Head Coach John Harbaugh

"Thanks for being here. First of all, I just want to humbly say, just personally, very grateful to my Lord, high rock, protector and stronghold, Lord God in Heaven. And our guys, man, that was a players' win in every way, blocking, tackling, special teams, covering kicks, pass game, operating, getting stops when we needed stops, fighting back from adversity. But just playing one play at a time, as well as you can, regardless of the last play with no thought for the next play, as hard as you can. As [OLB] Abdul Carter told the guys at halftime, 'No matter, what empty the tank. No matter what, come back in here with nothing left, and that's what they did'. The other thing, the work that they put in, lifting and running, practicing, everything, to continue to be strong in the fourth quarter and be strong in the fifth quarter is impressive. Our guys have done that. They've been the stronger team at the end of pretty much every game so far this year. Really happy with them, and I think the players deserve all the credit for this great victory against a really good team. What questions do you have?"

On how his team has responded to today's challenge

"I think that's exactly the story. To me, that's the point. It tells you who they are. You might have thought before the game, we're going to find out about our guys. We're going to find out about who they are, and we did, and you saw it. They did, they took the bull by the horns, and they got the job done."

On QB J.J. McCarthy's seamless start

"I felt the exact same way. I really did. To me, I saw exactly what you saw with that. That was what it was. There were no procedural penalties. We had no issues with the clock running down. We had no formation issues. All the checks were made really well. I thought he did a great job. He's not a guy that's never played before, so he's young, but he's played. And he showed it. He showed it. He made throws. I'm sure he didn't play perfect, but he played a heck of a football game, and he deserves a lot of credit."

On the range of emotions leading into OT

"It's a range. You know, it's a range. You've got to try to kind of just stay in the moment. That's the other thing our guys talked about when they spoke. They talked about playing with joy, and there's a fierce joy in football. That's what football is. It's not happy joy; it's a fierce joy to compete and to find a way to win games like this because it takes you emptying the tank and it takes everything you've got, and it takes you fighting through those types of circumstances that you're talking about. To me that's a great point. To have them do that and just keep pounding the next play -- what we always say and they believe is the next play could be the play. It could be the play. So, play it like it's the play. That's what those guys did. [RB] Cam Skattebo did it. The offensive line deserves a hell of a lot of credit; would you agree? Come on, now. It wasn't easy yards in there. But at the end they were easier."

On if there was ever a moment when he realized this team had the mental makeup to survive

"That's a great question. I would say just a lot of moments stacked on top of each other because they just didn't bat an eye and they continued to work hard and fight. Every type of situation they met the same way. Maybe it started with [QB] Jaxson Dart, then it went to the next, the next, the next, to [ILB] Tremaine Edmunds this week. Tremaine, too, he was trying to get back, trying to find a way to basically not listen to the doctors and continue to play. But then he's here on the trip with us. Those other guys will be on the trip as soon as they're allowed to be after the surgery. I don't know, I just think it's an ongoing type of a thing. That's how you build -- it's shared experiences. It's fighting through all these things together that draws people close together, and that's how a team is built."

On QB J.J. McCarthy resilience after his last game in Minnesota

"Spot on, exactly right. It's that thing; guys have scars. He has scars. He's been wounded. He's been broken. He's been battered. But you heal stronger, and you become better because of it. So he should be grateful. Okay, I won a National Championship, got a high pick for the Minnesota Vikings, was the guy after they let the veteran quarterback go to Seattle, fought my way through but it ended up not working out for me, got benched, got ridiculed, got traded. Got traded, good. Good on every single one of those counts because it's made me stronger. It's made me who I am if I'm of the character to understand that. That's how life works. That's why I love football as a metaphor for life, for kids watching. That's a lesson for everybody. Failure is not final. Isn't that a saying somewhere? Help me out. There's a great quote there on that one. Look it up; it's a good one. To me, that just shows who he is as a man, as a young man"

On CB Deonte Banks

"[CB] Deonte [Banks] was all over it. I probably should have given him a game ball. Maybe he'll get defensive player of the game. But he was on it, man. He had so many tight coverages. You have to cover these guys tight, especially in breaking routes, man and zone because his quarterback is really accurate, especially when he moves in the pocket. You can see him. We had him down so many times we could have had him, but our guys, our coverage is great. We rallied when he did get out. We didn't let him take off and run. I was proud of that. All the things that you've seen in other games that you have to actually fix, guys did a good job of improving on."

