San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Sunday's 30-24 Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Here's what they had to say.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Injuries from the game: [RB Jordan] JP Mason had a shoulder, did not return, the same one, [LB] Dee Winters had a concussion, didn't return, [WR] Deebo Samuel [Sr.], ribs, didn't return, [CB] Renardo Green, ankle, didn't return. Go ahead."
What did you think of RB Isaac Guerendo? He hadn't played a whole lot, he had six yards per carry tonight.
"I thought he did a great job. He came in, he was ready to go. JP got banged up, JP tried to come back and maybe could have, but Isaac was rolling and did a good job."
What was the halftime message? You guys, obviously, came out really well in the third quarter. So was there anything?
"Stop having penalties. There was no message, it was, we've got to stop hurting ourselves. We had, I think, seven and a half yards of play in the first half and had a bunch of big penalties that I thought really hurt us. Deebo's obvious one getting called back, a couple of the holdings on some long runs. And then, missing that fourth down was big. We felt we were doing some good stuff, but we hurt ourselves and it was nice to start off in the third quarter and go down and score right away. And the D started rolling. I think we got a turnover the next drive and did it again and got a little groove there for a little bit."
What was the concern level there in the fourth quarter when they were coming back in?
"Big. When you're up 17 or whatever it was, 13, and then take it to a six-point game and you're getting the ball with three minutes left, that's just normal football. And for the D to struggle for a couple series like they did and then when they got it back for possible game-winning drive to go four-and-out was huge."
What was so special about how QB Brock Purdy played in the second half? And do you think this was a sign of things to come after the bye?
"Yeah, I do. I think it was a gut check for him, I mean, for all of us. Things in the first half, we were close, but it didn't go great. Brock, there was a couple plays I know he'd love to have back. And I thought he came out in the second half and there were a few plays that weren't there, and he did a hell of a job extending with his feet. The one in particular, we were trying to throw a screen at Deebo and the D-end peeled with it, which just means you have no play, and he just ran and turned it into a 16-yarder. So, he did some real big things there in the second half."
A lot was said about the redzone issues and of course, the 49ers came out with a lot of poise on those drives and scored 24 unanswered points. Talk about how they were able to solve those red zone issues.
"It was just one game. It's a long year. We'll see where we end up in the red zone at the end of the year, but I thought we ran the ball much better down there. And that helps."
I know you're just coming off with this week, but you're 4-4 going into the bye. Can you assess how these first eight games have gone and what you see coming up in the second half?
"I can maybe do that for you tomorrow. I'm just thinking about this game right now. But I'm glad, you always go into a season, you expect to win them all. So, you're not exactly where you want to be. But going into this game, we knew this was a big win. We didn't want to be 3-5 going into the bye week, having your backs against the wall like that. Getting that win was huge. Being 4-4, not at all the record that we wanted when we set out, but when you look at our division and everything, feel in a real good spot and especially finishing it here with the win. Hopefully, we can take some time off, rest a little bit, get a couple guys back, hopefully, and come back and string some wins together here in the second half."
You've had TE George Kittle since he was a rookie. Is there anything he does that surprises you and is he, in your mind, still an ascending player?
"Kittle's the man. Especially on his holiday, he usually does better. But there were a couple things in the first half and he, just like Brock, that he missed. A couple he would've loved to have back, and he came back in the second half and just played as good as you can."
Going back to Guerendo, what do you think, what do you attribute kind of his surge of confidence to in the last several weeks? Because there's certainly been a mark difference in how he's been running.
"I think he's learned from each run he's gotten. There are a couple runs earlier in the year that he did alright on, but we grade him pretty hard, everybody pretty hard. And he had a couple, like four-yard runs we thought he could have got seven yards on. We go pretty hard on him. And then you watch how he takes that to practice and everything we've really kind of been pushing him with, he's been real coachable, he's not a sensitive guy, he's real detailed and he's very poised for a rookie. Things aren't too big for him and didn't get a lot of preseason, but once he got healthy there and throughout this year, I feel he's gotten better each week."
Following up on that Kittle question. As you drop a game plan with receivers hurt like you have, how comforting is it, sort of, to have a tight end like that, who's been so reliable for so long and obviously has a rapport with Brock?
"It is very comfortable. It was a challenge, losing some of these guys, losing [WR Brandon Aiyuk] B.A. last week and not having [WR] Jauan [Jennings], Deebo being a little banged up and then not having him there late in the game. You need everyone to step up and I thought a lot of guys did and Kittle did in a huge way."
