TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
On if the Titans were overmatched against the Broncos
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| Titans coach Mike Munchak said he didn't think the fridid temperature affected Sunday's game because conditions were dry and there was little wind. Slideshow from the game. |
"We knew coming in, you know, I thought the guys came out with a lot of excitement and passion to play a good football team in a tough spot to win. I thought we came out and made some plays early, especially on offense: the big pass early, the good kickoff return on special teams, jumped to a lead there and got some momentum. But we knew, again, obviously to win here, we were going to have to make some plays, get some turnovers and things like that. I thought they did a great job handling the ball; they did a great job making plays, as they moved it down the field. We ended up being the team that turned it over twice. You can't do that against this type of football team unless you're getting some back yourself. We hung in there, I thought. I thought we would have to play our best to win, and I thought in spots we played very well, and obviously we couldn't make the plays to keep the game going there in the fourth quarter; that's when they started putting some points on the board."
On why the Tennessee defense had trouble getting Broncos QB Peyton Manning and the Denver offense off the field on third down
"That's why he's special; he found a way to get the ball out of his hands when he had to. They ran the ball well when they had to; he got them in the right plays and made good throws. We knew that coming in. So, again, you have to find a way to tip a ball that changes the momentum like they did on us, or you have to find a way to knock a ball loose or get a pick; those are the things we didn't make happen. Those are the things that we have to be able to do and we couldn't do it. If you don't do that, they get a rhythm going and it's hard to stop it."
On the impact of the Broncos scoring 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half with the Titans up 21-10
"Yes, that's exactly right; a record field goal [Denver K Matt Prater's NFL record 64-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter]. And then they had the drive to start the third quarter with the ball first [Denver WR Demaryius Thomas 4-yard TD reception]. So that was the part of the game where we had jumped out and made some plays, we got some momentum, but they're a good team; we knew they were going to come back and do pretty much what they did. We just wished, again, somewhere in there we needed a stop, we needed a play, we needed a tipped ball. We didn't get those things and credit them for being the good team that they are."
On why Tennessee stopped taking shots downfield, particularly at the end of the first half
"We were in that spot of the field where, again, they were getting a little pressure with the rush. We didn't want to have something bad happen there and give them the ball back too soon, so we thought we would try some things that were a little bit more conservative, but had a chance, we felt, again, a block here, block there and those are big plays without a lot of risk. I think that's what we were thinking about there. We were backed up inside our 25-yard line, I think, so we didn't want to take a chance of anything bad happening there by turning the ball over. That's why we called some conservative plays that were both good screens that we thought would be good plays and they weren't."
On if the Titans gave the Broncos too much time at the end of the first half
"I don't know; we gave them seven seconds and they kicked a 64-yarder. So, yeah, when it was all said and done, they ended up having too much time."
On cold weather affecting the Broncos offense
"No, I think when you don't have wind, which we really didn't have a whole lot of wind today affecting the game, and it wasn't wet. I think cold is just…(a nonfactor). Even when we are coming here, I didn't really think that cold weather would affect the game unless it was backed up by heavy wind or gusts or something that would create issues with throwing the football or kicking the football. When you play those games when it's wet, and obviously with it being this cold, we knew this game wouldn't be that way, so I don't know if the game was affected at all by the weather."
On reasons for going for it on fourth down
"The combination of the two (leave nothing on the field, and keep the ball away from the Broncos offense). I felt the first one was one we needed to have. I thought we had some momentum there, I thought we were moving the ball well. I liked the play we had to use there. We made a big play to score the next down so I thought we were trying to capture some momentum, and we did that. That's when we jumped up 21-10 or whatever it was. Again, once we got to that point and we had that window there we needed to make another play. We needed to find a way as an offense or a defense to be able to get to 28 or to get to 24 and we weren't able to do that. And then all of a sudden it was a one-point game and then things kind of…We hung in there in the third quarter and then obviously the turnovers put it away for us. So, the second one was more of a thought that even though we were backed up, it was more of the way the game was going I just thought it was necessary. We weren't going to get the ball too many times and we were down one score, I thought we were down nine points, I thought we had a shot there, but again, we turned the ball over after that first down so that pretty much slammed the door on us."
