Take us through that play?
Man, they chipped me, went high. I owe (Carl Granderson) a couple of steak dinners. He pushed the pocket. It doesn't work if we're not together, you know what I'm saying? He pushed a pocket, he went lower, I went high. It came right to me.
Have you ever done anything like that before?No, it's funny, mid-play though, when I saw him, the ball was in the air. And for that split second, my dad used to tell me when I was a kid, and I played D-end, 'Take the ball out of his hand.' And for that split-second, it hit me, and I was like, man, the ball is right there, I can take it. And so, I came down on it and I just took it. That's all she wrote.
And did you see anyone? I mean, guys are right behind you, but did you feel the guy chasing you?
I slowed down. That's why he kind of caught up to me. As you see when I was sprinting, I was running.
It sounded like your teammates were keeping you humble though with the way you were carrying the ball. What's the best comp you've heard.
Man, it was so close. But everybody was like, 'Hey man, I'm just praying Chase just hold the ball.' I said, man, I've done this before, man. You know, I don't play offense. Definitely blessed, all glory to God, my teammates to be able to make that play happen.
A career-high in sacks for you, what does that mean to you?God, thank you. Everything I've been through myself to be back where I am right now, it's only God that can do that.
What did you make of Cam Ward's performance and what changed for you guys to have more success against him in the second half?
Man, he is balling, man, he's going to be a great quarterback in this league. He kind of, I ain't going to lie, he's got a (Patrick) Mahomes feel to him when he's out there. Being able to extend plays while still having his eyes down the field. He is a phenomenal young quarterback and he went number one for a reason.
Just the end there, knowing that you guys need a stop and that you got that stop. Just what did you make of that for you guys?
Honestly, I had faith. I mean, it was more so like, I knew we were going to get to stop because I know the guys behind me and beside me. I know how they're built. I know how they're cut. I know Double D (Demario Davis), he's not slowing down. 94 (Cameron Jordan), he ain't slowing down. 96 (Carl Granderson), he ain't slowing down. Number 1 (Alontae Taylor), you see him —late in the game, he's flying around. DBs strapping late in game, plastering. That's everything we practice, and it goes to coach (Brandon) Staley just being a real great coach, holding us accountable, always setting the standard and it's paying off.
What was your review of how you handled that end of game situation?
I think we handled it the best way we could, man. We stopped them and we found a way. At the end of the day, all you can do is find a way no matter how ugly it get. It's hard to win in this league and we finally got a win.
What kind of faith do you have on the other side of the ball. Like when you get in a shootout like that, you go off the field and see Tyler Shough step onto it, did your confidence grow in him as this stretch has gone along?I told you last time, man. Week by week, confidence is built. And I'm really happy for him, proud of him because I know what it feels like to come in and its eyes on you. We don't call it pressure because we had that our whole life. But the way he came in, didn't get to start Week 1, stayed on it. You can just see in practice how he was staying on it, he didn't wither away from the program and he earned it, he deserved it.
What do you make of the way Chris Olave's bounced back from last year?
He is a dog, man, there's certain things that you can't teach. There's certain things that start at home, and that's how your parents raised you. And he has a great foundation, I know his parents. He has big brothers, so I know how he's built. And Lave (Chris Olave), it's time to put some respect on his name, for real, man. He's out there doing what you do, that number one.
To string some wins together like this, obviously eliminated from the playoffs this year, but going forward, what does that mean to be able to do that? As opposed to maybe where you guys started the season.Yeah, man, it feels good. At the end of the day, we're not in the playoffs or anything like that. But just to get this streak, we know that we're building. We know we have a great foundation. And we're excited, man. God gives us another opportunity to do it again one more time. And we're going to keep fighting.
I know you guys have said a lot throughout the season about how tight-knit this locker room is. You were on Cam's podcast saying the same thing this week. Is that different than some of the other teams that have been in these kinds of situations where you're feeling it at the end of the year like you're really onto something?
Yeah, it reminded me of my rookie year when I got to Washington. As a defense, I think that year we finished in the top five. And we were just — we were really like brothers out there. Like, one guy makes a play, we all really made a play. And that's how I'm feeling right now, man. It doesn't matter who makes it, as long as we make it, we're good. You know what I'm saying? That's a great feeling, man, a great thing.