You talked about Guerendo. WR Ricky Pearsall had a big third-down catch. You're playing S Malik Mustapha, you're playing Green, obviously, OL Dominick Puni. In the middle of the game or even after, does it hit you like, my god, this rookie class, if you didn't have them, something else would be happening this season?
"I think about that a lot during the week. That's who we're practicing a lot with during the week. We went into this year, we thought it'd be real hard for a lot of the rookies to earn starting positions, just where our team was at. But we believed that they were going to give us some real good depth and you hope to have some good luck and stuff and not have to get to that. But we haven't in all areas. And fortunately, that a lot of those guys are players. They showed it in preseason and when their number's been called, they've all come in and done their job and they all continue to get better too."
How about what happened on the sack when you were up six the last or second to last drive for you guys. What happened on that play and how impressive was it for Brock to be able to hold on?
"The one that he got sacked on? Oh yeah, they had everyone up at the line of scrimmage, so we had a can, which is just how we get out of place, audible. Which, he had Ricky all wide open, but the guy on the line of scrimmage hit it so hard and he couldn't get it off, so it was really an unbelievable play by Brock, not fumbling."
How big of a threat is Brock as a scrambler? And what does that aspect of his game add to the offense?
"It just adds another tool. It's really tough, the heat of battle, just with all those plays and situations that you get sometimes where if the guys aren't opening things, that the play is over. Or just when someone misses in the pocket and someone gets there, it usually ends fast. But Brock's got the quickness to get away from people, he's got a kind of feel on when to hit it. He was awesome today with his scrambling and he's been awesome all year with it."
Deebo's ribs and Renardo's ankle, do you have any indication of how serious they are yet?
"I don't."
There was some discussion in Seattle if Guerendo actually meant to slide. He maintained, of course he did. But obviously there's no doubt on this one. Do you agree with that? And it's pretty heads up for a rookie, is that something he was told, told before that?
"Yeah, we told him on this one. But he listened, at least. It's hard to turn that down, when you're running in and I'm glad he did it for the second time. But this one was much better."
Deebo, obviously, had a big role in this game. When did you know that he could handle a big role, given what he went through?
"I didn't really know he could have a big role until really talking to him Saturday. But the fact he was able to come out and practice on some Thursday and do some back-to-back plays and stuff, just seeing how it was. When you hear that stuff at the beginning of the week and pneumonia and things like that, it's, in my mind he's kind of ruled out. But when they started working him out on Tuesday and said he had a chance and that he got through practice, to a degree on Thursday, and by the time Saturday came, he said he was feeling great and we still rotated him a lot and stuff, but we wanted to get the ball in his hands."
What was your message to the team going into the bye week?
"That'll probably be tomorrow. Going into the bye week we'll be, Monday and Tuesday I'll have a message for them, but I haven't thought of it yet. It will be to rest and come back ready to go."
Just curious, he asked about the halftime speech, did you overhear any of the leaders on the team in the locker room saying anything? You guys, it's a game, you guys know where you are record wise. Did anyone say anything or no?
"No. Honestly, people never do. That's more for movies. We only have a few minutes in there and guys break up into their stuff and we review everything that's happened, everything that's going forward. And usually, it's hectic and kind of a something show. Sometimes, I call the guys up and quickly break it down and sometimes I have to go to the bathroom and I tell [LB] Fred [Warner] to call them up. I just say, 'Fred, offense is up. You got it, let's go.' And we just come out. So it's more scheme."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said you like a lot of people in the first half maybe missed some things and could be better. Were you thinking that there were some missed throws and what was the mentality going into that third quarter?
"Yeah, definitely had some missed opportunities. Obviously for big plays, but just completions in general in that first half, especially on third downs. And so for me, I was just being real with myself and knew that I had to be better, especially for our team. Defense was doing a great job in that first half and for us I feel like we just stalled on third downs and a lot of that was on me. Went in at halftime, just talked about our plan for the second half and from my mindset, it was like 'I've got to get back to basics and just keep things simple in my mind and still playing with conviction but being aggressive and just trusting in my guys.' And so, that was the mindset. I thought we went out and for the most part executed a lot better."
Is being simple finding TE George Kittle?
"Yes (laughter). He did a great job just doing his job, creating some separation. You get the ball in their hands, five, six yards and they make one guy miss it could be a big gain. And that's what he does really great. So definitely blessed to have George on my team."
There was a play where it looked like a screen set up to WR Deebo Samuel Sr. on the far side, but then you tucked it and ran. It obviously wasn't open. Was that by design? Was that run an option there or did you just run?