On inconsistent penalty calls for hard hits in the game (hit on WR Wes Welker and hit by Titans S Bernard Pollard)
"From our view point, they're going to throw those things no matter what, and obviously we don't think it was a good call but they threw the flag."
On making WR Kenny Britt inactive and playing WR Michael Preston
"Because of defense, who were suited up on defense, because [CB] Coty Sensabaugh was going to play and pretty much be a starter in this game, because we knew they'd be in three wide receiver formations for most of this game, we needed another special teams guy to help us there and Mike P. is the one receiver that can play special teams so we activated him and made him the fourth receiver so he was able to play on all four special teams and also play the fourth receiver so that gave us a lot more flexibility going that way."
On the Titans playing like they still having a playoff hope alive
"Oh, no I'm not worrying about that. You're going to see us at our best the next three games. We're going to be great effort, great energy, we want to win them. That's how this group is. Things haven't gone our way in some games this year. We've been in all of our games this year, again, a play here, a play there, it creates the problems. So I don't think that will be a problem. They'll be disappointed without a doubt. The expectations for all NFL teams are much greater than to be close but not get it done, but again, next week we have Arizona. It's a big game for Arizona. We know they're in the playoff hunt. We need to win some games at home. We have two at home. Of the last three, we need to win all three and finish the best we can as 8-8."
On their injuries
"Overall, pretty healthy. No one that had to leave had to stay out of the game."
TITANS QB RYAN FITZPATRICK
On the team's first-half play
"We knew coming in to this game we were going to have to put the pedal to the medal all game long. Even though we had a lead in the first half, we knew they [Denver Broncos] were going to put a lot of points up in the second half. We've seen them do that a lot this year. Obviously, with number 18 [QB Peyton Manning] on the other side being the play he is and the offense they run, we knew it would have to be an error free game for us. The two turnovers gave him two extra possessions. That's not a good thing when you're playing against him."
On the game plan of running the ball
"We've got good running backs. We wanted to give them the ball. We felt like sustaining long drives and feeding those guys the ball was going to be a good plan for us. We had a couple of really quick scores. We had the long pass to [WR] Justin [Hunter] and then we had the long kick-off return. We ran it in in the next play. We had a couple of quick scores that were in our favor, but we wanted to run the ball. We still did even in the second half. The touchdown to after Justin was a good job, I thought. In falling behind like we did, we got away from it."
On the key to having early success
"I thought we came in with a good game plan. Like I said earlier, we knew this was going to be a full four quarter game with how well it was going so well for us in the first half. We had a couple of good first possessions and we knew we had to keep that on. We had to protect the ball and unfortunately we were not able to do that."
On facing QB Peyton Manning
"That is why they are sitting at 11-2. They are a really good football team. They force you to play mistake free football and be perfect out there. We weren't able to do that especially in the second half today."
On the effects of turnovers
"A couple for us and them are big 'what ifs'. They really shift the game. Those two plays were big though because it gave them two extra possessions."
On the Broncos second quarter momentum
"That was tough. We did not want that to happen obviously. Coming out of the half, they got the ball again. That was a swing. It certainly did not sway the outcome of the game. We still felt confident at halftime and we thought we could continue to run our offense like we had in the first half. It got away from us a little bit."
On the absence of the second half run game
I think the turnovers hurt us. Having the lead that they did, we weren't able to give it to our running backs and run the ball like we did in the first half."
On moving forward
"Still have three games left. We have to regroup and continue to fight. That's the message for our guys moving forward. Who knows what's going to happen, but we need to go out and fight the last three games."
TITANS CB ALTERRAUN VERNER
On the Broncos' offense
"They were in rhythm, [QB] Peyton [Manning] was throwing the ball on the money. For the most part it seemed like we were in good, tough coverage but you have to give them kudos, they were making plays. We were hanging in there and playing well in the beginning, but then they just took off like a rocket."
