Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
On Chicago’s fourth-down TD at the end of regulation:
Not to get too specific into the details of the call, we had a pressure called versus a great look. They were in a call and in a protection where they couldn’t pick it up. We had a free runner and we just had a bust in coverage that he was able to find a guy and throw off his back foot and make the play.
There was an error in the coverage. It should’ve been covered. We made a mistake. We gotta coach it better. We gotta execute it better, but we had a free runner at the quarterback and that’s very rare to happen, so we gotta make that play. But hats off to them. Threw off his back foot, they made a great play.
On the momentum going the wrong way at the end after the onside kick:
I think momentum plays a huge part in our game, right or wrong, whether you want to admit it. But I can’t use that as an excuse. I mean, I’m so proud of the way those guys played in the game. We sat there all last week and it was, how are we gonna play defense without Micah and how are we gonna play defense without this guy and all these injuries and against a top five offense and a really good play caller. For most of the game, they couldn’t score a touchdown. I mean, it was inspiring. The third-down defense was outstanding. I think they were 1-of-11 until the very end of the game. I just was proud of how physical we were, how fast we were. We really thought when we were able to bleed the clock and get them to kick that field goal right at the two-minute warning, we were right there. Unfortunately, what happened happened and we have to get back on the field and we have to get a stop. We had a chance to when we were right there – right there and we didn’t get it done. So we gotta finish.
On Ravens WR Zay Flowers:
Zay, I had the opportunity to coach for multiple years (at Boston College), and now I get to coach against him. He’s a dynamic wideout who can stop and start. He’s got over 70 catches this year. I think the next most at receiver for them is in the 18s or 20s, so you know they’re going to get him the ball. They’re going to hand him the ball, quick throws on the ball, take shots down the field to him, and his catch and run is as good as there is in this league. He has a crazy way of seeing things and spatial awareness, and as a guy that coached him for three years, it makes me extremely proud to see, but now we’re going to do everything we can to stop him. What I’m most proud when I watch though is the way he blocks down the field. The guy’s been relentless. That’s always one thing I think back to talking to him about was, anybody can go out and catch the ball. It’s those guys who block down the field show how much you care about your teammates and how much you love football, and it’s actually really cool for me to see him continue to do that. I’m very fond of the guy, and now it’s everything we can do to stop him and get him on the ground and limit him.
On Ravens RB Derrick Henry’s fumble issues:
I don’t think there’s many knocks on him, because he’s big and fast and he’s hard to bring down, and I think he has over 230 carries on the year, so it’s more carries, more chances for him to fumble the ball, more chances to attack the ball. So we’ll do everything we can to take the ball from him. I think takeaways are going to be huge in this game. If you look at both teams right now, one team hasn’t lost if they win the ball. So we’ve certainly got to do a better job than we did last week attacking the ball.
Things happen throughout the course of the game but you can’t look and say, well that’s why we lost the game. So how does he respond? I hope he or anyone else in those positions respond. It’s hard, right? You have to press on and you have to move forward and you know what else you need? You need coaches and players around him who are going to pick him up. I think that’s my job, and I think that’s the other players on our team, when a guy’s down to help pick him up. And he needs to respond. He has to and so do all the other guys who made mistakes in that game.
I think it’s hard, and each individual is probably going to handle it different, but I think that’s where we come in. I met him right outside the bus after the game because I wanted to see him, and I gave him a big hug. He needs all of us right now, but he’s also got to get over it, because we got another game to play, and you can never let one game beat you twice. And that one catch or two catches, whatever it may be, can’t lead to more catches in the next game. And that’s life in this league, and that’s life in general, right? You’re going to get knocked down. Get up. And you know what’s easy? How it’s easier to get up? When you’ve got good teammates and when you got coaches who care about you that are going to have your back, right? And aren’t going to point fingers and blame somebody because it ain’t his fault. Kei’s had a really good year for us — a really good year, and I expect he’ll have a good two games, and going forward, he’ll continue to help us out. But that’s all part of this.