TITANS at COLTS
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020
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How much was this game about executing and how much was it about attitude? It seemed like you guys were a different team than the team that played the Colts a couple weeks ago.
"We knew coming into the game it was going to be a physical game. That's a well-coached team we just played, a physical team. They're not front runners. Before our game, they were beating teams 41-3 after halftime in the two games prior combined, so we knew it was going to be a hard-fought game. Even when we got up in this game, we knew we had to finish strong, finish strong, finish strong. We preached it all week and we knew physicality – it would be physical the whole game. It was going to be the key factor. Nothing else really matters – scheme, players, coaches. Just be physical on both sides of the ball, and we'll get it done."
After the first couple drives for the Colts, things seemed like they really changed for you guys defensively. What adjustments were made or what were you guys seeing that helped you get off the field a little better?
"It wasn't anything crazy. Honestly like I said, they're a well-coached football team. A lot of teams, the first couple of drives they're going off a script, a 15-play script that they scripted up usually all week, their bread-and-butter plays, scheme plays against the defense that they're playing and the plays they can execute. Once we got kind of settled in – obviously, we don't want to give up those 14 points early, but once we got settled in, we just started playing our brand of ball being settled down. And we started getting some stops, getting off the field and our offense did a great job of – obviously, they ran the ball so well – keeping us off the field."
What was the secret today? It seemed like you guys kept Philip Rivers under duress more than in the first match, and also you seemed to play a little tighter coverage in the secondary and didn't let their receivers get a lot of yards after the catch. Can you talk about the adjustments?
"Just challenging (the receivers), being up in their face, not giving the easy-access throws, taking away his first read – that way he has to get to his second and third read. Guys did a good job of assaulting the pocket where he can't step up and make the throws, and all the throws he made had to be off his back foot or off timing or off rhythm. I know they want to be on time with their offense, so those guys up front did a hell of a job getting pressure on him. The DBs (and) corners did a good job of challenging down in and down out, regardless of what the situation was."
