What caused the lack of being able to capitalize on opportunities today?
We have got to be cleaner in the red zone. That is something that we pride ourselves on and put a lot of focus and importance on throughout the season. Today we didn't execute well on them.
Was there anything in particular that hurt the red zone efficiency?
Overall, we just didn't make enough plays down there. We got down there a few times and had some opportunities but just didn't make enough plays.
How frustrating was it not being able to get points at the end of the half?
It was a little frustrating, but we did a good job of moving the ball down the field. At the same time, as an offense we want to be able to get in the end zone there. They did a good job of kind of playing soft and holding us out there at the end. We'd love to come away with points right there.
What did they do better against the run compared to other teams that played you?
I'll take a look at the tape. We knew they were going to be physical and big up front and one up us a lot, and that they would put a bunch of guys on the line of scrimmage. That's what they did. I don't think that was a surprise to anybody. We'll have to take a look at the tape and see exactly what was going on up there.
When you're not successful in the run how difficult does that make it in the passing game?
We still had some opportunities. We made some plays down the field. I thought we did some good things in the passing game. We made some plays, and some guys made the plays down the field for us. Treylon (Burks) on the big one down the field. We did some other good things on some underneath passing game. Overall, we have just got to be cleaner. There were opportunities there.
Did you get a little scare with the ankle there in the fourth quarter?
It got tweaked a little bit. That is just kind of nature of what it is, if you just get hit the wrong way you can tweak it at any moment.
Can you speak to that play of wide receiver Treylon Burks making that play for you all?
It was a great job by him. I had to make sure the backside corner wasn't falling off into that zone. The guy was kind of on his heels at that point, so I just tried to give him a chance to go up and make a play. He did that. He has done that multiple times in practice and a few times in the games so far. There is a lot of confidence going his way. I had one earlier in the in the first half that if I just had a half a second longer to get the ball off clean, we're going to have an opportunity down the field. He is doing a good job not only on the down the field plays for us, but with understanding what we're doing underneath. He was a part of a few checks today and did a good job with some of the checks. His confidence is growing and my confidence in him is definitely growing.
How much have both Treylon Burks and tight end Chig Okonkwo earned your trust over the course of the season?
No question. I have a ton of confidence in both of those guys as well as the other guys, Robert (Woods) and Austin (Hooper) and Nick (Westbrook-Ikhine). The more those guys start making plays, of course as a quarterback it gives you a lot of confidence to put a ball in their direction and have faith that they're going to make a play for you.
How much do you all need to find consistency to enter the postseason with some momentum?
Every game is a little bit different. We just have to go out and try to execute one play at a time. Every run is not going to be a home run. We want to be efficient in the run game and then take advantage of opportunities that arise in the passing game. We did some good things today, but we just have to be cleaner, and overall, as an offense make more plays and finish those drives with touchdowns.
How comfortable are you guys right now in close games like this one?
Comfortable. We're trying to go out and win a game no matter what the score is. Whether it's a low-scoring game or a high-scoring game, our job is to go score more points than the other team. At the end of the day that's what it comes down to, finding a way to score points and put more points on the board than the other team.
Is there something that you could put your finger on to be more consistent in the second half of games?
Finishing drives could help. Just being able to get in the end zone when we are down there. We had some opportunities where we stubbed our toe a little bit, and then stopped drives that had chances to keep going. I sound like a broken record, but it just has to be cleaner and make more plays consistently throughout the game.
What does it say to be 0-for-3 in the red zone today for this team who normally performs well there?
It is unusual. We put a lot of focus, attention, and practice down in the red zone. We pride ourselves on being good down there. Today we didn't execute well enough.
What does it it feel like when you guys see the Bengals take a field goal and potentially give the Titans a chance for a two-minute drive until a flag rids you of that chance?
It was a crushing moment. I was talking through two-minute adjustments on the sideline with my receivers. I had a lot of confidence that we were going to go down there and get a touchdown, then either kick it to tie it or go for two to win it, depending on what (Mike) Vrabel wanted to do. I had a ton of confidence in our group on the sideline there and then what happened, happened. It was definitely a crushing feeling.