On giving the Broncos extra chances
"We got them in two fourth down situations, and they converted both of them and it ended up being a touchdown, even before the half, giving them a chance to kick a field goal. The offense was definitely rolling, we were just on the field too long and didn't give them a chance to get in rhythm."
On Peyton Manning breaking the Broncos single-game completion record
"I wouldn't be surprised, just because of the way the game is now, compared to then. When [former Broncos QB] John Elway was playing he had [former Broncos RB] Terrell Davis, so they were running the ball. I'm not surprised at anything that Peyton Manning does."
On the penalties
"For me and Jason [McCourty] the last two or three weeks the referees just haven't been able to let us play. All the times that they called something on me, I thought it was good coverage, but of course I'm going to say that because I'm a defensive back. But the proof is in the pudding, it was a rough day, Peyton [Manning] completed 38 passes, probably had over 400 yards and 3 or 4 TDs so it was a tough day, definitely.
On Peyton Manning throwing at him
"We knew that going in, I could have had 9 interceptions, 28 pass break ups and he still was going to throw the ball at me. Peyton Manning is going to throw the ball where the coverage is dictating. We made a few plays, not as many as they did and that's the difference in the game."
TITANS S MICHAEL GRIFFIN
On the loss
"Their receivers were catching the ball. There were some drives that were able to continue based on penalties, whether they were questionable or not is up in the air. We were there, we just didn't finish."
On the penalties
"Every little thing we did, the flags were coming. I'm not going to sit there and cry about it, they won the game fair and square, but there were some calls out there that we thought were questionable. But at the end of the day, we just need to figure out a way to overcome the penalties."
On the weather
"It was cold outside but it wasn't the conditions that you saw on the east coast with the snow and the different conditions. It was a cold game, but it was easy to catch the ball, it was easy to throw the ball and I don't think that it played a part in any way of the game."
TITANS T MICHAEL ROOS
On gameplan of keeping ball away from Broncos' QB Peyton Manning
"Yeah, you want to keep the ball away from him, but if you can get points then you will take the points anytime you can get them. I think we all came in here thinking we were going to win. Everyone played hard and we all believed; I felt like we were taking it to them and had control of the game for a while. Little by little, it just started to slip away from us."
On why the Titans haven't won as many games as they thought they would
"The whole season is like this game; we are right there and are so close. The amount of games that we have lost by a touchdown or less that we couldn't finish, you just never have that one little thing that you know what it is. We just need to figure out what it is and get that mentality back that we are going to win every game. It's just one of those things where we can't finish it out."
On why the offense stalled in the second half
"I don't know. We stalled a little bit on offense in the second half and weren't able to convert some of those third downs. When you start giving up some of those short fields with the turnovers, you just can't have that against any team run by Peyton Manning."
On the cold weather
"It was cold, but it is what it is. They were in the same temperature as us, so we have nothing to complain about."
TITANS CB JASON MCCOURTY
On if Denver is the toughest team they have faced this season
"Without a doubt. Their combination of [QB Peyton] Manning at quarterback with the weapons that they have on the outside is definitely the toughest offense that we have played thus far. It was tough out there. The refs called it really tight on the outside, so it was tough for us as DBs to be more aggressive. We tried to adapt, but we just didn't do a good enough job. As a defense we just didn't play well enough."
On frustration of Denver scoring so much
"It definitely was frustrating. It was hard because we stopped them a couple of times on third down and then they came out on fourth down and got it. It's definitely frustrating, because when an offense puts up that many points against you, it is definitely embarrassing."
On whether there were more defensive miscommunication today than normal
"No. In the heat of the battle, certain defenses might be expecting help on the guy on the route but he goes to help someone else out. I think that might have happened a time or two; they ran a lot of pick plays which makes it difficult. We just didn't do a good enough job of covering guys up and giving our defensive line a chance to get more pressure."
TITANS WR NATE WASHINGTON
On whether momentum changed at the end of the first half
"No, we were still in that ballgame. I think a lot of unfortunate things happened today, but this game is about making plays at the end of the day; if you don't make plays, you aren't going to win. In the second half we had to find a way to make some plays and we just couldn't put them together."
