with these guys. They believe in themselves. They understand that, yeah, we've put ourselves in a bit of a pickle there in those situations, but we also knew we had four downs, and the guys just, they made plays.
That's kind of been the difference between, say, the first ten and this one here is just -- really in all three phases, guys making plays on the field, and that's what it takes. Was it a perfect game? No, by no means. That's a good football team that we played, playoff caliber team. My hat's off to them. But our guys just kept fighting and believing.
Q. Congrats on the win, first off. What were the emotions like in that last 14 seconds? Was it like did we leave too much time on the clock? What was it feeling like when Tucker's ball was in the air on that last play?
DOUG PEDERSON: Obviously you can't worry about the time. You're just trying to execute the two-point conversion. We knew we were going to hard squib there. Even the return, that's a big guy there that's returning that football.
Listen, we know Tucker's a great kicker. The 50 yard line is about right. He crosses -- when they cross the 50, you can bank on three points, and that ball felt like it was up there for a long time. Just happy it was on our end.
Q. Doug, just to be clear, were you planning on going for two after that last touchdown and the players just kind of said it as well, or did you really leave that up to them to make the decision?
DOUG PEDERSON: We talked about it as a staff even before the drive, and I had my mind made up I wanted to go for two, but during that drive, even after the score, the offensive guys were like, Coach, let's just finish this thing right here.
So I had my mind made up, but obviously when the players have that much confidence in themselves and in us to go for it like that, you got to believe them, and you've got to trust them. They did a great job.
Q. What does a game-winning drive like that do for a quarterback, a young quarterback, who's still struggling to find the consistency you want and hasn't really had big time moments like that?
DOUG PEDERSON: It's a step in the right direction, you know. I would say these last three games or so, he's really done a really nice job with our system and our offense. Even a game like today, again, it wasn't a perfect game, but statistically speaking, I think he had a pretty good game and took care of the football.
He's heading in the right direction. Look, it's just one step in where we want to go. Great team win today, and we can build on it and look forward to next week.
Q. What's it say for your defense to stop them, keep them out of the end zone on 4 of 6 red zone possessions today?
DOUG PEDERSON: It speaks volumes. I thought our defense really stepped up in the red zone today, did a nice job there holding them to kicks.
Obviously they're a team that is electric running the football. Lamar is a tremendous guy, you know. I just think our defense really did a nice job when they got down in there really just holding them to those field goals. I think it could have been a different football game. If they score on one or two of those possessions, it could be different. But defense did a nice job down there.
Q. Could you talk a little bit just about the rhythm of Trevor's throws on that last drive. It wasn't just one throw, there was about maybe five on that drive where they were not gimme putts.
DOUG PEDERSON: I think sometimes there's a difference between what we see in Trevor and what you all might see or a fan might see. This guy throws an incredibly good football and he's smart and he sees the field, and he can make all the throws. You're just seeing that. You're just seeing that execution with him and that maturity with him.
Listen, he played a really good game today, but his guys played a great game. His O-line played a great game. His tight ends blocked, the backs, the receivers. Everybody on offense played a great game to help us win this one. Defense came up with some big critical turnovers and some stops like we talked about.
So it's a step in the right direction for Trevor. Excited for his growth obviously, and this is a big one for all of us.
Q. How big was JaMycal Hasty in relief for Travis Etienne today for you guys?
DOUG PEDERSON: It was huge. Hat's off to him. Again, it wasn't a perfect game, but for him to run hard like he did, catch the ball like he did, gosh, my hat's off for a guy we just added to the roster at the beginning of the year to be in this position to help us win a game like this. My hat's off to him.
Q. And any update on Travis Etienne?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, we didn't rule him out. We thought he could go. It is a medical. We've got to get more information tonight and check him out. He was walking around the sideline, and he felt fine. I just don't want to risk it with him right now.
So it was just my decision to keep him out, but we'll check him out tonight and have probably a better update tomorrow.
Q. Coach, you talked about players, not plays, Zay Jones, 11 for 145, one of the highest totals for a receiver on this team this year. Were you scheming him open, or as the game went on, he just kept making plays over and over again?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think he just kept making plays. Our plans each week is to get the guys the football. Zay is one of them, Christian's one of them, Marv, all those guys.
Sometimes it's who has the hot hand, and Zay really played extremely well, and what a tough couple catches down the stretch. Obviously none bigger than that two-point conversion.
Q. Go back to the defense, Doug. They held them in the red zone, but also they bent, but they didn't break down the field too. There was the midfield play at the end of the half that set up the first touchdown. The third quarter, there was the one at the 5 yard line where they stopped Lamar and forced the field goal there. Can you just talk about the nature, they gave up some big yards, some big plays, but they rallied. What does that say about the way this defense is playing?
DOUG PEDERSON: They're coming together. They're believing in themselves, believing in the scheme, trusting each other. That's what it takes. This thing is not -- you know, you're not going to fix it in one, two, three, four, or five ball games. It takes some time.
Yeah, there were some explosive plays that we gave up, and we've got to fix those and correct it, but for them not to panic either and to really bow their neck in the red zone and hold them to field goals, I think is huge. It's really -- I think to me it could be the difference in the football game quite honestly.
So defensively, Mike's scheme and the coaches did a nice job of game planning for Lamar and that offense. Yeah, you're going to -- listen, you're not going to keep them down, right? They're an explosive offense. But yet when they get down in the red zone, our guys did a nice job of holding them to three.
Q. And to follow up, is the simplicity that you talked about earlier this week, did that play a factor in some of that?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think it can help. I think it can help to just turn guys loose a little bit and let them play and use their strength.
Q. Sticking with the defense, can you talk a little bit about Chad Muma? You don't normally see a rookie helping guys get lined up, especially a guy making his first start. Were you pleased with what you saw from him today?
DOUG PEDERSON: From the sideline, yeah. Obviously get a chance to watch the tape and watch it back and evaluate it, but overall, he did a nice job. You saw Foye around some plays a little bit more.
It really goes to the point of simplicity. It just allows the guys to be free and play to their strengths. But from my vantage point, I thought Chad did some good things.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports