How Did The New England Patriots React To Advancing To The AFC Championship?

Jan 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) and New England Patriots tackle Nate Solder (77) walk off the field after the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots won 35-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Ninkovich

(On the Ravens offense)
“They did a good job, you have to give them credit for some of the things that they did. First drive: up tempo, going by a script, they did a good job of pressing the issue. I think we’ve just got to do a better job early in the game. A couple drives here, a couple drives there were just too long. To come out with the win, that’s the most important thing. We’ll come in tomorrow, watch some of the tape and see some of the things that we’ve just got to get better at.”

(On how the team came back from a 14-point deficit twice)
“Just mental toughness and the character that’s on this team. It’s just never over. Just keep fighting and try to give our offense the best opportunity to score. We’ve got the best quarterback in the league, so the more chances that [Tom Brady] has, the higher chance of winning. Again, I think just a great, overall, mental toughness all the way around. All three phases.”

(On the defense’s mentality on the Ravens’ last drive when the game was in the balance)
“You’ve got to do whatever it takes. Just try to empty the tank and make a play. Someone made a play, we were happy with that. That’s what it’s all about in the playoffs. It’s a play here, a play there that always changes the outcome of the game.”

Matthew Slater

(On facing a 14-point deficit twice)
“There was never any panic. I think we just turned to each other and said, ‘Hey man, we’ve come too far to surrender now.’ And I think we just had confidence that we can make a play and get ourselves back in the game. When you’re dealing with one of the best quarterbacks to play this game, it starts with [Tom Brady’s] leadership and then ‘Big V’ [Vince Wilfork] on defense and just us believing in what we can do.”

(On whether the team had confidence after holding Baltimore to a field goal in the fourth quarter)
“We have 100% confidence in our quarterback and what he’s capable of when he’s in those situations. He’s proved it time and time again. But we knew it was going to be tough. [Baltimore] was a good defense.”

(On what it feels like to be a part of a game that will be remembered for a long time)
“I think what I’ll remember about this game is how good the Ravens are. The DNA of their team, the character of their team, you can’t say enough about it. Those guys, year after year, they compete and they make you fight for it. I think what I’ll remember most is the character that we showed and being resilient and fighting together to overcome that very good football team.”

Nate Solder

(On if it is important to get the ground game going next week)
“We always want to get the ground game going. We always want to get the ground game going and we always want to protect, and I think that’s the two O-line mantras: protect the quarterback and get the ground game going.”

(On the Ravens team)
“They’re great players. We knew it, they got great coaches. They were running some tough stunts and one-on-one was tough to block them, and hats off to them.”

Ryan Wendell

(On the adjustments made to the offensive line at halftime)
“I just think we were trying to play better. Those guys are really good, and those guys are here for a reason. Blocking all those guys up front, especially on the inside – [Brandon] Williams and [Haloti] Ngata and [Timmy] Jernigan – those guys are good, and they got theirs, especially in the first half. So, I was happy in the second half that we did better.”

(On if linemen enjoy run blocking more)
“We like to win, so whatever it takes. Whatever [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] calls, we run.”

(On how the injury to Bryan Stork affected the team)
“Injuries are a part of football, and they happen, and we practice for them. The guys come off the bench and they do a great job. Josh Kline, I can’t speak high enough about him. He came in and did a great job for us.”

(On what the trick plays and formations say about the coaching staff)
“I think it just says that it’s the playoffs, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. There is no good in holding anything back now.”

(On Tom Brady’s play in the second half)
“I can’t say enough about Tom Brady. There’s a reason why everybody knows his name. The guy knows what he’s doing. Tom’s competitive, but he doesn’t let anything get him down. He always comes back and does as good as he can.”

Vince Wilfork

(On the overall play of the team)
“It’s the playoffs. Every game is going to be a tough game. We understood that. Being the Baltimore Ravens coming in here playing, it didn’t matter if it was played there or here. It was going to be a tough game. We played for 60 minutes. That’s what it’s going to take. Especially nowadays in the playoffs, it’s going to take 60 minutes or more to win ballgames, and I think tonight we showed just how tough this team really is. In a playoff game, being down 14-0, rallying with each other, making plays when we needed the plays. Playing good situation football. You’ve got to credit our players and our coaching staff for putting us in those situations and calling the game a certain way.”

(On Baltimore’s early lead)
“Those early points they had, they were kind of on their script and they were doing some things that typically they weren’t going to do during the course of the game, but just wanted to see what we were going to do. They got us. They hit us on some plays, so once the game got settled down, we really got into our game plan mode, calling our plays, and we really got settled down and started playing a lot better.”