"Yeah, it was a screen for Deebo, and they just had a guy right on him. So I just tried going with the flow of where the play call was called and got a good gain on it."
What did your team display in the third quarter? Obviously, this team was down at the half, came out and scored 24 unanswered points. It was definitely a tale of two weeks for you in particular in the third quarter. Can you talk about how special you played, particularly in the third quarter to stretch that lead?
"Yeah, it's four quarters for a reason in the sport. It's the NFL. You can come out hot and stall or vice versa. And it takes everybody, offense, defense, special teams. I saw the rest of our team was clicking, it's like, 'alright, I have to do my job.' And so, third quarter came out and just like I said, kept it simple but also played aggressive and just tried to do what coach called and hit guys when they were open and keep it simple, move the ball, not try to hurt ourselves. The first half, that was the main thing is we had plenty of opportunities, but we just kept hurting ourselves. So that was the mindset and we were able to put up some points."
It wasn't long ago that you were a rookie. What's it like when you see a guy like RB Isaac Guerendo have a game that he did tonight?
"Yeah, extremely happy for him. The way he comes to work every day and stuff and the chip that he has on his shoulder, humble dude. He's always asking questions and wants to make sure he is doing everything right. So for him to do what he's doing right now for our team, I couldn't be happier for him. And I get it, man, being a rookie coming in with some guys on the team and some big names in the huddle and everything, you can sort of be awestruck in a sense, but he's coming in, he doesn't care. He is grabbing the ball and running hard, so I appreciate that about him."
You mentioned trusting your guys and you obviously you had George and Deebo, but you had a lot of new faces on the field today. How has that chemistry built over the last week or so that you can feel like you can trust them?
"Yeah, obviously we've gotten a lot of work on the field at practice and just honing into who we've got playing. So, this week was great for all of us, especially the young guys, [WR] Ricky [Pearsall], [WR] Jacob [Cowing], [WR] Chris Conley, and then obviously George and Deebo being able to step up and lead those guys. We have some new faces in the huddle, but with those guys and their leadership and experience, we could always rely on them."
What are you going to do during the Bye? What do you think this team is going to look like after the Bye?
"Obviously it's a great week for all of us to just continue to rest up and heal up and then just be hard on ourselves on the film and where we can be better because the second half of the season is everything. Every game matters. It's the most important stretch. Obviously you go back to the history of this place, like this is when it matters and you put your head down and you don't look up to the end. So, it'll be good for everyone to get healthy and be ready come Tampa Bay. I think that's the main focus and point."
You guys are looking for answers against man-to-man coverage. Are you finding that you're unaccounted for as a runner in those situations?
"In some scenarios. I mean, there's teams that have a spy on me and stuff. I feel like Kansas City did that, honestly the Cowboys did it as well. So, like there's ways that they can scheme that up, but then I think it takes away another pass rusher so that I have a little bit more time. So, there's pros and cons to all of it. Defenses pick and choose and when they want to do it. Obviously we still have a lot of play makers to be able to win in man coverage, whether there's a guy spying me or not. It's football, you've got to compete and go from there."
This team this year has really been next man up. When guys like Isaac have a breakout game like we saw tonight, does that even surprise you guys or do you pretty much expect that kind of greatness to come out of players no matter where they are in the depth chart?
"Yeah, I think just going back to the guys that Kyle and [President of Football Operations/General Manager] John [Lynch] and our organization brings in, they bring in guys that are gritty, have a standard for themselves. They come in and they're willing to do what the coaches ask and they see other guys practicing and stuff and they want to be great. That's the standard here. When you've got some guys that go down, the next guy that comes in has the right mentality. [RB] Jordan Mason, Isaac and all these young guys, Ricky Pearsall, like you've got guys that come in with the right mindset of continuing to chase greatness within our standard of our team. So it doesn't surprise me at all. We see how he works every day and I'm really happy for him."
49ers DL Nick Bosa
You know that you're expected to finish plays and you understand that. Did you feel tonight was an example of you being able to finish plays?
"Yes, I think it was good. We started hot. We played well as a defense. Letting teams back into games this year has kind of been a story. That's a big focus we need to correct, because when you're playing good teams, you have to put them away."
What do you think of the alignment with DL Sam Okuayinonu at defensive tackle? It seems like he's really playing the run well from the inside.
"That's a pass thing. [Okuayinonu] doesn't play inside on the run, but he's doing a great job. It's definitely different inside. He really didn't get reps there throughout camp, so for him to be able to produce inside is a testament to his ability to adapt and help us."
LB Fred Warner said that going forward, you guys can be whatever team you want to be. Do you feel like this is a Super Bowl-level team or do you still have things you have to do to get there?
"Of course we need to improve. The rookies will show up and do their part. Adding to an already really good lineup of guys is huge. We're going to keep getting better and I think getting this win is obviously huge. We'll rest up, get a couple guys back and hit the ground running."
49ers RB Isaac Guerendo
You actually did give yourself up for that touchdown, right?
"Oh yeah. 110%. I had to make sure people knew on that one."
How did the TD feel?
"I think the most important part was being able to finish that game with a win. More than anything, I'm making sure that I'm taking advantage of my opportunities. I've got to give props to the offensive line, the tight ends and receivers all blocking their butts off. I appreciate that more than anything. Like I said, I'm just happy to be here."
When you look back over your overall performance today, how do you think you played and did you show that you can be the hot hand?
"There's always room for improvement. Being able to re-watch this and fix those small things – all those small details. We have a great [running back] room. Being able to ask any of those guys questions has been a very big thing for me obviously being the rookie in the room. I'm grateful for them, grateful for my coach and I appreciate all of them."
What was that like when you're running through the hole and you get your speed going?
"It feels good when you see green grass, but like I said, give props to the offensive line. All 11 guys, that's what it takes to make stuff like that happen. You've got to give all of them props and defense giving us good field position and stuff like that. I'm happy with the win."
49ers TE George Kittle
How do you feel that RB Isaac Guerendo did today?
"I think all of our rookies kind of stepped up. Isaac was phenomenal. I always yell at him, 'hey, you ran 0.01 seconds slower than [Miami Dolphins RB] Raheem Mostert - always strive for that speed when you're running the ball.' He did a really good job of that today. He took advantage of those and I think he got more comfortable the more reps he got, each and every rep. He's just going to keep getting better with all the reps that he gets – so that was awesome. I thought [WR] Ricky [Pearsall] played really well and for him to be out there and take advantage of his opportunities. The run that he had, being able to set up my block to be able to then go down field is fantastic. I thought [WR] Jake Cowing, the punt return stuff was incredible. He got ran into and they didn't throw a flag on that one, but he was catching every punt and getting vertical. I thought he was doing a really good job for us, too. And [OL Dominic] Puni is pretty good."
Do you feel like this was a get back on track win or we're back on track win as we head into the break?
"Small, consistent steps in the right direction lead to great results and this was just one step. It's a long season. We were 5-3 last year going into the Bye and 4-4 this time. I think we all wish our record was a little bit better, but that's just where it is. That's our reality. Getting a win tonight was huge and it gives you confidence. I think there's a lot of things that we're going try to clean up, myself included. I think we're taking steps in the right direction."
You're now up to fifth in franchise history in receptions and third in reception yardage. How do you feel about being in that that elite company?
"It's an honor. I'm thankful that I get to be a part of an organization with a very high standard of how they play football. I'm thankful that they've kept me around for a long time and every single day striving to be better than I was the day before and continually prove that. I need to be on the San Francisco 49ers roster. To be on a list with any of those names, any list that you're on with Jerry Rice is a good thing. To be with all those other guys is fantastic. It's an honor and I learned in college that you want to leave your jersey in a better place. That's all I'm striving to do every single day and I know all those guys did that."
49ers DB Deommodore Lenoir
Can you take us through the interception?
"I'm a big film guy, so, I saw the formation that they were in. I noticed they run that formation a lot. I knew it was an indicator of a sprint out and I just took my chance, baited the quarterback, inside, open the shoulder and then picked the ball."
You guys are up 17 in the fourth quarter. All of a sudden they've got the ball back down six. What was the conversation amongst the defense on the sideline after there was a couple of touchdown drives?
"Our captain, he was just expressing to us that this is not going to happen to us again. We are going to win this game on defense. That was a big testimony to us finishing what we need to do this whole season."
What was going wrong on the previous two drives?
"I wouldn't say anything was going wrong. They get paid to make plays. They are playmakers. I just felt like they got us, but what a way for us to fight back and get the dub (win)."
49ers WR Ricky Pearsall
With it being National Tight Ends Day and [TE] George Kittle, what's it like to share the field with
him?
"Kittle is awesome. He's two lockers down from me, so I get to hear him every single day. Now he's one of my close buddies on the team. He's a great spirit to have around – positive vibes. It's good to see him ball out in person."
What were some of the adjustments for you in the game plan week to week that allowed you to get open and have more success?
