NYG Postgame (at Baltimore Ravens) Transcripts: DE Dexter Lawrence
December 27, 2020
Q: You guys have done a really good job of stopping the run all season. I know Lamar Jackson is a new challenge, but what do you think it was that they were able to come out of there and run on you guys like they did in the first quarter?
A: They just had the better this game by hitting the edges really hard. We didn't do a good job of setting the edge and they took advantage of that.
Q: How demoralizing is it after you guys had that four-game win streak and you're feeling pretty good and then these last three games haven't even been particularly close. What's the mood of the locker room?
A: The locker room is great. It's one thing - we have to have those wins and not settle. We have to stay hungry and we have to keep going to get it. We have to just know that the next games aren't promised. We're not going to just win because we've been winning. We have to go earn it and make the plays to win.
Q: Were there any struggles there at times identifying who had the ball on those read option keepers? Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out if Lamar handed it off or not.
A: I don't want to say that. We were just at a gap and they found a way to get there. We didn't do the best job tackling or being in our gap or being disciplined. They were the better team today and we have to live with that.
Q: Those first two drives, did you feel like that set a tone for the game and the physicality? You were down 14-0 real quick.
A: No. It happens in the game. We just have to come back off of that. I think we responded really well as a defense. We held them to only a few more points after that. They came out strong, but it's all about the finish and I think we finished pretty well.
Q: What was the goal against Lamar and how is it different from other quarterbacks?
A: We knew that he likes to get to the edge and he wasn't a slider. He wanted to keep running. So, our plan was to keep him in bounds and contain him and tackle him.
Q: It seemed like you guys had a different formation almost. You had your inside linebackers kind of playing on the outside. Did that change anything for you guys in the interior at all?
A: No, upfront is whoop ass and let the linebackers flow. That's what we do upfront. We have to find a way to slow him down and we didn't do the best job of doing that today.
Q: Are you guys embarrassed on how this first half especially went as a defense? 249 rushing yards as a defense is really contrary to what you guys have made an identity doing.
A: That's not us. We're not embarrassed, that's just what we put on tape today for the first half. We don't accept that. We have to correct that and see what was going on. We have to watch tape and fix it for the next game.