On how difficult it is as an offense when QB Peyton Manning is in such a rhythm
"I can't give him rhythm. I can go out there and throw 60 passes and complete 20 or 25 of them. Let's get one thing clear, I take nothing away from Peyton Manning; I think he is an outstanding player, definitely a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I think the things that he has done in the NFL are outstanding, but today we didn't get beat by Peyton Manning. Let's stop talking about Peyton Manning. We didn't get beat by Peyton Manning, we got beat by the Denver Broncos. I think they did an outstanding job of making their adjustments in the second half, and they came out and did whatever they were supposed to. Peyton came out and threw nearly 60 passes today; he is supposed to complete however many he completed. I'm not worried about that, I think our defense did an outstanding job. Their backs were against the wall. I'm very proud of the guys in this locker room; they fought hard. I'm very proud of the guys that weren't able to suit up today; they were really into it and tried to make sure we were enthusiastic about our job. This boils down to us having to make plays at the end. We didn't make those plays today, and we need to figure out a way to make them."
BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On injuries
"Really we only had one injury. [WR] Wes Welker left the game with a concussion and did not return. He will obviously go through concussion protocol. That was really our only significant injury."
On how he felt in his first game back since his surgery
"I felt great, I really did. It was great to be back. I had a good week as far as practicing and the energy level and all that. I feel outstanding. It's great to be back, I really forgot how fun that was."
On if he's feeling better
"Yeah. As I mentioned to a lot of guys during the week, I actually feel about 130 percent better than I did a month ago. That's just the nature of what I went through. I'm probably stronger as far as that area than I was before. I'll just continue to be stronger."
On the 64-yard NFL record-setting field goal by K Matt Prater
"I knew if we kicked it well that it would be a record. We've got a lot of confidence in Matt's leg. You always kind of dream of that opportunity occurring and then being able to kick it. In those conditions, it was really pretty miraculous. It was a great kick. I'm sure everybody in the stadium as well as everyone in the stadium was thinking about the play that happened in college football not that long ago. That was a concern. But he nailed it. We just got done giving him a game ball for breaking that record."
On halftime boost provided by the record-setting kick
"Oh yeah. You felt the energy in the stadium as we ran off the field. No doubt that energized our football team."
On the effect the cold weather had on kicking
"We do a lot condition-wise with any kind of elements, whether it's wind, cold – whatever may affect the kicking game – in pregame. Even that changes. That direction was the preferred direction as far as what little wind there was, but he still had to hit it good. There's more to the kick – you've got the snap, you've got the hold and you have the kick. In those conditions – I know it looks automatic but it's not."
On falling behind early
"Not really. We've done that in games. We've fallen behind in games throughout this season. Coming to mind – 14-0 not that long ago against Washington, also against Dallas. We had a big play on defense that we gave up, and then we had a big play in the kicking game. Our offense was rolling pretty good, so we leaned on them and they came through."
On the defense
"I think we're missing some starters, we've lost a few starters here over the last three weeks. Even [DE] Derek Wolfe missed this game. I think there's no question that there is room for improvement. There is room for improvement in our whole team. To get whole again is going to be important coming down the stretch. We need to play a little better. We took a look at some other guys a little bit tonight to develop that throughout the rest of that season. We're not satisfied at this point. There's room for improvement and I'm not ashamed to say it."
On trying to improve on defense despite injuries
"It's something you deal with. Dealing with prosperity and adversity – much like life – you grind and just keep working and keep grinding. There were times in that game it didn't look good for the home team. Same way with players – guys are getting better. We rested [LB] Wesley [Woodyard] a little bit. He had a nerve thing not too long ago. [LB] Paris Lenon stepped in and played some base downs and helped us. We're just doing anything we can do to get guys ready to play that are going to help us down the stretch. That is not going to change whether it is this week, 10 weeks ago or two weeks from now."
