Chargers - 34, Raiders - 20
Q. Justin, that end-of-first-half sequence, how much did that flip the game and maybe take some pressure off you guys?
JUSTIN HERBERT: It's huge, to be able to get a stop, a turnover like that on defense and to get the ball back in that position, you know, it's up to us to go execute and take advantage of that. That's what we did. D.J. made a great play. And it changed the momentum of the game.
Q. What kind of special connection did you have with Q today?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Q was just, you've got to feed the hot hand. He's a guy that went out and made a bunch of plays. We've seen that all year. He's playing the right football at the right time. He's confident. He's going out there, he's having fun, and you can tell.
He's feeling it, and whenever he's doing that, you've got to give him the ball no matter how it is. And he did a great job of that today.
Q. Is that something that's happening where if they focus on Ladd, you've got Q. If they focus on Q, you've got Ladd and Will and a bunch of different targets. DJ caught a touchdown pass?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Ideally that's when we're at our best offensively. It's having all those guys and having Ladd on third down, having Q and Dis and even the run game we've had -- putting all those pieces together. When we're able to do that we're playing our best football. Whatever we have to do to get to that point, we did a good job of that today.
Q. Justin, I was talking to Quentin in there about that Baltimore game, and he kind of game right -- after that game, when he addressed us, he talked about the balls he dropped, that I gotta be better. How did you see him go from that point and kind of the disappointment of that to the kind of performance he had today?
JUSTIN HERBERT: He's a true professional. A guy like that who it's the next play mentality. Whatever happens, I know I'm going to go back to him and he's going to make the play on the next play. And he showed up today and made all those plays.
Obviously it's a tough game. Everyone's going to make mistakes. I've made plenty. For Q to respond the way he has, to battle everything he's gone through, it's been awesome to see him just go out there and compete and play football.
Q. Just kind of everything that you guys have, (indiscernible) the games you've won this year, the ups and downs you have been through, how do you think this has prepared you guys to play postseason football this year?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I think adversity is a great teacher. We've seen our fair share of it. And having gone through the tight games, the close ones, the tough losses, we're better because of it.
We watched the film and we've done the things that we can to correct those mistakes. We're honest with ourselves when we watch the film the following day and say, you know what, this is what we've got to do better. And this is what we've done well.
At the same time, as long as we're able to be honest with ourselves and to continue to progress and move on and develop, we're going in the right direction.
Q. You mentioned Q just being confident. When he's playing like that, how does that kind of bleed into the rest of the team?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Yeah, he gives everyone that confidence. Whether it's third down, first down, he's going to go make a play. To continue executing on those drives and converting on third downs only leaves our offense out there. We're able to get our defense some breaks and some time off. And when we're able to extend those drives, those 14-, 15-play drives, I think it's huge for our offense.
Q. Did you get a chance to watch the end of the Steelers game yesterday?
JUSTIN HERBERT: No, kind of followed along. I was meeting and watching film. But I heard it in the other room, so I could tell good things were happening, I guess.
Q. What does it mean to you to go to have an opportunity to, with the ball in your hands as a team you get to decide your fate. You didn't have to wait for someone else to lose or something like that. Whatever was out there to take, you guys took it. What does it mean to be that team to finish something?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I think it's always important to focus on ourselves and understand it's always up to us. It's about those guys in that locker room, the coaching staff in that room. And as long as we're focused on what we're doing here and we're doing our best, to be at our best on Sunday, you know, that's all we can ask for.
We can't worry about what's going on in other games because we can't control it. And as long as we're able to focus on that, I think that's what's important for our team right now?
Q. As I mentioned to you when you walked in here, there was still fresh from last year what happened here. Last year was last year, but still to be able to come in here and do what you did today, I'm sure that took a lot of the sting off of last year.
JUSTIN HERBERT: Yeah, we've got a lot of respect for the Raiders. They're a good football team. They're much better than their record indicates. We knew coming into this one they were going to fight hard. I thought we did a good job offensively, and defensively, and special teams all three phases playing complete football. And it's always good to talk about what happened last year and move on from it and understand it's part of the game and you never want that to happen, but it's always about the next play.
Q. Speaking of last year, this is a very pleasant feeling to have, isn't it, right now, to be able to go to the playoffs?
JUSTIN HERBERT: For sure. For all the adversity we've gone through and everything we've learned along the way, we're a better team because of it, and we're going to just keep getting better and doing everything we can to be the best out there.
Q. You've only played one playoff game in your career. You must be champing at the bit to get back into it and face the Texans next week?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I think it's always an exciting opportunity to go play in the playoffs. That's all you want, you want take it to the dance. The guys have been excited about that. We knew we punched our card a couple weeks ago, but it's just a great opportunity.
It's all the hard work that we've put in, through OTAs and through camp, and we're now at this position, so we've got to make the most of it and take advantage of it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports