San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Monday's 40-34 Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions. Here is what they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Injuries from the game: [DL] Leonard Floyd had a right shoulder, ended up, I think in the third quarter, not returning, [QB] Brock Purdy, right elbow, just got hit on his elbow, we think it's some nerve stuff, [LB Demetrius] Flannigan-Fowles, calf, did not return either."
Is there any kind of imaging or anything that Brock will do here about the elbow?
"They didn't tell me. I doubt it. We'll probably check on it tomorrow, but not exactly sure."
Is his status for next week up in the air?
"Yeah."
Do you guys consider this a game playing for pride or how do you guys approach it? How you feel like you guys played?
"Try to approach it the same way we approach every game, try our hardest to win and try to play our best. I thought the guys played real hard. I thought they competed, I thought, every chance to beat a real good football team there. Obviously, not everything was perfect and I thought, we weren't able to slow them down enough on defense. It's a real good offense, but still thought we should've slowed them down a little bit more. Thought the difference in the game though was didn't, obviously the type of game it was, they'd been in a number of those games this year, but we had to win it in a shootout, and I thought the difference was our two turnovers and getting none. Once that happened, it kind of, that's why you ended up losing by one score."
WR Ricky Pearsall seemed to be the hot hand that you liked to deal tonight, and I would say that it was one of his strongest performances against one of the best teams in the NFL. What did you see out of him and why do you think he was able to kind of come alive tonight versus other games earlier this season?
"He had better stats tonight, so that's how it looks for receivers. But when the ball came his way, he did a good job, made some good catches, had some big plays. And it doesn't always work that way for wideouts, but when it came his way, he did a real good job. Beat man coverage well and caught the ball real well too."
How do you evaluate the night that Purdy had?
"It seemed like he had a real good night, except those two picks. They were two tough ones, but it seemed like he was playing a pretty high level."
What did you see on those two picks?
"Just the ball sailed on him. It sailed on the first one, the one versus man coverage, and I think he thought the free safety was playing deeper than he was and free safety just read his eyes and teed off on it. Looked like cover three, but I think he was a Tampa-two player."
You backed up K Jake Moody pretty solidly the last few days. When you see this, do you have to start really evaluating that position?
"We already are, we're evaluating all positions. I was just, earlier in the week, I was saying some of the things that he's gone through this year, which are facts, just him coming back from that injury and everything. Today wasn't a great day, by no means. Missing the 51-yard field goal. The 58-yard field goal, that's just a got-to-have-it situation and not going to be too hard on him for that far of a kick. But I know he's capable of making that and it looked like he got the distance, I think he just missed it. But obviously, that extra point, I don't know how the snap and the hold were, we'll look at that one when we see the tape, but you've got to make that extra point."
At this point, how much of it seems like a mental or confidence thing?
"I don't know. I don't know about people's mental."
Obviously, a lot of new names on the that offensive line. How do you think that position group played today?
"I thought they did a good job. Both of our left tackles come in, just being on someone else's practice squad last week and being able to come in here and play in this game. I think that's the first time I've ever started a guy who was on someone else's practice squad last week at this time. So, they did a real good job of just learning the terminology and stuff. I don't think they made too many mistakes. And just appreciate them battling, putting themselves out there, and we scored a lot of points, so obviously they were a part of that."
You put so much emphasis on taking the ball away with the special ball meetings and everything. I think since the bye week, I think you have two takeaways. I think I asked you this the other day, but how do you account for that few?
"Oh, it's extremely tough. Tough to win when you don't get the ball like that. Didn't seem like we had many opportunities today, which you've got to create your own opportunities. This past month, I think we have created a couple and haven't come down with it, but today I didn't see too many opportunities."
Just to clarify, Brock, what's your level of concern with that? Could that be something long-term?
"I wouldn't think so. I'm just speculating right now. I know everyone, when they hear about Brock's elbow and stuff, just like me, you think of the elbow injury from a couple years ago. But just talking to the doctors, he just got hit in the right spot and when you get hit there, you're just, your nerves go and you can't feel much, but hopefully it'll be alright."
How do you feel about the culture of this team where you had guys flying around and playing, I thought, pretty fast today, even despite the fact this is Week 17?
"I'd be extremely disappointed if they didn't. I don't get how people can't play that way just because of Week 17 or just because of, you're not in the playoffs. This is the NFL, you get paid a lot to do it. And if you're the right type of guy, then there should never be a question. And I believe we do have the right type of guys and our guys played their asses off today, just didn't play good enough in a lot of areas, and that's all of us. But I've never questioned our guys' effort or anything like that."
Was there, on the fourth-and-goal touchdown to Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, was there a miscommunication in coverage there?
"It looked like it. Yep."
Can you speak to WR Deebo Samuel Sr. and how he's played the last two weeks? He kind of set the momentum early on in this one, on that first drive, but then to come off a week like he did in Miami, seemingly, is also catching a rhythm.
"Yeah, Deebo has played two good games and Deebo is a real good player. So, it's a matter of time before he does."
When Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta caught that 19-yard catch, I believe, on 4th-and-3, was there a miscommunication on that play as well?
"Yes. Short motion. I think two people went with the running back and they left him alone."
Why was QB Joshua Dobbs the QB2 and could he possibly start if Brock can't play next week?
"Possibly, yeah. I'll look into that, always, just once I start thinking about Arizona and stuff tomorrow. Just with some of our O-Line issues and things like that and how the game could be, I thought it could turn into a scrambling type day, not knowing how it would go and thought Dobbs would give us the best chance for that reason. He did a hell of a job coming in there on his drive. Really good."
I know this game didn't mean much as far as the rest of the season, but to be able to have that many young guys out there making plays, does it kind of seem as if you have some promise going into the next season?
"I think everything is connected. Good or bad, I think it can lead to good things the next year. We're going through this by no means are we happy with what we're going through, but I fully expect us to get better for going through this. Even if it wouldn't have, even if it could have gone worse today, I expect us to learn a lot here going through this stuff, and I expect it to make us a better team next year. And when the season is over, I can't wait to get started figuring out how to do that."
The way DL Nick Bosa played tonight, what does that mean to you and what does that mean to this team?
"Means he is who we think he is. Football is important to Nick. He's gotten healthier here in the last 10 days and stuff. It was unfortunate how his health struggled during that stretch and now he's starting to get better health-wise. He's been, got out of the Miami game pretty clean, had a good week and wish we were going to the tournament so he could play longer."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
Do you have an indication about the status of your elbow?
"Nothing right now. We're going to get an MRI tomorrow and see."
Is it a concern to you at this point?
"It doesn't feel the best, but just leave it at that. So we'll see tomorrow."
Can you describe what happened?
"On that sack, I got hit on the backside and basically just my arm was on fire kind of thing. I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn't at that point. It has nothing to do with tapping out of the game or anything like that. I love my teammates, and all go to the very end for them and this fan base and everybody. That's what hurts me is I couldn't finish the game, but again, we'll see tomorrow."
With your arm on fire, is that similar pain to what you had in Philly?
"A little bit, but we did some tests with UCL stuff and I'm good in that regard. But, we've just got to go get imaging on it tomorrow and see the whole thing."
It got really pass heavy in the fourth quarter. I think 16 straight throws to end the game. Was that something specific that you saw with Detroit's defense that attack the fact that you guys went away from the run game?
"Going into the game, we didn't say anything like that, like 'hey we're going to throw, throw, throw.' Obviously, we go into the game with the mindset of we need to run the ball first and that opens up everything else. But just the flow of the game, how it was going, I think our guys winning in man coverage, all that kind of stuff helped and we were in a groove. So yeah, at that point in the game we were just being aggressive and trying to win the game however it took. For us, we thought the pass game was going really well, and it was. So, it's just sucks with with the two turnovers, crucial turnovers, but yeah, that was our mindset."
What happened on those two interceptions?
"First one, just got away from me. I left it too high for [WR] Ricky [Pearsall]. And then the second one I saw the linebacker sunk in and I thought I was going to have some space for Ricky and then sure enough there was a safety there in a disguise coverage. So, he just jumped it."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned that it was more of a nerve thing and kind of like loose feeling, which puts me in the mind of like hitting your funny bone or are you saying with it on fire it was like a sharp pain shooting up and down your arm?
"No, in the moment, like I said, it just felt, I don't know, heavy in a sense. So, tomorrow we'll have an answer. I'll leave it at that."
How badly do you want to play Sunday? Obviously health is going to dictate, but do you really want to push to play on Sunday?
"One hundred percent. If we've got a game, regular season game, that we have an opportunity to suit up and we're healthy, yes. For my guys, for this organization, I want to finish the season with our guys."
Can you relate to some of the outside noise that players should sit out a game to retain their health going into the next season? Is that something you can even comprehend?
"I don't even know if that's really a thing. I don't know for sure if that's even a thing in the NFL. Obviously, college, going into the Draft and stuff. But, we're here. We're in a professional level and this is as good as it gets. So, for me it's like, why wouldn't I play for my team and try to get some momentum going for the next year with our guys and make a statement to everybody here and that's going to be here next year that I'm a competitor and I want to be out on the field any chance I get. That's my mindset."
That was Ricky's best performance I thought to date. What did you see from him in this game and have you seen that in practice the last couple weeks where it's coming?
"Yeah, we've all seen that in Ricky since he's been here, the way he runs routes and he is explosive. For all of us it's like we just need to get him in some really good situations and get him the ball because he's a playmaker. And so, tonight to be able to do that for him, really happy for him. I know that'll be good for us moving forward just our chemistry. So, more than anything, really happy for him and he deserves it and he's going to continue to do that kind of stuff for us."
Have you done anything extra with him? Obviously, he wasn't around for most of August, September and into October. Have you after practices just to build that chemistry that might have been missing earlier?
"Yeah, we have. All throughout the season, we've had a couple days where we stayed after and made sure we get some routes in. He's still so young and like a sponge when it comes to learning route trees in our offense and stuff. And so for me it's like he's going to listen, he's willing to be coached and so we've had multiple days where we stayed after and I sort of explained to him what I'm thinking on a route, and then he tells me how he's feeling. I'm really excited to have him and to continue to work with him."
Ricky's been obviously very quiet most of his rookie season. He was just saying last week his confidence has never waned. He seemed pretty convincing. Have you noticed that? It's not like he's had the most productive rookie season and hasn't gotten down.
"No. More than anything, Ricky knows who he is and his purpose in life. You could see it like in the locker room and stuff. Yes, he's a rookie, but he's very mature and I just love his attitude. After games, he'll text me and just talk about routes and stuff, he's hungry which I love. He tells me time and time again, if I miss something or if he could've done something better, he'll text me and just be like, 'I want the best for you and for us moving forward.' So Ricky's on the same page as us and as a quarterback that's all you could ask for. And so, he's had a great attitude all year. Obviously, it's a long year as a rookie and you go through so much and that dude has been through more than anybody. For him to come out tonight and just compete and stay consistent with his routine all year long then you see it and he showed it tonight. Really happy for him."
49ers DL Nick Bosa
How would you evaluate your game tonight?
"My goal was to come out and play as hard as I could. It was a little weird last week for the first time in my career playing a game that doesn't necessarily mean anything in terms of playoff contention. I kind of had to check myself and this week came in with a mindset of every game matters and we need to put the best product out there that we can. That's what I tried to do."
Can you kind of just talk about what happened on the play when they thought you got a concussion?
"[49ers DL] Sam [Okuayinonu] tried to get in on the play and it caught me. It was more of like a stinger type thing, but the ref wanted me to go to the tent, so I had to go answer some questions."
Do you get the sense they're kind of a different team from when you played the Lions last year?
"I don't think they're that different. I think they've had a ton of injuries on defense, which hurts them, but the mentality of the head coach, you could see it throughout everybody. It's really a cool team. I could just see from afar that it's probably a fun team to play for. They come out and they play to win every game, and I respect that."
49ers S Ji'Ayir Brown
Do you have any idea of what, how, why takeaways hasn't happened for you guys?
"I have no clue. We led the league last year in takeaways. I don't know what is going on this year. It is just sad."
How was the mood on the sidelines throughout the game?
"The energy was great. I honestly thought that we were going to win that game. Things happen, but to answer your question, the sideline energy was great."
What did you think of WR Ricky Pearsall's performance tonight?
"Rick was balling. He was doing his thing. He had some big plays for us. I really think probably his best game this year. So yes, he was balling."
Was this the toughest team that you played against, that offense?
"They do a great job scheming guys open, a lot of motions, post and pre-snap. [Detroit Lions QB] Jared Goff does a great job playing in that system. They are coached very well. They did a great job executing. [Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr] Gibbs is a big part of their offense. He does a good job finding open spaces. He is one of the fastest running backs in the league. He made a couple of plays down the stretch."
49ers WR Jauan Jennings
What was some of the chatter going on between you and some of the Detroit Lions defensive players tonight?
"I don't think it even matters. They got the dub. That is what matters."
Do you feel that there is a little rivalry budding? Seeing that you guys met in the NFC Championship last year. Did some of that carry over into this game?
"It would be nice to get the win against any team. I don't care who we are playing, but they got the win, hats off to them. They played a great game. We are now getting ready for Arizona."
You guys had quite a few young guys that played a pretty good game as well. I asked Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, does it seem promising for the next season? He said all things are connected, the good and the bad. What is your take on that?
"I agree one hundred percent. We had some guys step up today and make huge plays. They had some guys that made some plays and that is football. You are going to win some, you are going to lose some, but you are going to fight another day."
49ers TE George Kittle
You have your fourth season of over one thousand yards and you hit that tonight. How does that feel?
"It feels good, getting one thousand yards is tough. It's hard. You have to play a whole season for it but besides that, not much else to say about it."
How was it to see WR Ricky Pearsall go out there and have the game he had as well?
"These are the games I've always expected him to have. Just watching him practice in OTAs, every day he would go for one hundred plus yards. Just to get this game under his belt, I think will raise his confidence a ton because it's hard to go out there and not get a lot of catches or run the ball a lot. Sometimes the ball and the game just doesn't go your way. But for him to go out there, stack up a bunch of catches, run efficiently, get downhill and do all the things we needed him to do, I think that's going to raise his confidence a bunch. It's a great step forward in his early young career."
Did this game mean anything for the future? What can you do in the future knowing that the team you faced tonight could be the number one seed in the NFC?
"Yes and no, for the way this season has gone. But the way we've played the last couple of years are what my expectations are. I go in every game expecting to win. I expected to win tonight, regardless of our record and what their record is. They're a great football team and they're a really well coached football team. They took advantage of their opportunities and won the game. But I went in this game fully expecting to win, fully expecting our offense to go out there and bang up their defense, we're banged up too. I thought we were moving the ball really efficiently and turnovers are tough to overcome. But I want to go out there and play good football every single week. That's what I want to do and that's what I want my team to do. We struggled with doing that all season and that's why we're 6-10."