"It just comes down to getting that trust of [QB] Brock [Purdy], so getting that connection going throughout practice. Obviously having [WR] Brandon Aiyuk down, there's going to be a few more opportunities for me to go out there and run some routes and get the ball in my hands."
What was the experience like for you to play your first Sunday Night Football Game?
"It was amazing. Obviously having the lights on like that and the sun down, that was really awesome for me – good scenery, good environment, a lot of energy from the fans. That was my first one, so I was excited to be out there and enjoying the moment with everybody."
49ers LB Fred Warner
What's your message after giving up a couple of touchdowns there trying to close the game out?
"I was frustrated obviously we made it a game when it didn't need it to be, especially defensively. Freebies, they didn't have to earn it. 88 [Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb] is wide open, their best player. We can't let that happen. We put ourselves in that situation so we had to get ourselves out. It was about going out there and finishing the game and we did that."
How do you feel about the team going into the Bye? What changes need to be made going into the second half of the season?
"We can be whoever we want, honestly. After the Bye it's zero and zero. We are at five hundred right now. We are a game back from being first in the division, whatever that means. We have everything ahead of us. We can be whoever we want. We have everybody that we need. In terms of players obviously we are banged up. We will get healthy after the week, hopefully get some guys back. It's about just getting better at this point. We can't keep getting up for a game and then dropping one and then, 'oh, let's try and figure out a way to win another one.' Let's just get better. That is why those little errors at the end of game were so frustrating because the good teams, they don't make those. We got to find a way to just play four quarters of straight execution."
Where are you physically? Will the Bye help you?
"The Bye will help me tremendously. Every week you keep banging it up and finding a way to recover good enough to play the next week. That's just how the NFL is. It's rare that you can be healthy all the way through, it just what it is. I'm looking at guys out there giving it their all, who are banged up. Talking about [TE] George Kittle is the truest form of that. He's banged up every week, it seems like, and he still goes out there and balls out. Everyone is banged up. There's no excuse for not playing at the highest level regardless of whatever you're going through."
49ers T Trent Williams
What is it like to have Dallas' number over the last few years?
"It's good to have anybody's number. It's hard to win in this league no matter what the rosters look like, no matter what the spread is, and who the underdog is. It's hard to win in this league so anytime you can beat a team, especially against a team we have a lot of history with, it always feels good."
What does a win like tonight do for this team, especially coming off of last week? Do you feel like this helps you guys get back in the swing of things here and get that confidence going?
"We're a confident team. We know that we haven't played up to our standard that many times in these first eight games. I don't think that we were looking at this game to draw some newfound confidence. I just think that when we run the ball effectively and not turn it over, the results today are what we can expect if we do that consistently for the rest of the year."
It's National Tight Ends Day. What is it like to share the field with San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle?
"I mean the founder of National Tight Ends Day is George Kittle. It is amazing. He's one of the best tight ends I have ever seen with my own two eyes, the best I have ever played with. He's a game changer. We have had some game changing tight ends, don't get me wrong. But for you to have a tight end that can break a 70-yard touchdown or control the middle of the field and be a safety blanket for the quarterback is a dream come true."
Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy
Talk about the third quarter and how that flipped the game and them opening with three straight touchdowns, and then also QB Dak Prescott's interception.
"The third quarter was obviously a factor in the outcome. The three, three-and-outs offense and the one giveaway and their point and production there. You have ebbs and flows in the game, but we definitely stayed in that valley way too long. We felt solid at halftime. They were plus-five ahead of us in the big play and [San Francisco 49ers QB Brock] Purdy was making plays with his feet and the three, three-and-outs. We didn't give our defense any relief either, but I thought our guys did an excellent job fighting back in the fourth quarter. We just needed to make probably one or two more plays. They still had a chance to go down and win it there on the last series on offense, so we're disappointed. Our men had a good week of preparation. There are definitely areas of improvement, but still we have a ton to work on. There were some hard matchups throughout the game that we prepared for, but we didn't get it done. We have to go back and continue to work hard in the planning part of it. Their key players were very productive tonight. When you put together a plan for that, you need to execute on it. So coaches and players, we can learn from this. We're three and four, that's the facts of this deal. I felt very confident based off of the week's preparation. We're disappointed. We're disappointed because we felt we were going to come in here and do what we needed to do to get the win. We came up short."
When did you find out that RB Rico Dowdle was sick and how did that change what you guys had planned for running back?
