**
TITANS INTERIM HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY
**
(on what he saw on the holding call and what was explained to him)
It was holding on B.W. (Webb) on the backside of really where the play was. It was all left. They were throwing double. They were throwing left all the way. Somehow a call came from the right of where B.W. was. Where it came from I have no idea. Do I agree with it? No. I don't agree with it.
(on what attributed to the two interceptions thrown by Marcus Mariota)
Conversions, receivers not running the right routes and he was throwing it to the right spot. We were not where we were supposed to be.
(on the frustration of a gut-wrenching loss)
It's very frustrating. I mean, you know we have found ways to lose. We thought we finally found a way to win, to come back, put the drive together, put the ball in our defense's hands. They do, they hold up, fourth-down play. We should get the ball, go into a four-minute and win the game. We felt like we had overcome something we haven't and again, the one call is the call. It changes the game, changes the outcome of the game. It's frustrating, very frustrating.
(on if Blidi Wreh-Wilson has struggled in his play)
He did against very good receivers. I mean the matchup wasn't probably a fair matchup on some of the things they were doing. They made some plays over the top of him. They were making plays I wish we would have. When they threw the ball up, they came down with it.
(on if there was miscommunication on interception thrown following fumble recovery)
Yes, the first one was, need to keep running. Where he was throwing, he expected Kendall (Wright) to be there.
(on if Kendall Wright had rust after three weeks out due to injury)
Again, Kendall (Wright) tried to make up something that really wasn't there. It was the way we designed it. This is what we want. It was not run right. And the second one, he got jammed, and again, I will have to watch, but stopped on the play where the ball was thrown trying to hit down the middle like we hit Delanie (Walker) on the previous play. We were trying to hit Kendall in the same area on the other side on the next play. Rust, I don't know, Kendall's just trying to make plays for us like everybody else.
(on if offensive line shuffling was effective)
For the most part, I asked our offensive line coach, Bob Bostad, to keep me aware of anything. For the most part, I felt like it held up for that front they have. Yes.
(on difficulties on third down)
Winning outside. We had a lot of one-on-one matchups and they did a good job, scheme-wise. I'll give them some credit scheme-wise. They played more zone than we anticipated with man, and still we have answers for zone, but those answers are somebody has to win.
(on rushing success in the second half after seven rushing yards at halftime)
We ran some different things than we were running in the first half. We came back to some things, we thought there were some places there that we weren't hitting with the backs, so we came back to some of the same runs and hit them. We just forced the run a little more in the second half; that was the intent. We've got to run the ball. That's what our identity…we like our identity being. Seven rushes for seven yards is not our identity so we got back into what we want to do.
(on whether QB Marcus Mariota showed growth after putting team in position to win the game)
Yeah, he did some things, he did the one interception on their sideline and he came right over to me and said, "That's on me." I said, 'You know, that's a lesson learned for a young quarterback, but you'll have other chances.' This is the one thing, if he doesn't do, he doesn't make a lot of mistakes twice. He knew immediately when he let that thing go, it was not going to be good. Tough lesson learned, of course, because we were in position there, if we get a field goal there, again, the game could change.
(on message shared with the team after today's loss)
A lot of other times in that game we had a chance to do things differently. A lot of plays that we could've made or stopped them from making, I told them, again, their effort and the way they play is getting us chances to win. What we're doing is just enough to…we thought we'd overcome it, but there was things in the game that could've changed that game, before we came down to the last drive.
(on what tells him the problem is not the DNA of the team)
… It's just I've got to get them out of it. It's me. I'm trying to get it out of them. I felt like we had it. Everybody on the sideline felt like, hey, we've done it. We put the ball back in the hands of our defense, I'd go with them against anybody to stop them, and they did, with the exception of the penalty.
(on whether the team was deflated after the penalty)
No, but again, you're giving them more chances. They've got plenty of time on the clock. They can run double moves, they can do whatever they need to get a fresh set of downs, anything could happen.
(on whether he saw the flag on the penalty)
No, I saw it. I saw it after the play was over.
(on if the officials reviewed the last interception)
I was told that they did. I thought it was awfully quick.
(on if the weather had any effect on the game)
Not really, no. Marcus (Mariota) played in plenty of rain, so we didn't feel like it was going to hinder his throws. I thought he made good throws coming in. It was steady rain the whole second half and I thought he made some good throws and gave our guys chances to make plays. So I did not think that had any…we were trying to go down the field and make some plays, but nothing for him, in regards to the weather.
**
QB MARCUS MARIOTA**
(on what happened on the last pass)
Just a miscommunication.
(on if he thought Kendall Wright was going to continue a route)
Yeah, I think we saw two different things. In that situation, I've got to be smarter with the ball and maybe just find a check down.
(on if this is the most down he's felt as a Tennessee Titan)
Not at all, just frustrated. We had another opportunity to win a game and we fell short of that today.
(on the points left on the field today with the sack and the other interception)
Yeah, both those plays are on me. The interception, the defense kind of got a man down and the guy made a good play on it. The sack, I've just got to be smarter in that situation and just throw it away. Give our kicker a chance to score some points.
(on if the touchdown pass to Jalston Fowler was going to be enough to turn the game over to the defense for the win)
It's a team game. We left a lot of points out on the board and it really, honestly, it never should have come to that part in the game, but our defense is going to make plays. They've made plays all year. I wouldn't want any other defense in that situation and when it comes up again, I'm sure our defense will step up and make a play.
(on if his first interception was a miscommunication)
No, not at all. Just kind of lost track of the corner. Kendall (Wright) was kind of open by himself from the slot and the corner fell out for me to play. That's on me. I just didn't see it and it really cost our team points there.
(on if he felt like the rain was a factor in the second half)
No, not at all. I've played in a lot of games where the weather was like this, so I didn't think that affected the game for me.
(on if the team's losses mounting by one score feel like they are a problem that cannot be solved)
No, I don't think there's a problem that can't be solved. It's just finding ways, obviously, to score more points, put our defense in better situations. Those things kind of lie on me. I'll find ways to get better and help our team win some games.
(on the third down struggles in the first three quarters and the change in the fourth quarter)
I felt that their defense just made plays. They were able to bat some balls down, get some pass deflections and that's going to happen. Again, I'm proud of the guys in the locker room to kind of hang in there to convert some big third downs in the fourth quarter to give us an opportunity to win and that's something to build off of.
**
CB B.W. WEBB**
(on the critical fourth down penalty called against him in the fourth quarter)
I can't do anything about it. They called it. It is what it is. I don't think I was (holding), but the ref called it. I personally think it was a terrible call, but I can't really say too much about it … I didn't grab him at all. I'm not sure what the ref saw. I didn't know what ref called it, so I couldn't get a chance to go talk to him. That's just how it was.
(on having to continue to play defense, after the penalty gave the Raiders a first down to keep the drive alive)
It hurt. It was big. The (Titans') sideline was excited. Everybody on the field was excited. We were pretty much walking to the sideline, and that stuck us pretty hard right there. After it happened, we had no other choice but to go back out there and try to stop them again. Things came down that we didn't. They scored. End of game.
**
FS MICHAEL GRIFFIN**
(on the loss today to the Raiders)
If we execute some things, I don't know. We just have to keep fighting. There is no finger-pointing here. When you lose, we all lose as a team, and win as a team. We still have five games ahead of us. We've got to come out and play. There is no giving up. There's no finger-pointing. We've got to keep coming out and practice, each and every week. Come out every day and try to prepare, get better each and every week, and go out there on Sunday and play.