49ers K Jake Moody
How did it feel out there? Obviously missed a few. What would you say your confidence level is right now?
"Definitely one of the lowest times of my career, dating back to when I first started football. So confidence, you just have to keep it high. You have no other choice as a kicker. You just have to keep staying confident in yourself, otherwise you have nothing. So, have to stay confident and just keep going from here."
We saw TE George Kittle consoling you, after the first missed kick. Do you care to share what he was telling you?
"He patted me on the back and said 'Believe in yourself.' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'I believe in you, we know you work hard, we trust you. Keep going.' Words of encouragement."
What did you make of Head Coach Kyle Shanahan's comments earlier this week giving you a vote of confidence?
"Yes. That's awesome coming from the head coach. Obviously I have do a lot better than what I showed. Hearing that from him, it definitely helps knowing that your coach has your back and he trusts you to send you out there for kicks. I really appreciate him saying that."
49ers WR Ricky Pearsall
What was it like to get back into that groove?
"It felt good to go out there and make some plays, but obviously as a competitor I want to go out there and come out with a win, so it wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be."
Were you a little surprised by yourself coming down with that juggling one on the sideline?
"No, that doesn't surprise me. Those are the catches I'm supposed to make when [QB] Brock [Purdy] throws the ball my way. I have to make the plays and make the most out of every opportunity I can. So, no surprise."
In the first half, this offense really came out hitting on all cylinders. It was quite potent. What was working so good for you guys early on in the game?
"I think we just came out, we started clicking right away and it just created momentum for us. Each and every week we just try to have that same mindset. Every time we step on the field, we have to go down and drive down the field and score. So, just going out there each play with the same mindset and building energy off of one another and I think that's what we were doing that was helping us click out there in the beginning."
For you to get in the rhythm that you did get in out there- over 100 receiving yards and some ESPN top 10 worthy catches- what did that mean to you personally?
"It felt good, but that's what I'm supposed to do. That's what they brought me here to do so I'm going to continue to do that. And for me, like I said earlier, it's not a surprise for me. I have all the confidence in the world in myself."
What did you learn about your veteran leadership as a rookie going through this for the first time? You guys are hanging with the Lions and guys are playing hurt, all that stuff.
"I think the biggest thing that I've noticed coming in was the veteran guys in here and the leadership that they bring, the energy that they bring. Being a rookie coming in, I can speak for all the rookies to be honest, and having that just builds energy for everybody and gets everybody in good spirits and amped up. We appreciate them, and I'm a question guy, so I try to get as much guidance as I can from those veteran guys and put it into my game. So, I'm really appreciative of all the veterans in this locker room for sure."
49ers LB Fred Warner
How'd you feel about the overall effort that you guys played with tonight on defense?
"The effort's always there. I feel like the effort's always there. It's always going to be about the execution and about taking the ball away. We didn't do either of those things tonight."
Do you think that the way this season has gone will actually bring you guys together a little bit more?
"It's hard for me to think big picture right now because I'm fully focused on one game at a time, even though the season hasn't gone how we wanted it to. We're out of the playoffs and all that type of stuff. I feel like once we finish next week, that's when I'll have a moment to really reflect on the season."
Can you talk about WR Ricky Pearsall? He's gone through a lot but he's having some impressive performances.
"Ricky's made of the right stuff. He's always been, just because he hadn't had that big performance, but he keeps knocking at the door. It's going to come at some point. He had it in the biggest moment tonight."
Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell
Opening Comments:
"Proud of the guys. They were ready to go, they came out, and they competed and we were able to finish that one out. A number of guys played really good for us. I thought [QB Jared] Goff had a big game. That offensive line, [RB Jahmyr] Gibbs, [WR Jameson Williams] Jamo, [WR Amon-Ra St. Brown] Saint. Defensively, there were a number of guys, certainly [S] Kerby [Joseph] came up big with two picks that were big. It was just, we wanted to play complimentary football. We did that and I was really proud of the guys."
You spoke about it this week, about playing the guys, not resting starters. Just talk about why that was so important for you to come out and how the guys play in and get this victory with the starters and rotation as well.
"Look, there's nothing easy about this and there's a number of things you got to decide and we don't get to prepare those other guys because you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know what's going to happen for first, second down, third down, and red zone leading into the week. For example, like [QB Hendon] Hooker's not getting those reps, those are Goff's reps because we don't know and that's just one example. So, it's not fair. I just don't believe it's fair to put in a guy who's not prepared to play, especially a young player. You can only sit six guys. So, who are those six and then the other guys that don't? Was it fair to them that we're not using everything we've got? We flew out here, we prepared this way, we came out to win and that's ultimately what it came to. You do cross your fingers nobody gets hurt. It's tough and we were fortunate. We got out and now it's on to the next one."
Kerby, I think he had seven picks in the first 10 games, had been a little bit of a drought here, but just stepped up in a huge way. Two big ones that you guys turned into 14 points. Whenever you guys need that kind of a play, it seems like he's been able to step up. Just how proud are you of him getting nine picks on the year now?
"Really proud. It's what we talked about it. It was when we needed to the most, he came up big and we'd been talking about it. We knew we needed to get takeaways, and it was just another example playing complimentary football. He came up in a big way, not just that the picks, he had some critical tackles in this game and just really showed up for us. So, that was big."
Kerby had those big picks obviously, but you guys didn't force a punt. Just how do you feel overall about your defense and its readiness for the playoffs right now?
"For me it's do you want to play a little bit better? Yeah, you do, in areas, but we calmed some things down in the second half and those guys did a good job. We talked about man disruption and takeaways and we got those and that's the world we got to live in. So I feel good. I know that the most important thing is that we do complement each other and when we need it, offense has got to show up and defense, if we're not able to score, they got to show up and we did that and then we still got special teams that we hadn't even talked about yet. We'll be fine."
What you said about not resting the starters, did you get even a little bit of an itch after the Vikings won and, obviously, playing the starters, how does that set you up for the Vikings this week on a short week? Does it give you any kind of benefit from momentum, anything like that?
"I'm probably like you guys that were all here woke up at two or whatever this was this morning and it was on my mind. I thought a lot about it. I thought about it leading up to the game. I thought about it last night. I told the staff but I ended up settling on the right thing to do was play these guys. We owed it to the team and it was just one of those positions we were in. It's just hard to say who you going to sit and it's not fair to ask guys to play in a game that haven't been prepared to play. So, that was tough. I think the biggest thing there were things we wanted to do better than we did last week, and we did. We cleaned a lot of things up offensively. I thought defensively, we talked about getting takeaways and we got takeaways. So, that'll always serve you well going into the next week. There was never going to be anything. We knew what this is. You're out on the west coast, you go, 'it's all good.' That's what we do. This is what we do. Like we love it hard, and this is our deal right now. We're looking forward to this, everything about this week."
You went undefeated on the road, Dan, it's so hard to win on the road in this league. To go undefeated just how much of an accomplishment is that for you personally?
"It shows the type of guys we got and it shows the type of players we got. We're a resilient group. We just are. We're built to handle things that not everybody can do. You go 8-0 on the road, you're a pretty good team and you can handle adversity. I'm proud of these guys, I'm proud of the coaches. It takes a village, it takes everybody. We prepare that way and we play that way."
We saw T Penei Sewell head to the locker room a little bit earlier in the first half. Is he dealing with anything that is a long-term concern at all?
"No, shouldn't be, should be good."
You had 11 conversions today on third or fourth down. Just how were you guys so good on money downs tonight?
"We felt good about the plan going into the week. Ultimately it was going to come down to the execution. We did feel like we had a really good plan, put our guys in position and ultimately Goff played lights out today and he's been playing like this and I feel like he took another step up, which is hard to believe with where he's been playing because it is such a high level. Then our playmakers showed up, they made plays for us. The O line protected well and usually that means you're going to have success."
I know we asked you earlier this week about just coming back here at this stage playing even for some of the media. We were just like, it was crazy to just experience that after last year.
"I believe it's been almost a year."
I know we asked you earlier this week about coming back to Santa Clara. How was it to actually come out and get this victory on this stage? I know it doesn't take away the pain from last year, but how did it feel to get that victory here?
"It feels good. There's so many things that you want to do, like get a taste out of your mouth that's been there for a while. It feels good to do that. It feels good to come out here and get that win. I tell you what, tonight, everything about this was right. It just felt good. It was a great night for football and a great environment. [The 49ers] are a good team with good coaches. They came out and gave us what they had. We knew they would. We had to earn that win and we did. That got us to 14 wins. I'm really proud of the guys."
Along with your win over the Dallas Cowboys, does this complete the Dan Campbell revenge tour?
"No. It's not like that. It was good to get this one."
Is there something more behind it for you and the players as far as avenging these losses?
You mentioned that you didn't get any help from the Green Bay Packers yesterday. What is the message about the opportunity and challenge that this week brings?
"This is what you're in it for. You couldn't write a better scenario. You couldn't come up with this. The fact that both teams are sitting at 14-2, and it's for the division and the top seed, it just doesn't get any better than this. This is fairytale stuff. It speaks for itself. Our guys are excited. I told you the hardest thing was not to overlook what we were getting ready to do today. Now that it's here, I'm going to spend the next six hours on the plane like, 'This is as good as it gets.' We're looking forward to this and it's early. We just finished the last game."
What does it mean for Jared Goff to come back to the Bay Area and play so well? This is a team he hasn't beaten in almost seven years.
"Really? I didn't know that. Then it feels good. I guarantee you."
But what was it like for Goff to have that kind of performance here? I'm sure he had a lot of friends and family in attendance.