"I can't give you exactly the time. Everybody comes on the same bus. When the whole team arrived, [Dallas Cowboys Head Athletic Trainer] Jim Maurer had come in and told me that he was sick, so they reported it to the league. The medical staff treated him and there was a medical decision for him not to be up. We waited until about 15 minutes before the 90 minute mark and made a decision."
Did that change what you were planning to do at running back?
"Yeah, it definitely changed. You look at all the reps and where he was in the rotation. He was the first guy in the rotation. I'm very familiar with [RB] Zeke [Ezekiel Elliott], and I just wanted to try to get into a rhythm between him and [RB] Dalvin [Cook]. I thought we established that in the first half. I thought it was moving along. I would've liked to keep it going in the third quarter. Then we got into a no huddle, two minute there for most of the fourth quarter. And it's important. The running back position is important because our run game is important. We can't continue to play the way we were playing in the first and second down pass protection component of it. We had some tough matchups, but the run of the ball and getting the action pass game going, we didn't get that done today. And that was definitely a focus coming in here."
What was the explanation that you got on San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle's touchdown?
"I thought with the two flags thrown abruptly, like they were thrown, I thought it was clearly a pick play. You need to go ask them for the explanation because it's a big play in the game."
The last drive when you're coming out there, it's third down and you go deep to WR KaVontae Turpin. Is there any thought of trying to get a shorter pass underneath and make it fourth and manageable if you don't get it? Or should Turpin have made that catch along the sidelines?
"There's a lot more that goes into that, but we were having a lot of conversation as far as our pass game was protection. If you go back and look at the two scores prior to that, the protection decisions were a factor in those productive plays. That is part of it. That's where the read took them and I didn't have a problem with the decision."
On that last series, you guys scored the two before that. Why in your mind do you think that you guys weren't able to keep the momentum for a third?
"It's football. We played the high side of protection, and obviously they pulled in on it coverage wise. What you take out of the perimeter and put into protection, you don't get the five guys out or the four guys out, so the protection was an issue for us. I thought our guys did a good job adjusting with the two touchdown drives."
What did you see, or what worked with WR CeeDee Lamb getting open for those two touchdowns in the fourth quarter? Is there something that the Niners secondary was doing that you guys were able to exploit?
"To be honest, it's our two man offense. We have a plan and they were rolling two coverages, so I thought the guys did an excellent job to execute."
Kittle getting open on that scheme, you were trying to take it away, I'm sure. Was that not getting a pass rush or just the coverage?
"I wouldn't say our pass rush was great today, particularly the four man. Like I said in the opening statement, their top players were productive today and that's something we have to do a better job of. We have to take away their key players starting with the quarterback."
QB Dak Prescott has said he feels he's seeing the game well. This is the first time in his career he has had two interceptions in three consecutive games. Is he seeing the game? How much of this is a function of being behind and pressing and taking some risks where normally he wouldn't at certain stages?
"When you look at interceptions, you can grade them and put them in buckets and categories. I think the first one, he had pressure. He had pressure, in the B-gap, and he had to hitch his feet, which took him late. The safety got a jump on the ball, so he wasn't able to get it to the back pylon and that ball should be thrown to the back pylon. That was part of my angst in play calling because of their ability to get pass rush with four rushers. And the second one, the spot wasn't clean and I called it too early. That's a better third and four to three call, so the leverage wasn't there and he's trying to make a play. We have to throw that ball away there. I wish I had that play called back on the second interception."
You mentioned you're three and four. You guys put a lot into this. You look at what you have coming up. What do you think the response will be from your team?
"I think the response will be just what it was this week. I keep using the word green because I think that's a pretty good illustration of where we are. We have to keep working. We did some things, but we have to stop the run and stay committed to the run for four quarters. Until we get that pattern working cohesively together, we're not playing to our strength. That's a huge part of complimentary football. We're losing the turnover ratio week in and week out and we're not being able to stop the run and stay committed to the run for four quarters. That's how we have to play. That's how we're going to play. We need to be better at it."
Were there any injuries at all?
"Just 27 [CB Amani Oruwariye]."
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
What's the mindset of team right now?
"I mean, I'm personally frustrated. Frustrated with myself about my play. I imagine the rest of the guys are frustrated about not getting a win. Two in a row, sitting at three and four. I can definitely tell you that nobody's shaking or giving up. Frustration is very high. But it's a long season. A lot of division games and a lot is still ahead of us. Frustrated, that's the best way that I can put it."
On the last drive was there belief? And can you just talk about those last four plays?