On if QB Peyton Manning was trying to silence critics about his cold-weather play today
"I think that's a question you'd have to ask him. I though our team became very determined in the preparation this week. Again, he's a leader on our team, I thought he did a superb job – I think our team did a superb job of getting ready for those elements. We went indoors one day just because there was a lot of snow and we didn't want to risk injury, but Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were pretty frigid and I thought it was great for us. I think this year one of the advantages has been that we've been in cold-weather games. We got to practice in it for three-straight days. So I think it's just going to be something that's going to help us as we get into December and even into January."
On if he thinks this game will silence the critics
"We can't control that and we're not going to try to. We just try to do our jobs and hopefully do the things necessary it takes to win. I think we answered the call today."
On how much scoring 50 points factors into how fun today was
"Well I think it's winning – I don't care if you win by five or 50 (points), to be honest with you. This game is only fun when you win and it doesn't matter if you're playing it, coaching it, or probably being a fan of it or even a media person."
On if DT Terrance Knighton is taking on DT Mitch Unrein's job of pass catcher in goal-line situations
"No. We still threw Mitch in there in a particular package we called. [Knighton] did do a pretty good job on that interception though, maybe it's something we will look at (laughter)."
On clinching a playoff spot with today's win
"That's our goal, but our goal is still to win the division and obviously, get the best seed we can. Our biggest goal is to get to the 'big game' (the Super Bowl) and win the big game."
BRONCOS QB PEYTON MANNING
On today's game
"Threw the ball pretty well. On offense, I felt like we had a pretty good plan early. Two weeks in a row, we found ourselves down 7-0. Then they got the kickoff return, which was similar to last week. Guys did a good job staying calm on the sideline and executing the plan. [K] Matt [Prater's] kick at the end of the half was awesome. I'm really happy for him. Really just a momentum boost for us. It felt like even though we were down one, it was tied or almost like we had the lead. To get that field goal and get points knowing we were going to get the ball at the beginning of the second half I thought was really critical."
On if it's not as bad when they give up a big kick return when the offense is in a rhythm
"No, that's not something you want. I've never heard of that theory."
On if he was trying to silence critics of his cold-weather play
"Yeah. I wasn't trying to answer it, because I didn't give it validation in the first place. We had a good plan and I thought we threw the ball well and guys caught the ball well."
On throwing 59 times today
"You never plan for 95 plays. Defense had about 45 plays and they settled down and did a good job on third down getting them off the field. We had a lot of first downs. I don't know how many, but we were first-down, second-down, first-down. When you're in that kind of rhythm it puts a lot of pressure on the defense. It doesn't give them a chance to even get to their third-down packages. It helped us to move the ball down the field. We ran the ball well and I thought the line protected well against a good Titans pass rush. That was really critical."
On his conversations with offensive coordinator Adam Gase on the sideline
"You're always looking at it. Adam and I sit by each other – I've never had a coordinator that sits by me the entire time. That's kind of his little spot as well as my spot, so we can talk about that series and talk about the upcoming series. Even at the end of the game you're still studying and still looking at things, knowing you might not get the ball back and the game could be over, but those pictures are usually just a validation of what you were seeing on the field. It's good to have someone to talk to, who is in your ear calling plays to you."
On his animated conversations with Gase
"Animated? (Laughing) Adam and I are on the same page. We both want the same thing. We want to score touchdowns. We were both frustrated when we're down there close and have to settle for a field goal, especially when you see the game might be something of a shootout. Their offense was capable of scoring points. You just know what a difference a touchdown is over a field goal. Nobody works harder on our red zone than our coaching staff. Adam and his staff spend a ton of time on the red zone and it's paid a lot of dividends. As players you really want to execute that plan and get it in the end zone. When you don't get it in there, you're frustrated because you don't want it to come back and haunt you. Touchdowns are better than field goals, but points are the main thing. We've had some healthy conversation I think that's a good thing, believe it or not."
On miscommunications today
"I can't think of a particular instance of a miscommunication. Probably had a few balls that probably should have been completed that weren't."