"I know he had a lot of friends and family here, so I know in that regard, that meant something. There was a lot that meant something to him. To be able to get a win out here where we didn't last year, and then the previous history you're talking about with the Los Angeles Rams, and then having family here, but this is different. This is a different Jared Goff now. He's different. This guy has developed and matured, and he's just stepping into his prime. He just continues to get better and better. He's playing at an ultimate level right now. You find me a quarterback that's playing better than him in this league right now. I'd love to see it."
A guy we don't get to ask about this time of year a lot, but Detroit Lions RB Craig Reynolds really showed up today in both the receiving game and the running game. How big of a boost is that as you go out there without Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery in these final weeks?
"It's huge. Once again, that's Craig Reynolds. That's what Craig does. Craig doesn't get hardly any reps because they go to Gibbs or Montgomery. When we had David, he gets a couple here and there. [Reynolds] goes in on the mental work of preparing. He's always on point. He knows exactly where to line up. Alignment, assignment, effort, finish. He shows up once again for us. That's why we trust him. We trust the heck out of him. Normally, he's been a big special teams contributor for us and always has silent production. He steps in, and you're right, was a huge help for us offensively."
Lions QB Jared Goff
You've had plenty of stretches in your career where you've played great. Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said this is maybe the best he's seen you play. Do you feel like you're playing at an elevated level?
"Yeah, I feel good. I feel like we're all playing at an elevated level right now on offense. The last handful of weeks, even the Buffalo game that we lost, we were scoring a ton of points. We've been playing well for quite some time, and I feel like I'm just part of that."
You guys are 8-0 on the road this season. A lot of times when asked about these achievements, you say you'll look back on them one day. Now that the regular season road schedule is done, how much pride do you take in being able to achieve that?
"A ton. I answered this on the field earlier, but like the us-against-everybody mentality, how tight this group is, how close we are, that comes out in full force on the road. Our culture, how prideful we are and what we want to do. Our fans have shown up to road games and have made a difference. They've made it feel like semi-home games and that's important."
It was a question entering the game. Would Dan play the starters or would he rest them? Just speak to the mentality of no, I'm playing, we're going to try to get this?
"I put that to bed pretty early on in the week. No matter what was going to happen, we were going to go. I'm sure that's tough for him, but I think that's the only way we know. It's just go and find a way to win. The team we were playing, San Francisco, this is what ended our season last year. There were a lot of guys on this team that were here last year and wanted to get one back on them, even though in a lot of ways it was meaningless for them and meaningless for us. But they were prideful out there, too. They were trying to beat us as well. It was a fun game."
How many friends and family did you have here today?
"A lot. I have no idea how many, but a lot."
What was it like to have that kind of performance? The fans are chanting your name against the team you grew up rooting for.
"Pretty surreal. Our fans have been unbelievable all year on road games. It's truly remarkable what they've done. It's loud on third down sometimes for the offense and it's pretty cool. It's very cool for me being home in front of my family and friends and having an experience like that."
Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams got to 1,000 scrimmage yards. That means you have four players with 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season. You're the first team to do that in NFL history. How fun is it to play quarterback when you've got that many guys who can make plays for you?
"It's really cool. The four I'm sure is [Detroit Lions RB] David Montgomery, [Detroit Lions RB] Jahmyr Gibbs and [Detroit Lions WR] Amon-Ra St. Brown, right? And [Detroit Lions TE] Sam LaPorta is as good as it gets at tight end. And [Detroit Lions WR] Tim Patrick has done a helluva job too. We've got a good group and a very unselfish group, which is the best part of it. Those guys want to see each other succeed. They just want to win. To do something like that is very cool. We're proud of that."
We just asked Dan about playing/not playing starters. Now you've got a short week, you've got the Vikings and he called it fairytale stuff. He says you guys like it hard. What does a game like this do as far as setting you up for that big showdown against the Vikings?
"A game like today? Another W? I don't know. If there's something to be said for keeping a winning streak going. You don't want to lose a game and have to restart that winning streak. I think there's something to be said for that. Certainly the Vikings are on a winning streak and so are we now at this point, two or three games now. I think that's what's important about winning this game. I don't believe it's hard. I don't know what's hard about the week, but yeah, we're good."
Could it be harder to restart after two weeks off?
"I guess so. I don't know. If we're able to get the Bye week, we'd be pretty happy about that, so I don't know. There's give-and-take to it. There's some validity to having some time off. It can be bad for teams. I don't believe it'd be bad for us. There's pros and cons. I'm sorry, I don't have a better answer."
You guys had 11 conversions on third or fourth down. What do you attribute that success to?
"Detail, pass protection and our guys getting open and making plays. We had a couple, one or two fourth down touchdowns in the Red Zone and failed on one of them. We made some plays all night. We got guys open. It was fun."
Lions DL Myles Adams
The month you've been here – you came in, you had to play right away. Then they put you down for a week or two just because the numbers were what they were. What did it feel like to get back out there and have that moment in this game and have 14 wins going into Minnesota?
"I think it's a perfect moment. I'm not going to really highlight the sack; it was really a cleanup sack. Guys were rushing well all night, but we just couldn't get to him. Thankfully, I could keep alive on the play and get to him. We've got some things to clean up on the defensive front, but we did a good job. We've got to keep limiting points on the board like AG [Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn] talks about, but it felt good to get on the board [with the sack]."