"Yeah. Hell yeah. There's belief. I mean that's all I can ask for. All this team can ask for is an opportunity ball in our hand down six to go win the game. First one, end cut and got to just put the ball higher or scramble to create something with my legs, being its first down. The second downplay, they did a good job, took [TE Jake Ferguson] Ferg away underneath, kind of bracketed this corner route, forced me out of the pocket. Third down, liked the matchup, took a shot, and didn't convert it. Then on the fourth down, I got pressure early, I had to get out of the pocket and kind of put something up for hopes. Hope that there was contact on the end. Didn't go that way. Two guys on one. They made the plays when they needed to and we didn't."
You've had your chance against these guys a couple times with the ball late in games. Is there something that they changed up late in games or just how do you come up with a reason why it's been difficult to make those plays late for you?
"Yeah, we just have made the plays and they've made them more than us. As you said, it's been a couple years, couple times. It's frustrating. I've got to make the plays, period."
You mentioned three and four, it's the first time you guys have been there with you healthy since 2018. How do you guys get back on a streak that gets you back in the playoffs?
"Yeah, take it one at a time. As you said, we have been here before 2018. Obviously me personally, I don't know how many guys are still on the team from then, right? [RB Ezekiel Elliott] Zeke, [RG Zack Martin] Zack, a couple of the veterans. We know what it takes in this league. You get hot and you can get rolling and that's all you're looking to do. So that's my point about this it's frustrating, but nobody's giving up. Nobody's been as shook as you can say from where we're at. We just got to focus up, get ready to go on the road and play another good team coming up. Do whatever we can to make sure we come out with a victory, get even, and then we'll worry about that, after this next road game. But we just got to take it one at a time. As I said, everything's still in our control we have lost four, but we can get hot and that's the plan. We just got to keep building, whether this was a win or a loss. That's how this league works. You have got to build. Unfortunately, this loss puts us at three and four. Not trying to go to three and five, so trying to go get a win."
On the, the first interception to WR KaVontae Turpin did you think he was singled up or was that kind of what you wanted?
"Yeah, he was singled up. Obviously, the safety just got over there because I got hit as I was throwing the ball and left the ball hanging from the hit that allowed the safety to get over there. But he was singled up. If I get that off clean, it's going to be outside away from the safety, probably front pylon somewhere and would've been a whole different story. Unfortunately, I didn't, left the ball inside and the interception happened. Such a great play by the front up there. Potentially I can just get off of it, eat it, thinking I could release the ball before I got hit. Sometimes the sack is 10 times better than that. A lot of times, a sack is better than that."
How you feel it's first time in your career with three straight games with two picks, can you just talk about your play and what you need to do?
"Not turn the ball over, period. I don't have to be perfect, but I sure can't be having the turnovers. As I said, just got to eat that one and take that sack. Then the second one was just a bonehead of interception as I feel like I've had trying to make a play and too much confidence in myself in that moment right there. Obviously should've just thrown it away. Wish I would've put a little bit more like heat on it and it would've been [WR] CeeDee [Lamb] or out of bounds. Then that one hurt, starting off the third quarter that way and allowed them to get a touchdown there. Look at the end of the score, touchdowns is the difference. Once again, we put ourselves behind in the turnover battle and that's on me. Can't have that if you're planning to win games. I've got to clean that up, period.
When you guys took the lead and then I think it was four straight possessions, forget the knee down, where I think it was nine plays for 19 yards, and then you didn't have a first down in the third quarter. What changed after that drive where you guys were able to go down the field?
"It's tough to say right afterwards. I've got to watch the film, obviously. Wish I could give you that answer if I could. We would've fixed it within the time. Just got to go back and look at the film. They did a good job of putting the lid on it with getting pressure with four guys. I've got to make throws, pressure or not, and I'm capable of doing it. So, I've got to do it."
You said they were putting a lid on it. What do you think the key is to getting some more of those bigger plays earlier in games?
"Just calculating them. Honestly, the one to WR KaVontae Turpin Turp, the interception, that's a potential of a big play right there and just swings completely the other way. As I said, probably should just take the sack, thought I was going to be able to get it off with full strength on the throw. I wasn't. We had a matchup we wanted there, went after it and as I said, I've just got to take that hit or put it more outside. I try to, but just got hit. So, you just got to burn that ball or eat the sack and just play it, play by play. A lot of times big plays come from just taking something underneath, guys blocking the secondary guys and the guys going and breaking tackles and big plays comes from there. So, we can't necessarily chase them. We got to stick to it one play at a time and we'll keep our heads up and do that."
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
You lose Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle when you get here and now you have to make some adjustments. How tough is that from that standpoint?