(on knowing what to expect with the Raiders' offense)
We knew they had a great QB, and that they spread the ball around. He had his favorite targets, but at the same time, he's a good quarterback and knows how to find open receivers. You can't take it away from him. He played a great game today. He made throws, and he got the ball out of his hands quick today, so we knew what we were facing. There is a reason why they lead a lot of offensive categories, because they have a real good quarterback, and the ball goes through them. They've got a great bunch of receivers, their running back was the leading rusher in the AFC, and they had a great offensive power on that side of the ball, and we knew about all of them.
(on getting the holding call against the defense, when they had stopped the Raiders on fourth down)
It's just tough. I don't know if it (flag) came out late. I have no idea. It seemed like everything was going good. We were kind of celebrating, about to go to the sideline, and then next thing you know, we heard the referee say there was hold on number 38. We have to go back and watch the play, but again, there is no finger-pointing. We still had the opportunity to keep them out of the endzone, and we had enough time to kick a field goal there at the end, to tie this thing up and go to overtime. So we still had an opportunity. It wasn't over yet. We just let this one slide between our hands.
**
LB BRIAN ORAKPO**
(on Titans' defense having to return to field after the fourth down stop, after the holding penalty)
It was disappointing. But we have to finish. We just have to focus. Whenever a call like that is made, we have to re-focus. They just made a play. They threw the ball up, and he came down with it, and that's all she wrote.
(on Titans' defense being in a position to stop the Raiders at the end of game)
We definitely wanted a situation like this, it's just that they were doing a good job throwing balls up, and guys making plays. I felt like we were trying our best up front to get there, but I mean, the ball was gone. We just didn't make enough plays at the end.
**
TE DELANIE WALKER**
(On late flag)
The ball wasn't even going to the receiver that got called, that changed the game right there. I felt that our defense stopped them, the referees put it in their hands and gave them the opportunity to get the ball back and of course they scored a touchdown after you put them half the distance to the goal.
(On turnovers)
We talk about that all the time, we had a couple of turnovers and we didn't capitalize when our defense got the turnovers. Then we turned it right back over. Those things we have talked about that we can't have. Then it was mental mistakes that we left out on the field, that a few people had. Those things we have to clean up. You can't beat anyone when you have mental mistakes and you turn the ball over.
(On not being Mariota's cleanest game)
Of course it wasn't his cleanest game, it was soggy. Were you all outside? It was super wet, slippery. Carr had the same situation, the ball was slippery. He did lead us down there to put points on the board when we needed him to.
RAIDERS HEAD COACH JACK DEL RIO
(on the fourth down play that gave new life)
Amari (Cooper) had a double move, the DB (defensive back) held him and we got the call.
(on this being a gratifying win)
I am really, really proud of our guys. Real resilient. Come on the road, a team that has been fighting, has been playing, has been doing some things and we get a good effort from them. Back and forth a little bit, and for us to stay in the fight, continue to battle we'll show that resolve to come in here and to find a way. We wanted to end the week 1 – 0 somehow, some way, and I am really proud of the way the guys stayed in it. It was tough there, it was a reason to be discouraged. You're in control of the game, and you fumble it, and they go down and get a score and, 'Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?' Well, we are just going to go down and find a way to get it in there and get a score. I am really proud of our guys on how they hung in there.
(on Seth Roberts improvement )
Yeah, he has done a great job. I just gave him the game ball in there. I thought he came up huge in the game the way he played, the way he performed, the way he bounced back. He took a shock there. I don't know how they picked it up but they did but he made the big catch at the end. Great performance by him and overall, I thought our quarterback play well today. They don't give up a lot of passing yards. I thought they did a good job of tackling.
(on the match up for Seth Roberts)
They played some coverages that allowed him to have some opportunities and we counted on him to win some. He did a nice job.
(on how he thought David Amerson played in today's game)
He played great; he did a really nice job. He's been a great addition since he got here. He's really been a good teammate. He's fought hard every day and every rep and he's very competitive, so he got the start today. He played throughout and I thought he played very well.
(on whether putting David Amerson in the game was to give DJ Hayden the chance to watch)
It's not so much about DJ (Hayden) as about rewarding players that have been playing the best. That's what it was.