On ILB Micah McFadden

"He had a bunch of tackles. And then the first down tackle when they ran that sweep play and he shows up out of nowhere and tackles it for a one-yard loss, that set the tone. That's really what got them off the field and gave us a chance. [OLB] Kayvon Thibodeaux could have been the player of the game, that catch right there."

On what he saw from QB J.J. McCarthy that made him think he had the composure to handle today's game

"I wish I had that answer that I could just tell you what it was. It's probably just everything about him. But more than anything, it just wasn't even a question to me. Just was an obvious choice just for the circumstances that we were in and all things considered. Not the least of what a great person [QB] Jameis [Winston] is. Jameis came in and did his job, and if he's going to be called upon again at some point, he'll do his job again. But he did his job again this week. There's a reason we had -- he was part of that operation with the new quarterback. Talked to the team before the game again. Jameis is that kind of guy."

On how much fun he is personally having right now

"I'm having fun. I'm learning to be a little more at peace in those moments during the game and not ride the roller coaster quite as much and more try to have joy, like the players said. Try to have joy. Even in the real tense moments. I would think maybe at my age now I'm starting to figure that part of it out just a little bit. Then to see it come through -- that's why I said thank you to my God, because I just have to say that because that's where that transformation comes from. To see it pay off -- it doesn't always pay off. You lose games. It's hard to get up here and say I thank my God when you lose, but you do. You still do. Yeah, I'm having a lot of fun. I'm having a lot of fun. There was a little dancing in the locker room after the game. I'm a pretty good dancer, actually."

On if he got tackled or made the tackle
"I got tackled on the field, yeah. I'm a little disappointed in my balance. Yeah, [RB] Devin Singletary ran me over. I was on my back, I have to admit. I got run over. I won't even say what you think I should say right now."

On making the touchdown in OT

"I'll tell you what, I can't say enough about 'Motor' [RB Devin Singletary], and that's on me. That's on me. We were looking for the formula, and Devin wasn't -- he was the odd man out for a number of weeks. Not because of anything he did or didn't do, he just was the odd man out, and that's exactly what I told him. He asked me, 'what can I do?' I said, 'there's nothing you can do, you're doing everything you can do, and your time will come'. It was going to come. And look where it came, right there, and he came through."

On if OLB Adul Carter is the kind of player the team can follow

"I think he took over the game, pass rush-wise, and he did a great job in the run too. But yeah, he's that kind of a player. I do believe that. He's in his second year now, high pick. He's always believed he can be that kind of player. You see it starting to happen right now. It's been happening."

On what going into the Bye Week in first place does for the team

"It's a massive energy shot in the arm. It's a reward. Now, you've got to make something of it. It doesn't mean anything if you don't build on it, right? But it means something, but it doesn't mean we're going to win a championship yet. It means we have an opportunity, though. We have an opportunity to get ready for the next two games starting with Philadelphia, and then a quick turnaround, so we'll be thinking about two games as a coaching staff over the bye week. The two most important games of the season will be coming up after we come back from the bye, which will set the direction for the rest of the season really. But we're going to be in this thing until the end now. This was a pivotal game. This was a really high-pressure game for our team. We didn't talk about that, but they all knew how important this game was, and they responded accordingly."

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy

On if he had fun playing today

"It was a lot of fun, yeah. It's so much fun to be out there playing football, but with this group, it makes it that much more fun."

On his mindset entering the game after everything he has experienced in his career

"The same thing that goes through my mind every time I step on the field, practice or game. What can I do in those six seconds to the best of my ability to help this team move the ball and help this team overall win? I just had a blast out there with these guys. We had a great week of practice and just executed at a really high level. To be able to go watch the tape and find ways to get better, that's the No. 1 thing we're focused on right now."