"It's tough. You never want to see a guy not play but I think we all prepare every week like we're going to be the guy. I was prepared. I know [Cowboys RB Dalvin] Cook was prepared. I know [Cowboys RB] Deuce [Vaughn], was ready if his number was called. It's just kind of part of it."
You have 10 games left. You look at it like we got five division games and you can kind of control that, in comparison to needing someone else to lose to help you. Right?
"The biggest thing is the division. If you win the division, you've got your ticket in. So we have to take care of those division games and when we do we will be in a good situation."
What is the mood like, because you lose in Detroit, you had the Bye, I think a lot of guys said you had some good practices and then you get beaten here. What's the mood like right now?
"We're hungry. We're putting in the work. It sucks when you put in the work and you don't reap the rewards. I think, like I said, we got good veteran group. We have a lot of guys who have been here, been worse. We're just going to keep going at it."
Cowboys DT Linval Joseph
With you guys 3-4 there's still a lot of season left. As a veteran, what do you try to tell the rest of the guys when you're in this spot?
"First of all, I would tell them, 'don't give up.' We still have a lot of ball left in this season and every day we've just got to get 1% better. At the same time, I see flashes of what we really can do. We just haven't really put it together. I think these next couple of weeks, we're going to really put it together."
When it's consistency that we're talking about in terms of putting it together, does that give you optimism that you're going to get there?
"We've just got to do it. It doesn't matter who's hurt, who's not. It's next man up. Hopefully, we're starting to get some of our guys back, and we can really put the puzzle back together and hit our stride when we need to."
How would you assess where you were, coming out of the Bye?
"I think we took a step forward. We let some of these quarterback runs slip away but shout out to [49ers QB Brock] Purdy. He's a great athlete. He made some plays today. Everybody made some plays, and we've just got to go back to the drawing board and make sure that doesn't happen again."
Cowboys LB Eric Kendricks
You see the running defense. What do you think the issue is there?
"They hand the ball to a lot of different players, whether it was receivers or the quarterback running it. Obviously I had a couple squeaks with the running back out, but it was that third quarter. We have to come out of halftime and really step it up and not give away that many points. Like I said, I feel like we were in it during the first and second quarter. That third quarter really got us but we fought back. "
These crossing patterns have been a constant issue the first six weeks. What is your identification of trying to get that result in a better way?
"To be honest with you I want to watch it before I sit here and try to guess what is going on. But at the same time our team defense has to step up when we can. They have a lot of weapons that they try to spread out across the field. When they have success on the ball it makes it a little bit harder on the play action. At the same time, I'm proud of how we fought. Obviously it wasn't the outcome that we wanted, but we have some good stuff to hang our hat on. Like I said, that third quarter was pretty bad and we have to start looking at ourselves within and get back to it."
Eric, can you take what happened at the end tonight to Atlanta?
"We have to have a little chip on our shoulder now. I feel like you find out what you're made of in these kind of situations. Don't blink, you know what I mean? Get back to work. We've all been hit in the mouth on this team before and we're facing a little bit of adversity. The way we finished this game, even when the third quarter seemed a little bit out of reach. We just battled back, we have to stop and put some points up. We were just going one play at a time and we have to have that mentality from the jump."
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
This one's different than the last couple times you guys have been here but it's ultimately the same result. What do you take out of the comeback and what is the ultimate frustration that it still ends up being a loss?
"We have a lot of fight in us, granted, we started off slow. The defense did a great job. It was a tale of two halves for both the offense and defense."
How badly did you want to end this losing streak to this team?
"Pretty badly. It really sucks, especially coming here three times in the last three years. It's sickening."
For you and Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, it looked like you guys got on the same page with everything. Is that a positive step forward?
"Yes. We're about to get this thing right. We're about to get this thing right, for sure."
Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis
Head coach Mike McCarthy was talking about the preparation and how he thought it was really good. How difficult is it to leave here with this loss?
"It's always difficult. We fought, so that's something we can take into next week. We'll try to stack that and build some momentum."
When you look at your record of 3-4, how surprising is that? If you were told that in Oxnard, would you thought that record was a possibility?
"We have to come out here and perform regardless of anything that happened in Oxnard. We have to go Sunday by Sunday. We are thinking ahead and that's where we are now. We're thinking about the next game and next opportunity."
Did you get an explanation at all on the pick play? What happened there?
"No, no we didn't. I don't know what happened there. They picked the flag up. That's the call they made. There's more things that we could have done to stay out of that position anyways."