(on Khalil Mack's performance today)
He was really good. I thought Mario (Edwards) was really good and impactful in the game, but Khalil (Mack) had a couple sacks, a couple tackles in the backfield, and he's a really difficult guy to block. He's a tough matchup for most teams. He played big for us today.
(on how it was to see Amari Cooper respond today after a down game last week)
We did a better job getting him involved in the play, and I think the first play of the game, we got him involved right away. He's a good football player. He'll continue to do his thing, and we'll do our thing, and we'll have a great relationship. I like the way that young man approaches things.
* (on whether the penalties in today's game are teaching points)*
Yeah, you look at that game and there are a lot of opportunities to teach and we have to learn from some of the things that were going on. I've always told you, it's a whole lot more fun to meet the press with smiling faces after a heartfelt win.
RAIDERS QB DEREK CARR
(on his feelings about the win)
Oh man, we knew we wanted to come here and get a win. We had to get back on track, play football the way we know we can. Obviously we had to deal with the elements and those fun things, but at the end of the day it says win or loss. We knew that it didn't matter what happened we had to find a way to do it.
(on the highs and lows of the fourth down play)
That play right there has been the last couple of weeks for us. You know, you see the ball hit the ground, you see people dropping all over the place and I start yelling 'There's a flag,' we get another chance and we go win it. Finally we won today and it just feels good, it feels good to win again, you know, have a week where you won a football game.
(on the fumbled snap)
I hate that kind of stuff. I hate when that stuff happens, but it wasn't that we were trying to do anything different or trying to do something to make that happen obviously. It's just one of those things that happens.
(on if he noticed Donald Penn's reaction to the fourth down play)
I just saw a whole bunch of bodies start dropping, because of how much time and effort we put into this thing. What we do to our bodies during the week that people don't even see just to get prepared and ready to play a football game, especially this late in the year. I can understand why he was so upset, but at the same time I saw the joy on his face when he saw the yellow flag down.
(on if it feels good to win a game)
Oh yeah. To be honest, we've won a lot of games a lot of different ways since I've been here my last two years. When you do it like this it feels good and in general winning in this league feels a lot better than the other.
(on what a win like this does for the team)
It just shows us that we're doing things the right way. You know, we get a message from coach, the captains distribute that message throughout the week and we just keep rolling. It shows us that what we do works. What we're doing and what we believe in, that stuff it works. You can win in this league with the way we're doing things, but now we just have to, it sound cliché, but continue to get better at doing it each and every week. You have to do it consistently in this league. It doesn't matter how you feel after a game, you've got to get back up win or loss and get ready again. As long as we can continue to learn how to do that and how our coaches are teaching us and doing it consistently, we'll be alright.
(on the success of throwing the ball downfield)
Yeah, we got some looks where we could take those chances, but they gave us some looks where we could take some shots and they made plays. The wideouts made plays. You've got to think with the pass rush that they got too, you've got to think that the offensive line has to hold up. A lot of stuff plays into all of that and my job is easy, I just throw it up to those guys and they go get it. Those guys made a lot of plays, but we got looks to do those kinds of things today.
(on Seth Roberts' play)
I feel like he could have had 200 yards if he didn't run backwards. I felt like the dad taking the ball telling the kids to go inside when I kneed it. I love that guy man, he's done such a great job. He's like the hero story, you know, he's caught two game winners now. It's a guy who is undrafted. First day we throw routes it doesn't look as pretty as we wanted it to, but the guy has consistently worked his tail off to make the practice squad, then to make the 53, to be the starting slot and now he's making game winning catches. I think they'll write a Disney movie about him some day.
