WASHINGTON REDSKINS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 ● MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
Opening Statement: "Obviously, there's a big swing in a game like that. There are a lot of things we didn't do well. In the end, we did a few things necessary to get back in the game. It is unusual for any team to go as long as we have gone with a scoring differential that did not put us defending or in a two-minute mode. We were talking about it Friday and sure enough it came up. Enough guys did enough good things. I am proud of how they hung in there. Washington played outstanding. We tip our hats to them. They're a well-coached team and they certainly were ready to win a game."
On how winning this game can help moving forward: "We'll look at the film. Our league is different than college. It seems every year we see the ability to turn around a score and get a stop. It can change quickly. Certainly, there is a confidence in belief in a team and you get more confidence when you do that. Hopefully that is something we can build on with regard to the two minutes. The other stuff we're going to have to get back to the drawing boards on and get better at. I thought we didn't get enough pressure. I thought Drew (Brees) was under pressure. That battle we didn't win. I thought our third down numbers probably aren't going to be really good."
On Drew's resilience through the pressure and hits:
"It was one of those games, obviously, we got pressured a little bit and gave up some hurries. Kirk (Cousins) did a really good job. Those guys hit some big plays. We just hung in there and guys believed. I thought (the way) we handled the situation there at the end with timeouts and getting the stop defensively were significant."
On scoring possibilities at the end of the first half if the ball had been spotted quicker:
"It is what it is. They don't give you time for slow spots. That's the challenge of not having the umpire where he needs to be. Mostly, we need to be better about bringing it to him. I would say occasionally there are those times that it takes a little bit longer to spot the ball."
On thought-process during Alvin's last touchdown catch:
"He was on a check-burst. Fortunately, he was able to secure it. A lot of things happened in a short period of time but I thought getting the stop defensively (was important). At one point, if not for intentional grounding, they're in field goal range in the end of) regulation. I think enough things happened, but probably not enough down the road that we're going to need."
On the moment he believed they were turning the game around:
"When we got the ball back, there was a lot of time with us knowing that we were down eight and we spent a lot of time discussing what the two-point play was going to be. We had three different ones listed and we went through them all. You go through those on Thursday night, but you're going through the game as it unfolds. My only concern with the plays were on a competitive period with our defense we ran it against them and they played it correctly. They basically stopped it and now you're just counting on the look that you saw on film, so we settled on the two-point play. That play, we spent a minute on through the headsets while we were getting ready to get the ball prior to scoring."
On not commitment to the run game: "Part of it is the way the game unfolds. I always get a kick out of that. Your rushing attempts are always going to be stronger with a lead, so we would have loved to have run the ball forty times today but third down numbers were not as good. I thought we weren't able to stay on the field. I think the time of possession favored Washington. Credit them. I thought they did a really good job on run and play action. They had good balance. They caught us in some man coverages and had a good plan. It was probably a combination of a lot of those things."
On Marshon Lattimore's absence affecting the defense:
"There were certain things we wanted to do and we tried to do them. It's like our game today when you're down some players and Washington was down some players as well and you just have to adjust. You want to be mindful of the matchups and pay attention to them, but the next guy steps in, (and you) still try to give your players the best chance possible. Again, Washington had a really good plan. They did a really good job of executing it. Fortunately, we were able to hang around."
On defensive's ability to come up with big plays:
"I thought it was huge. There was that point late in the game that looked like they were going to get a field goal and we ended up getting the sack fumble to end the regulation period. I thought our offensive linemen did some really good things down in the stretch, protection-wise and in the run game. In the overtime period we were able to hit some big plays."
On what he's learned about his team after this win:
"Your season has all of these steps to it and you hope you're on the better side of it like this. I would say, when you have wins like this it's the number one thing you'll miss when you finish playing or you finish coaching. The excitement of getting one you think maybe you're not going to get. You can remember those and you can also remember the ones that felt like you were going to get a win. You just hope you get more of these. All the way, there's things you're learning about your team. There's a lot of things we've got to get cleaned up. There's no victory tomorrow. We will be in tomorrow and you guys will be able to get your interviews on time. Every one of them. That's just how it is going to be."
On the theme of 'One Game at a Time':
"The uniqueness of this game and the fact that it's so unusual to get to week 11 and not have played a game that comes down to a two minute drill either way. We had been into half situations but we had never really been in a game. We were just talking about it. I think you have to take that approach because that's how we look at it as well. I know we're in Los Angeles next week and I don't know where we're at after that. Next thing you know you're in November and December. We are just kind of sheltered into the moment and I think the players are as well."
On Tommylee Lewis' punt returns:
"I thought he was solid. We were going to be aggressive in the return game today. We returned kickoffs. We brought them out regardless, so there will be some things we look at but I thought that last one was huge."
On moving away from Ted Ginn, Jr. on special teams:
"Ted's still working at it. Those guys are still working at it. It's just about getting him some more work."
On if he believes the Saints are a good team:
"Yes, but it's one game at a time. You're still just past the midway point of the season and we're talking about good horses that aren't even at the three quarter pole yet. Let's see how we continue to play, but obviously I'm encouraged. We're playing better in some areas, yet I wouldn't have said today if you had asked me that question if we were a good team because we certainly didn't look like it for two thirds of that game. I'll say that."
On Michael Mauti*'s ability to bounce back to where he is now:*
"He's doing well. I want to see the tape though. He's one of those special guys."
On the comparison to 2009 Saints team and the 2009 Saints-Redskins come-from-behind win at FedEx Field:
"That was a game we probably did not deserve to win. They were down to make a twenty-something yard field goal and missed it. We got a few plays and then got it into overtime and that was that type of win though. I think that would be a very fair comparison and then look back on the significance of in it. We'll see (if this team has that type of DNA) when you look at what they did and compare it. I think that is for later though."