What was the message in the locker room? You kind of had to start with the Buffalo game where you couldn't get the stop you needed early. You guys came up big and turned it around in the second half [today]. What was AG's message at half?
"We need to do what we do best. We need to execute. We were giving them a lot of plays in the first half and when we're on and we're rolling, it's really hard to stop our defensive scheme. So we had to get back to what we do best."
What does it mean to you to win like this when it was tough in the first half, but you're able to fight back and get it done?
"I know in January earlier this year they [the 49ers] took that opportunity to get to the Super Bowl away from us, so it really felt good to come in here. Coming from Seattle, I have played this team 10 times in my career, so it felt good to beat them."
What does it mean to go into this week now? You've got that big game coming up on Sunday night [against Minnesota] with everything on the line?
"Yeah, number one seed on the line. It's everything you ask for as a player. We're ready for the opportunity at home."
Lions CB Terrion Arnold
When you guys come up as big as you did in the second half with some of those takeaways, just explain why this defense is able to do things like that.
"It's a defense full of playmakers. We just do our job and when a play presents itself, go out there and make it."
How do you feel about where the defense is overall heading into playoffs?
"I feel like we're good. The secondary is trusting each other and the main thing is we aren't panicking when adversity happens. We're not going to go out there and have a perfect game. When we get hit in the face, we respond. You saw how we responded today. [S] Kerby [Joseph] stepped up. He made some really, really big plays and we always say if we make it a passing game that we are playing to our strength. Make them put the ball in the air. That's what we want."
The first half of this game kind of had the Buffalo vibe, right? That game in Buffalo, you couldn't get a stop. You turned it around this game. Was there a different message or a different focus in the locker room at halftime of this one?
"We just said don't turn your back on each other. You go out there and football is one of those things where it's a game of momentum. As long as we just keep our poise and go out there and do our job to execute, we're going to go out there and the play is going to come. And that's what happened."
You didn't play the first series of the second half. What happened with that?
"I had to get my wind. I had the flu this week, my lungs were hurting."'
Lions T Taylor Decker
Not as far as the playoffs but you guys seemed like it meant a lot to win this game. What was the mentality?
"If we're going to line up and play football, we're going to play to win the game. That's just what we do in Detroit. That's a talented football team regardless of what their record is. So we wanted to come out here and compete. That's what we do. If there's a game and we're going to go play, we're going to play all of our starters and we can go out there and win the game."
Four touchdowns on the third down, one touchdown on the fourth down. Can you just talk about why you guys are so good in those situations?
"First and foremost, we practice them. Then [Detroit Lions Head] Coach [Dan Campbell] does a really good job of putting our playmakers in positions to make plays. We know we can try to protect up front and give [Detroit Lions QB] Jared [Goff] time to get the ball out. We have a lot of play makers that can make plays. Then I think we've been in enough pressure situations that guys don't bat an eye at it. We're almost expecting to go for it on those plays where other people would kick it or punt it."
How about the hook and lateral, not only to get the first down, but to get the touchdown. What's it like to see a play like that wind up with a touchdown?
"We've run that four times this year. We run it a bunch. We just run it a bunch of different ways. One thing that's really cool about our offense is we're not afraid to try different things. We're not afraid to mix it up. We know as long as we execute the play properly, it should work. Again, just other ways to get the ball in our playmakers' hands."
Thoughts on the Vikings?
"What more could you want? 14 win teams can't even win the division yet. It's going to be really fun. I know that. I believe the game is officially flexed to the night game, I would imagine. So it is going to be really, really fun. It is going to be a rocking crowd at home and that crowd is going to be amazing. It is going to be pretty cool."
How big of a boost is it when you see S Kerby Joseph come up against two picks? You guys take the field, score touchdowns after both.
"We were talking about it going into this game where we want to protect the ball on offense, run the football, score the touchdowns when we can, and then on defense we need to get turnovers. Everybody knows the stat on turnovers. The percentage of winning the game goes up exponentially. Our defense has been doing a really, really good job of getting turnovers all year."
Lions S Kerby Joseph
How good did it feel to get two interceptions today?
"Oh man, it felt amazing. First I want shout out God for putting me in a position to make that play. I feel like it's all glory to God. I want to say thank you to my teammates. Teammates are my coaches. I couldn't do it without them."
What was it like coming back into this stadium looking for revenge?
"I took into account this game. I really wanted that get back. I felt like we came in here last year and they beat us, so I still had that chip on my shoulder from last year. I know this game isn't like they say in the media or whatever. This game didn't really mean much, but this game meant everything for me, you know what I'm saying? I felt like we were so close and we came up short. So the feeling to come back out here to San Fran and come back with the win, I know we started off slow on defense, but we were able to finish. I felt like this shows our grit and adversity. I love this team, I love this team so much."
What was it like having the whole stadium chanting Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff toward the end of the game?