(on if he liked the matchup with Seth Roberts in the slot)
They did give us some opportunities to get him those balls, obviously, but we do like Seth in the slot. He's so quick, he's so fast, he adjusts to the ball so well and a lot of those throws down the middle if he doesn't even get his hands on them those are hitting the safety in the chest and people are booing me. So you have to give him so much credit to playing that slot position and doing the things that he does down the middle of the field, and in and out, and going outside doing things, it's not easy. What he does is not easy, so he deserves a lot of credit for the plays that he is making.
*(on getting Amari Cooper involved this week) *
Now that we're past this game and he had a good game, to be honest we didn't think anything different, we didn't change anything or say we have to do this. That first play they happened to give a look where the ball was supposed to go to him. If they wouldn't have, I would have went somewhere else. He's the same guy every single day. He's his quiet self, he'll make jokes, but he's just going to work. I'm happy for him though, because he's been putting the same amount of work in the last four weeks, the whole season, but the last four weeks to make plays that way.
(on if he made risky throws this week)
Yeah, they look risky, obviously, and to be honest they probably are but I trust my guys to compete for the football. I know as long as I can put it in a vicinity where they can make a play that they're going to work their tail off to make the play for me. I told Andre Holmes at the end of the game when I threw it up to him and we got the holding call, I went up to him and I told him I appreciate you not letting him catch it and that's a big thing to me. I always let them know that because I'm always going to give them chances. I tell them every week, 'I'll give you chances to be on SportsCenter, just don't let me be on the 'Not Top 10' for some of the decisions and throws I make sometimes. They've done a great job of making plays.
WR SETH ROBERTS
(on his game-winning touchdown and staying ready in his current role)
I just stay focused and keep believing and just be a team player. I feel like that is what I am. I don't think I am better than anybody. I just play ball.
(on what he learned about this team after the win)
We have it in us. We didn't give up. We had lost three straight, but we bounced back on the road and in the weather. It was tough, but we got it done.
S CHARLES WOODSON
(on what the defense wanted to prove today)
We just wanted to win. It isn't about proving anything. We are just trying to win. We were on this little skid for a couple of weeks and we had an opportunity to come on the road and get a win. As ugly as it may have been, when you get a win you feel good about it.
(on David Amerson's performance)
He played well in what we call sticky coverage. He was sticky out there today and made some great plays and got an interception. It was an outstanding performance.
(on Seth Roberts)
Great performance. The game was about opportunities. When you get your opportunity as a player – young or old – you have to make the most of it. Today was huge for him to go out and put together the type of game he put together. It saved us. We needed it.
CB DAVID AMERSON
(on his mindset for this game)
I was just coming in here and playing my game. I am always dedicated to preparation. I kind of knew what they wanted to do to us and I kind of knew what was coming. It showed on the field.
(on if he was playing with a chip on his shoulder after being claimed off waivers)
Definitely. I got released from Washington, and I felt like I had something to prove. I definitely feel like I am a good corner in this league and I just want to prove that.
(on knowing that the Titans were going to throw his way throughout the game)
I am a big competitor. I like challenges and people that challenge me. I like to rise to the occasion.
(on what the defense wanted to prove)
That we are a passionate defense, we go out there and compete, and we keep our offense in the game. We want to create turnovers and just be physical. That is the main thing. We wanted to be physical and tackle and not give up big plays.
WR AMARI COOPER
(on Seth Roberts)
Seth (Roberts) is a really great player. He is really sound in his technique. He runs great routes and he is really driven. It was nice to see him come through for us today, and he will continue to do that because he is a great player.
(on the flag on the final drive that led to the go-ahead touchdown)
It was the last down, so I thought we had a turnover on downs, but then I saw the flag. Penalties are a part of the game, so I was glad it was in our favor.
(on feeling like the team had to win this game)
This is the playoffs for us. We are just trying to go 1-0 each week. Hopefully we can get that done.
(on getting involved early)
It always feels nice to get involved early so you can have a groove and have that confidence.
(on making plays against the Titans defense)
It just comes down to making plays in this league. You are going to have your opportunities. It is a passing league, so you are just going to have to make the plays.