On talking to WR Demaryius Thomas after an end zone incompletion being an example of a miscommunication
"That was one. A couple of times down there they covered us pretty well. They were playing some man-to-man, we had some routes that they covered pretty well. Sometimes we think maybe we could have run it a certain way and had a better chance to succeed. The one with D.T. down there was a miscommunication. You'd love to eliminate those, especially on third down when they are going to keep you from getting the touchdown. I thought D.T. made a couple of huge plays – a big one there late on kind of an out-and-up down the sideline and then caught a touchdown on the in-route. [TE] Julius [Thomas] made a great catch. I was thankful they finally – the referee finally said, 'The ruling on the field stands.' I got tired of them overturning them. I've never gone back and forth that many times to the sideline and bench. And then, who else caught a touchdown – [WR Wes] Welker caught one, [WR Eric] Decker made a big play, a really good route there at the end on his double-move post for a touchdown."
On what goes on at halftime that allows him to be so efficient at scoring on the first possession of second half
"We make adjustments but a lot of times it's just about executing the plan a little bit better. We had some momentum going into the second half, we scored a touchdown, Prater's kick set an NFL record. I think that definitely does lift you team up. We got the ball at the beginning of the second half and just had a good mix of – what it seemed like – of run and pass. I can't remember how we scored on that drive, or who it was. Our guys have done a good job coming out after halftime ready to play and playing fast."
On how he feels right now about the offense
"Well, you score 51 points, so you're doing something right. We'll study the film, even in this short week, and we'll look at a couple of the red zones where, 'Hey, what could we have done better to get into the end zone?" You're down there that close inside the two or three-yard line, I want to say maybe twice, and had to settle for field goals. Those are points left on the board. There are still a lot of things we're doing well. But you study each game individually, and it's about doing it each week and we've got a short turnaround – 95 plays is probably not the best scenario for a Thursday night game and we took some injuries and we're not sure how that's going to affect us. I'm not a fan of Thursday games for this reason alone. But we've got to deal with it and we're playing a division opponent who we had a close game against the last time and now we've got them here at home."
On how hard it is to condense his game preparation when it's a short week like this week
"I've done it, I've played enough Thursday night games where I know the habit if that makes sense."
BRONCOS RB MONTEE BALL
On coming out as a team and playing well in this cold weather
"During practice we focused on running the football, because all of us in the running back room, we put the ball in the right spots and our offensive line does a great job up front. So we just make sure whenever the ball is in our hands, we make sure to protect it and run hard, then obviously when the ball is in the air our receivers are going to make some great plays."
On [K] Matt Prater's field goal
"That was unbelievable, man. That's great momentum for a team. Congratulations to him, because he broke a great record."
On multiple people scoring touchdowns for this team
"Yeah, we're all executing and we all want to score; we're all human so we all want to get in the end zone. It's just about putting the ball in the right spot and trusting the scheme."
On how cold the football was today
"It wasn't that cold. I'm kind of sick to my stomach on that drop that I had, but I'm going to get back on the jugs catching the football and be ready for next week."
On his missed catch
"My eyes are going to be closed in meetings watching that one. I was a little sick to my stomach on the sidelines after that one because I let my teammates down. I think a great thing I did today was that I forgot about it and kept playing."
BRONCOS TE JULIUS THOMAS
On what he thought the cold-weather win meant to QB Peyton Manning
"I'm sure he's tired of hearing it, he's been playing so great all season, he's been playing great his entire career and just to hear people nitpicking about something like the cold; for him to be able to come out there and put 50 on the board and put that whole cold thing to bed, I'm sure he'll be happy to see that behind him tomorrow."
On him being healthy for the upcoming game vs. San Diego
"Yeah, I didn't do anything to aggravate it or anything like that, so I'm sure I'll be ready to go Thursday."
On if there was any doubt when they were down in the first half
"Oh never. We know what we have the capability and potential to do, if we're executing. All year we've been proving that if we get things going, we can be explosive and put points up on that scoreboard."
On Matt Prater's record-setting field goal
"First of all it was amazing to see somebody set an NFL record, I mean he kicked a 64-yarder in whatever temperature it was; and it brought us within one. We knew we were going to get the ball to start the half; we've been focusing all year on scoring that first drive. So it we do what we had to do, we'd have the lead after that first drive and continue to build from there."
BRONCOS K MATT PRATER
On if he knew his 64-yard field goal was going in when he kicked it
"It was so cold, I knew I hit it pretty good but I wasn't sure with the cold and everything it was going to get there. I saw the ref's hands go up and I can't even explain what I felt after."
On if the kick gave them momentum going into the half
"Yeah, it definitely did. [P] Britton [Colquitt] and I were joking about it at halftime, I said to him 'Aren't we still down by one right now?' But we came back and had a good second half."
On the team's reaction to his record-breaking 64-yard field goal
"It was awesome, because the whole team almost rushed the field after that kick, so it was definitely a momentum swing and I'm just happy I had the chance to kick it."
On other guys doing incredible things and their reaction to his kick
"It just shows how close of a team we are, everybody loves each other like family. It's just like when [QB] Peyton [Manning] gets a record or when [LB] Von [Miller] does a huge play, everyone celebrates."
On if he thought about the kick before he kicked it
"It was definitely a spur of the moment type of thing, it just kind of happened so quick, I just ran out there and like I said just tried to blast it basically."
On how much harder it is to kick in the cold
"It's a lot worse, especially the first couple kicks. By that time my foot was numb so I couldn't really tell. I felt like I hit it pretty good, but I honestly thought it was going to be real close, but then I saw they put a returner back there and I saw him backing up so I thought we might actually have to cover this one. I saw the ref's hands come up and I don't even know what happened after that, Britton jumped on my back, I think he was more excited than I was."
BRONCOS LB VON MILLER
On being pleased with the Broncos performance today
"It was great – [a] good team effort. We had guys swarming to the ball, had guys all around them and just a great team effort. [It was a] great defensive effort. I wish we could have started off a little bit faster, but that's all part of the journey of becoming the defense that we want to be. I know if we can get back in that lab and keep working that we will continue to improve."
On the Broncos getting down early then making a come back
"That's just part of it. I wish we could write it a little bit different. I wish we caused six turnovers in the first quarter on defense and do all this amazing stuff and I think we are on our way doing that stuff. We just have to continue to take it one play at a time. We started slow today, but this is the NFL and you have good teams every week. Hopefully we can iron out the kinks and get ready for a good San Diego team next week."
On forcing two turnovers that were converted into touchdowns
"Yeah, it was a good defensive effort. Our DB's were covering wide receivers [and our] linebackers and defensive line we did what we needed to do and we were able to create some turnovers."
On the Broncos showing no sign of let down today
"No, no exhaling. We have great character guys in that locker room and we've been pushing and pushing every single week. [LB] Nate Irving has been doing a great job and the rest of the linebackers and the defense. Everybody continues to push and having [Head] Coach [John] Fox back definitely gives us an energy boost. [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Jack] Del Rio did an awesome job. We're just going to continue to push and take it one play at a time."
BRONCOS DT TERRANCE KNIGHTON On being the first Broncos defensive lineman to have an interception since DT Kevin Vickerson in 2010
"He (Vickerson) let me know about it. He told me that he had more return yards than me. I'm not worried about the return part, I'm worried about catching it. That's the easy part, let the offense score after that."
On LB Von Miller saying that he always claims he has hands like a wide receiver
"I do. I was an all-state wide receiver in high school. Hands are something you don't lose. I might have lost the route running and the speed and all that stuff but the hands, I still got those."
On this game being like the Kansas City game
"We were thrown in some adverse situations there at first and we need to find a way to hold them to field goals there and not give them momentum, but I'm just happy how we finished. We finished strong enough to get a W and let our offense get on the field more."
On LB Von Miller being all over the place
"He's capable of everything you know, dropping in coverage, rushing the passer, stopping the run. He's one of the best players I've ever played with and those are the plays we expect him to make. We hope that we can keep this going and make more plays."