"That's everything. I feel like JG deserves it. Like JG's been with this team longer than me, so he's seen the ups and downs that this team has been through. I've seen some too, but the adversity JG has been through, I feel like that's everything and how he's playing in his performance now. Shout out to that man right there."
Lions OL Christian Mahogany
The work you did last week, the work you've been doing, they're finding a way to get you on the field. Does it speak to the work you're doing?
"It's definitely interesting but whatever the coaches come up with, I'll just execute it the best I can."
When you and Detroit Lions' T Dan Skipper are out there and you've got seven offensive linemen, how potent, how impactful can this run game be in those plays.
"I think it can be really impactful. I mean, I think we've been impactful all year, no doubt. So just adding more elements to that, more creative ways. It'll just keep being impactful."
I know you're kind of a guy that leans on his nastiness when you're only getting a snap here and there. How much more juice and energy do you come out on the field with just feeling like you have to make all the impact you can on one snap?
"I don't know. I feel like every play, you never know when it could be your last play. You never know anything like that. So I try to play every play the same. That's how I view it."
Lions C Frank Ragnow
What was the difference between the first and second half? You guys were down by eight at the break and just came out running in the second half.
"I think defense came up huge with a couple of turnovers and we finished in the red zone at the end. That was huge."
How big is it when they get those takeaways and you turn those both into touchdowns? How much does that change things?
"Big time. That's complimentary football one on one and that's what playoff teams are supposed to do. So, that was huge for us."
Over 400 yards of offense tonight in this game. What did you like most about what you guys were able to do?
"Running the ball, I feel like we could have ran the ball all night. It's good to get the line of scrimmage moving and the get the job done."
Lions T Penei Sewell
What did it feel like playing at San Francisco?
"[They were] our next opponent. We knew that based off of last year, and especially coming back to this place, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some type of way walking into this locker room and walking out onto that field. But, I think at the end of the day, we've just got to lock into what we need to accomplish."
You're a guy that doesn't like to leave the field. You left for one snap at the end of the first half for the kneel down. How frustrating was that and everything checked out okay I assume because you were right back out there in the second half?
"Yeah, I don't like to miss a play, miss anything, so obviously that was frustrating, but it was just one of those things that it wasn't up to me."
Not to not let you celebrate this one but obviously a pretty important one coming up this week. [Detroit Lions Head Coach] Dan [Campbell] had a huge smile when he was asked about it in his postgame presser. How much is the competitor in you looking forward to this Vikings game coming up?
"These are the types of games you dream of when you are growing up. These are the moments that you live for. Opportunities like this don't come often. With all that's on the table, it's time to put the ball down [and] let's go."
What does it say about this team to finish 8-0 on the road this season?
"It says a lot. At the end of the day the defense came up big with those two turnovers, and then we were able to put some points up. It's a good complimentary win. I love playing on the road. There's just that extra feel of being the underdog in those types of situations. The fans are loud, the odds are against you in terms of that, but it's always fun."
Lions DL Za'Darius Smith
What was the biggest difference between the first half and second half defensively?
"Just adjustments for the defense. It was some things they were hitting us with more to slow us down in the pass rush. But obviously we got the hang of it and we made some plays in the backfield to shake [QB Brock] Purdy up a little bit. I'm just happy we got the dub."
How big was it to see Detroit Lions S Kerby Joseph come away with those two picks?
"That was big. He has been talking about it for the past three weeks and I'm so happy that he got two tonight. Hopefully he gets two more next week. I'm just happy for him. A young cat that's basically trying to get paid and take care of his family. So, I'm just happy for him."
What are your thoughts looking ahead to next week? Everything on the line and you know this team well coming in here.
"Yes, we talked about it yesterday when they actually won. I told the guys, I'd rather win it at home anyway. It'll feel more special. So we are going to go to work when we get back. I think coach is going to give us a day off, we come in Tuesday and we get going on the Vikings."
Lions WR Jameson Williams
You're a guy that's always having fun on the field but when you're clicking on all cylinders it just seems like you're having an absolute blast out there.
"Yeah, for sure. I'm having the ultimate fun time out there. Especially since we are winning. The way we are playing ball right now gives me excitement. Even when someone else scores, I get so excited but I get so tired. You're going to see me on the field just holding my hands up. So just playing ball with the guys who make explosive plays brings me excitement."
As a rookie you're contributing in so many different ways now and taking these end-arounds. When you're finding all these different ways to score, how much does that open up the offense?
"It opened up a lot because it just showed that we are multi-cylinder. A lot of people can do a lot of different things. From trick plays to reverses to short routes, to deep routes, everything. It gives everybody else an opportunity to open up what they can do, including me. So, we put in the work and put in time behind knowing what the opposing defense is going to do. Coaches know what to call. It's on us to just go out there and make the plays."
How about the hook-and-ladder play? Can you take us through that and at what point in that play did you know you not only have a first down but a touchdown?
"Probably when I got it. I saw I had tight coverage. I put on my peripheral and saw someone running with me from the other side. But once I got it and I turned the corner I saw the safety, take the wrong angle. He took the angle under the O line."
