You started the game six for seven, two touchdowns. Did it feel like early on you were already in a groove or how did the game feel to you?
Yeah, it felt good. I thought we got a pretty good rhythm early. After that first drive —obviously we punted that first drive — after that I felt like we settled in, protected really well throughout that spurt there and I thought we had a really good plan, especially down in the red zone. We had some stuff that was great. Guys got open, guys made plays after the catch, so it was really good. Obviously, some stuff in the second half we've got to clean up. We've got to continue to get better and see what we can improve on. It wasn't clean in the second half. But yeah, I thought we started the game in a rhythm. Obviously, our defense played great, too. We got a short field that we took advantage of.
Trevor, is there something about this team, Tennessee (Titans), that gets you going a little bit? Your numbers are really good and the since '22 against them, you're 4-1. Does it fire you up a little more?
This is a division game and obviously been a rival for us and for them for a long time. So, I think you feel that and obviously had a lot of different games against them. So, I know a lot of those guys over there, too, like Jeffrey (Simmons) and played against him a ton and that's always a back and forth. Obviously, he's a good player. So, there is that dislike, for sure, but there's a respect, too. You know how the game's going to be played. It's going to be physical. You're going to get their best shot and I'm sure they know the same when they play us. So, yeah, there's definitely a little something to it and I think it's a good thing. That's what makes football fun.
We talked about it before, but when someone gets hurt on the offensive line, and they shuffle and then they just get guys in there and —
It's impressive. Obviously, it's a unit that's done a great job all season, especially with the circumstances of getting different guys banged up and maybe miss a game or today, middle of the game Walker (Little) has to come out, Cole (Van Landen) has to move from—he's already playing for Pat (Mekari) and then he's got to move over to left tackle mid-game. I mean, just the things Cole's been able to do this year have been really impressive. I don't think there's many guys that can do that or have done that, honestly. So, definitely proud of him and just the way he's been playing and as a unit. Those guys just fight their tails off and did some really good things.
Do you sense a level of maturity about your football team like with this kind of win? Thanksgiving week, a team that has one win, and the way you dealt with the week and then today?
Yeah, for sure. Like I said, we'd love to finish the game a little better and I think we're all a little even frustrated at that, but I think that shows the maturity of the team too. We're happy we won, no doubt about that. We come here to win and that's what we did. So, but to even have that feeling of like, man, just didn't finish clean. I think that shows the maturity of the team, too. And you've got to handle the week well. It's the NFL, it don't matter who you're playing. Obviously, they haven't won a lot of games, but anybody can beat you and they got talent. I know just from our side of the ball, they've got a really good defense that presented some challenges. They did some good things today that we've got to improve on and play better moving forward. So, we knew that was going to be a challenge and we just came out and executed, played well, obviously, kind of protected the lead towards the end, but it's just one of those games.
First place in the division on the line next week. It seems like you guys have come a long way in a really short amount of time.
Yeah, I think it's just we've taken it week by week and hasn't always gone perfect, but we've just kept playing and found a way to respond every week. We've had like it tough all season — we've had some big wins, we've had some tough losses, and you just keep playing. This week, obviously, it's a big one at home. We need our fans to pack the place out and be loud for us and get a home-field advantage, but playing a really good Colts team. It's an exciting one. Obviously, a lot on the line and that's how every game is going to be moving forward though, and that's where we want to be. So, that's the position we want to be in and it feels good.
You've played some of these meaningful games. How much do you feed off the week where it gets heightened in Jacksonville and you can feel a little bit of that energy from the fans even before you even hit the stadium?
Yeah, it's huge. It really is. We've talked about, throughout the years, obviously our playoff run back in '22 and just the feeling of the city and the home games, the stadium, it is different. And that's what — as players, we love that. It's exciting to feel the city behind you. We have great fans. We feel that a lot, but it definitely is, when you're in these big games, it shows up more, as it should when you're when you're playing for something. So, that's what we expect and I know our fans will show up and be ready to roll.
Confidence wise, is this the high for you guys? It feels like if you had Cincinnati again, it was a bad call; Houston, we know what happened, but you guys could be undefeated on the road. Do you feel like what depending on what type of game, it's your game?
Yeah, I think we have a lot of confidence in the way we prepare, the way we work. We know going in on Sunday that we're ready to go. You've got to go execute and play and that's always the part of — you never know until you play the game. You've got to go out and play and play well, and we've definitely had some days where we didn't do that. But going into the weeks, we feel really confident and on Sunday we feel confident. And I think a lot of that confidence, too, is from experience. We know that we can win games. We can win ugly, we can control a lead, we can do all these things. Obviously, it hasn't been perfect, we've had some learning lessons. I think that gives you confidence as a team, too, because you've done it. But you got to continue to do it especially — looking at the season now, we're really in the most important part of the season. They're all important because you've got to get in position, but every game is critical now, so it's got to really show up in the big moments.
Is it important for you guys not to necessarily make next week's game or even the week after bigger than it is? It's not the Super Bowl, but it's important. You have to sort of find that middle ground?
Yeah, you don't try to do more than you've done any other week. Obviously, it's a really good team we're playing and it's an important game. But we've got five games left and we just have to take it one week at a time and it's just the next one. But it is a big game. You can't change who you are and how you prepare and all those things and you got to treat it like the other ones. I do think we have a good process and we've been ready to go in every game and it's going to be about how we execute on Sunday.
Six catches for Jakobi Myers, six targets. Talk about you guys' chemistry. He's finding a way to sit down in the zone, what is it?
He's been great. Yeah, just a guy, just a really good football player. I don't know what else to say about him. He's got a great feel. He does everything right to be honest. He blocks, runs great routes, he's smart, knows when to sit down and has feel for the game, friendly target. He's playing great, got to keep him going. And our whole room is really coming together nice. It's great to have BT (Brian Thomas, Jr.) back out there today. He made some big plays in some big moments and just going to continue to build off of that. So, Jakobi's (Meyers) been awesome, though. Can't speak highly enough of him, and glad we got him.
You get BT (Brian Thomas, Jr.) back and then Parker (Washington) goes down. It's just it's almost like the offensive line in a way, right? Like a revolving door of receivers.
It's football. It's a physical game so it happens and hopefully, I don't know, I don't want to speak on the Parker stuff, I don't know exactly what the deal is, but hopefully we get him back as soon as possible. Obviously, seeing how well he's played for us this year, so we'll get him back. But, if not, we got guys that are going to have to step up, and you know we'll have a good plan.
