CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Here’s what the Falcons had to say after the win 38-20 win over the Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium:
A.J. Terrell, cornerback
On his interception: “It was well overdue. Just, if felt great just to put your hands on the ball and make a play.”
More on the interception: “It took all 11. Just knowing my key and seeing, breaking on the ball and making the play.”
On his teammates: “All the guys come to work with me every day, they know how big that play meant to me and to the whole organization. Just brining that energy. Trying to close the game out.”
On the offense’s drive: “Have our offense go down there and score like that they. Just put us in good position to win the game.”
On the play: “I think it was a motion. The receiver motioned across the field to a (different formation) where the tight end was. It was a play-action pass. The tight end went over the (linebackers) so that’s my work. I have to take it across the field. I was a little behind, but once I caught up I was able to look at the ball and make a play.”
On dropping some previous interceptions: “Anytime that it hits your hand and you just drop it, you just… you don’t get them back. Well, you do get them back. But you might not get them back. You just have to take advantage of them all. Tonight I did that.”
On the emotion after the play: “It’s been a minute. I’ve got the ball. It was just emotion. My momentum took me out of bounds. I just took a little victory lap.”
On not having a close game: “It’s always good in the NFL to have those type of leads in a game. The game, the majority of times comes down to one possession and the whole fourth quarter. But it definitely felt good to play complimentary ball at the end on offense and defense. Put a nice lead on them and get out of there. I think this is our first three-game win streak since I’ve been here (since 2019). It’s huge though.”
On his work ethic: “Coming in every day to work, we’ve got good energy from the coaches and players. We never got a big head. It’s never too much for us. The fun is in the winning like Coach (Dabo) Swinney used to say for me (at Clemson).”
On the team’s work ethic: “We just come in, every day. Every week and just understand that it’s the next game. That’s where we are at right now. Getting ready for the Seahawks next week.”
On Clark Phillips going down: “Smart. He’s smart. I told him like I wouldn’t even have thought that. Me, as soon as I get the ball, I (going to the) endzone. You get a free touchdown, you know you are going to get it. That’s definitely a heads-up play for him to fall down and the offense could go out there and take a knee, so we didn’t have to go back on the field and just close the game out.”
On validating the contract extension: “I don’t really think into that when I playing. I know what I’m here to do and the accountability that I have for the team. For me, it’s to go out there and get the job done every week in and week out. That’s the mentality that we have as a whole for everybody individually. Go out there play your role and get the job done.
Matthew Bergeron, left guard
On the run game: “It was supposed 200, but we had the kneel downs. It felt good. That’s what we are all about running the football especially for the offensive line. It’s always good to see that you’ve having success running the ball. It was a good front.”
More on the run game: “Allgeier got to eat. Bijan got to eat. They’ve been so great in the past games blocking. It was just great to see the eat as well.”
On staying with the run game: “The coaches kept believing in the run game. We just kept on pounding, and everybody believes in it. It takes all 11 to run the football as far as our receivers and tight ends, everyone has brought in.”
Bijan Robinson, running back
On the run game: “We do so much in practice for the run game. Then we want to be the best that we can at that. A game like today really does boost our confidence. Obviously, we have a big one next week. For us, establishing the run early and throughout the game is what opens up our offense all around.”
On Tyler Allgeier’s game: “It’s huge. Tyler is wearing them down. He’s a big back and it’s just hard to tackle him. Then when I come in the game and I just see open space. Then they have to run. So, it’s really like that one-two punch that I love to be a part of. I think it’s very important to establish that one-two punch in the NFL because if you have guys who can dominate the game, you can put one. Then you put the other one and people can’t relax against either one of us.”
Grady Jarrett, defensive tackle
On the win: “I feel good. We got the win. At the end of the day, we don’t control the schedule. We are going to go out there and play the schedule they give to us. We are excited. We want to be better, but at the end of the day we want to be better.”
On the defense stepping up in the second half: “The interceptions were nice. A.J. (Terrell’s) and Clark’s, that was nice. Big momentum swing. Clark finished the game out for us. So, those were two big plays that helped us as a team.”
On his tackles for losses: “Just playing hard. Taking (my opportunities) when I can. Just trying to do whatever I can to help the team.”
Charlie Woerner, tight end
On the run game: “That’s how you win games, that’s how you close the game. To go out there in a four-minute drill, especially late in the fourth quarter and run the clock out was awesome. They know it’s coming, but the fact that you go get first downs still feels good.”
On becoming your best selves as a group: “I would say so. It’s just continuing to evolve and figure out how we all mesh together, work together, and what works best with different personnel. I think Zac (Robinson) is still figuring that out with all of us on the field. I think we’re continuing to get better, and it’s obviously nice to be winning games while you’re figuring it out, so it’s huge.”
On having experience with successful teams while balancing complacency and confidence: “I don’t think this team felt that. Everyone was saying as if this was a trap game, or as if we didn’t know what was going to happen with Carolina. This team came in here today very confident, and ready to continue to get better. I don’t feel any complacency at all, we’re a team that’s hungry, that’s trying to win the South and make the Playoffs. We had a lot of confidence since the last Saints, and Bucs games, which were big wins, so to have that confidence from those two coming in today to keep it rolling was huge for us.”
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