On his thoughts on performance and how he views his box-score statistics

"Truly the only stat I care about is going 1-0. I could care less how we get it done. At the end of the day, you want to perform well. You want to execute well. It's one of those things where if the running backs are getting their touches and getting their touchdowns, I'm as happy as I can be. Whether I'm throwing the touchdowns, I'm as happy as I can be. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting that victory."

On how comfortable he felt playing today

"Football is football. At the end of the day, there's a lot of similar concepts in every single scheme in the NFL and even going to college. But I just give so much credit to the coaches [New York Giants QB] Jameis [Winston] and [New York Giants QB] Jake [Haener] and [New York Giants QB] Jaxson [Dart] for helping me out the second I walked in the door. All credit goes to everyone in that building for helping me get prepared for this game."

On his ability to make tight-window throws without hesitation

"Preparation. I feel like preparation, over the years of playing football, you just refine the routine each and every week and I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now, just Monday through Saturday and just being able to have that trust in these guys as early as now, since I've been here. I haven't been here long, but I trust those guys every time the ball comes out of my hand. I trust the offensive line up front. I trust the backs are going to get us in great situations when I do hit the checkdowns, but at the end of the day, it's the players around me."

On the team's two runs in overtime

"I think those two runs are just a microcosm of what this team is all about. They're resilient. They fight until the end. They empty the tank every single game and you see it multiple times throughout this year, just the grit and the determination and the willpower that this collective has. It's almost like we can't wait to put it on display every single week. We want to start fast and finish faster and at the end of the day, we're just going to do whatever it takes to get the win. But it really showed up, with the mentality and the will to finish."

On New York Giants RB Devin Singletary's game-winning touchdown in overtime

"Definitely had the best view in the building, being able to see him [New York Giants RB Devin
Singletary] hit those gaps and make those cuts. They just didn't stop. They looked like it was the first play of the game when they were hitting those holes. It's just a blessing to be a part of a group like that and have a running back group like that."

On when he started feeling more comfortable playing quarterback in the NFL

"Kind of trending towards the end of last year, kind of the Washington game when I was in Minnesota and played them at home. Just being able to really start feeling like the defense is slowing down and understanding concepts, intent of plays, understanding the situation. There's a lot of things that go into playing NFL quarterback and it takes a little bit to figure those things out. I really feel like I was on an upward trajectory after that game. I continue to just refine my craft and get better every day. That's the same thing I'm going to do going into this week, is figure out how I could continue to get better and help my teammates around me."

On his ability to make big throws on third-and-long

"I think it goes to preparation. Obviously, knowing what they're doing on defense is going to help you pull that trigger a lot faster. Having the trust in the receivers, the trust in the offensive line to hold up and the running backs chipping in, whatever they're doing. But at the end of the day, I'm extremely excited to make a play for my team to help us move the ball and win."

On his journey from third on the depth chart to starting quarterback

"Extremely blessed. Something I live by is 'Amor Fati,' an acceptance of one's fate. Being able to look back at it now, obviously there were moments in the past where I was like, why me? A beautiful thing that was said in chapel one time was, 'Don't ask why, ask what's next.' Really just focus on the next step in front of you and how you could attack that to the best of your ability. It's one of those things where you think you're starting over, but no, you're starting from experience. To be able to be plugged into this group and this culture, I'm just extremely honored."

On how he feels leaving Houston this time compared to his last visit

"That's a good one. The message was, this is just the beginning. At the end of the day, we're a football team that wants to win games and a lot of games. We have aspirations for ourselves and we got to hold ourselves accountable. This feels great, but we got to go back to the film room, look at the tape and find ways to get better. Really reach the utmost potential of this group. I wouldn't want to do it with any other team."

On the importance of the win heading into the bye week

"Just the overall complementary football that was on display today was something that was very exciting. There's obviously throws that I want back and there's plays the defense wants back and special teams. That's exciting because there's so many other areas and other ways we can get better and keep moving forward. But getting the win going into the bye is an absolutely great feeling. We just got to keep staying humble and hungry.