Chiefs 17, Ravens 10
Q. How disappointing obviously is this outcome? You guys played so hard to get to this point. I know you wanted to get to the Super Bowl. How disappointing is it to fall short?
LAMAR JACKSON: Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, we had some opportunities out there. Just got to take advantage of them. Can't turn the ball over. Fumble, interception, stuff like that, gave them opportunities to put points on the board and win the game.
We get in that red zone, it's been our touchdown all season. We've just got to finish, and we didn't do a good job on finishing.
Defense did a wonderful job and held a great offense to 17 points. We've got to execute. We scored one touchdown, and that's not like us. That was early on in the year. No excuses, though. We've got to take advantage.
Q. What did you see on that end zone throw? Looked like Isaiah --
LAMAR JACKSON: I seen Temple 2, and I seen both of them trailing him, and I didn't want to throw it all at the end zone, I just tried to let him turn around and make a play. I thought it was going to be a PI, but it is what it is. The safety made a great play and made an interception.
Q. How proud are you of the whole group this whole season? They did a fantastic job.
LAMAR JACKSON: I'm very proud of my team. New system, offensive coordinator, different things. Different things we seen, motions, stuff like that. Adversity at the beginning of the season, we wasn't playing well. People didn't know what the Ravens offense or defense was going to look like, and we made it all the way to this point, a goal short. We made it here, but we've just got to finish next time, but I'm very proud of my team, all phases.
Q. Do you feel like at times maybe you were trying to do too much or was the team just trying to battle back?
LAMAR JACKSON: No. We're trying to win. I don't think you're doing too much when you're trying to win. You thought so?
Q. I was just asking a question --
LAMAR JACKSON: No, I don't think so.
Q. They put (indiscernible) on almost 50 percent of your drop-backs. Was that surprising to you, one; and how difficult was that to deal with?
LAMAR JACKSON: No, not really because we seen on film here and there, but 50 percent, that's different. We wasn't expecting that. But sometimes they have lanes, we got intermediate routes and they jump in. Can't just throw the ball and try to make them take the passes, so I'm trying to make something happen. But they did a great job.
Q. This is your first AFC Championship game, and obviously Kansas City has been in this position many times. Are there some quality players that you kind of observed in this game that you want to emulate when you go back in the lab next year?
LAMAR JACKSON: I mean, no turnovers. They played the game basically perfect. They put points on the board. I felt like if we wouldn't have turned the ball over, we definitely would have had a shot. We definitely would have came out with a win. But they did a great job not turning the ball over and putting points on the board.
Q. Right now are you more frustrated or more hopeful that you guys have a lot to build on going forward?
LAMAR JACKSON: I'm not frustrated at all. I'm angry about losing. We were a game away from the Super Bowl. We've been waiting all this time, all these moments for an opportunity like this, and we fell short. But I feel like our team is going to build. This off-season we're going to get right, get better, grind, and try to be in this position again but on the other side of victory.
Q. Do you think there was opportunities to run the ball more?
LAMAR JACKSON: I mean, we could have ran the ball. We was down and we just tried to put points on the board, tried to get the ball down the field, and we've just got to make something happen.
Q. In your mind what makes the Chiefs' defense so difficult to score on? You didn't have much success in the second half.
LAMAR JACKSON: We turned the ball over. We were driving the ball, we just -- they made great plays, fumble, interception, stuff like that. We keep the ball in our possession, we're putting points on the board.
Q. What do you say to Zay Flowers after that sequence that he had a fumble at the goal line, taunting --
LAMAR JACKSON: We're going to get it back next time. We're not worried about that. We all make mistakes. It's his first season. It's my first time in this situation. It's his first time in this situation. We're going to bounce back. Nobody played the game perfect.
Q. I know it's disappointing, but what do you feel like is the vibe of the locker room?
LAMAR JACKSON: I mean, we're mad. I understand Coach is going to give a speech. That's his job. But we're mad. We got to this position, one game away from the Super Bowl, what I've been talking about and my team has been talking about all season, and we fell short, and like I said, the offense, we didn't put nothing on the board. We scored once. That's not like us. We drove the ball down the field, that's cool, but we've got to put points on the board. But I feel like my team is just angry. Not frustrated, we're just angry, because we know how hard we worked to get here.
Q. Do you feel like it was a matter of something different that was going on for you guys, not being able to finish those drives like you normally do? Was it a matter of poise or --
LAMAR JACKSON: Like I said earlier, turnovers. They was batting the ball down. But I've still got to navigate the throw the best way I could. We've just got to put points on the board. That's our job. We get paid to do that, and we scored once today. They scored twice on offense. We've got to do better.
Q. Coming into this playoffs, your teammates and you said you've been more locked in than you've ever been. What more can you do beyond being locked in for next season so this outcome doesn't happen?
LAMAR JACKSON: We've just got to put points on the board. That's the thing right now. There's nothing we could have did better to prepare for the game. We put points on the board and we'd be talking about something else right now.
Q. What do you take from the season?
LAMAR JACKSON: Just how hard we fought. We was facing adversity all season. Nobody thought we was going to be in this position, new system, new guys, whole new team. We've got some vets that came on with the team. People didn't think we were going to be in this position, but we was. But next time we've just got to finish.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports