San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Sunday night's 42-38 Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears. Here is what they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Injuries from the game. [T] Trent Williams had a hamstring, didn't return. [CB] Upton Stout, concussion, didn't return. [DL] Keion White, groin, didn't return. Go ahead."
What'd you see from your defense in that last possession?
"They stepped it up huge, man. I mean, that team's had more fourth-quarter comebacks, I think, than anyone in the history of the NFL. There's a lot we can clean up from the whole game. Probably made too many mistakes. But, to get it done, they were at their best when their best was needed and stopped them on that last drive was huge."
I know you're not focused on left tackle, but what's your sense of how OL Austen Pleasants did coming in after one snap?
"I mean, to play that whole game and to not be an issue, I think I only talked about him on one third down. So, my sense is he played really well."
What do you think about QB Brock Purdy's performance?
"I thought Brock had a hell of a game, again. Brock's been playing his ass off, made some huge plays in this game, kept some drives alive with his legs, made some off-schedule plays, and was an assassin out there throughout the whole day."
You've seen Brock play some really good games over the years, but have you seen a stretch like this? Is this as good as he's ever been right now?
"I don't know. I'm not the best historian. I feel like he's had some good stretches. I mean, especially going back to '23 and '22. But I mean, he's playing as good as it gets right now."
On your last touchdown drive, it looked like you guys were trying to take some clock there too or were you a little worried you might have scored too fast there?
"Yeah, but I mean, we'd rather score the last second. It was so nice to score from far out too. Just was a hell of a read by Brock recognizing Tampa two and the MIKE jumped over and opened up [WR Jauan Jennings] J.J. over the top, and J.J. getting the house call on that was huge. Ended up all right though. Wish it was that last second."
That's such a hard needle to thread, trying to score the game-winning touchdown at the very end. Is it even more nerve-racking to try and get down the field, but you're also looking at the clock and trying to make sure you don't screw yourself in the process.
"That could have been the case if we got inside the red zone. I didn't think we were going to score on that play. So, we didn't have much time to think about it. We were trying to figure out how to go down the field and score a touchdown to win and a field goal to tie. So, we were expecting that to be a big play, but I didn't think it was going to be a house call. It's a hell of a job by J.J."
You guys talked a lot about how Brock is the same person no matter what is going on, how calm he is in the pocket. After that first pick-six, how did that manifest itself the rest of the game?
"I mean, he's got to throw that every time. I thought their corner, [Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson] number one, I thought he did a hell of a job just keying the three-step drop, jumping the slant. It was a bang-bang play. I thought J.J. ran a good route too. The guy just drove on it big time and then the ball got in the air. But, I mean there's nothing Brock did wrong in that play. Bad play."
Now you are in the position for the number one seed. Can you just put in perspective after this kind of rollercoaster season what that means?
"It's huge. I've been so proud of the guys throughout the whole year, proud of them today. It's a hell of a deal to have the opportunity to play for the one seed. And these guys have earned it. So, we've got to go to bed early and get ready to come back because we found out it's Saturday, so it's going to happen soon."
How do feel about that, being a short week?
"I wish it wasn't. I mean, we just had a short week, so I really wish it would've been Sunday, but it is what it is. Hopefully the guys can heal up and be ready to go."
The Bears kind of looked discombobulated on the last play there. Did you think about calling a timeout? What was kind of going through your head?
"I thought about it. We wanted to see the look and then they just went fast and let it ride."
What are you thinking when you're scoring and then they're scoring? Are you just like, okay, at some point the defense is going to hold? Or are you thinking, we've just got to keep scoring and if we've got to get to 50, then we've got to get to 50?
"Yeah. You kind of have a feeling when it's one of those games, and it felt like it from the beginning and it didn't stop. I thought we lost the game when I punted there on fourth-and-seven, hoping to pin them back, and then they cleaned it up in one play. But, we did hold them to a field goal that drive, which was huge. And we went and regained the lead with seven. But, some games are like that. Was hoping we would get a turnover to kind of turn it and we didn't, but we found a way to still get it done."
With that punt call, you looked like you hesitated a little bit before you sent the punt team out there.
"Yeah. It was tough. It was right on the fringe. It was actually in our field-goal range earlier in the day and then the wind kind of changed, so it was a tough one for me. I didn't want to panic and have to go for it, but it was one that if I would've had more time to think about, probably would've done it. But, it ended up working out for us in the long run."
What was your early indication with Trent's hamstring?
"I'm not sure. I mean, he tried to go and he couldn't, so Trent told me he has never pulled a hamstring before, so not really sure how it will be."
How do you think TE Jake Tonges did filling in for TE George Kittle?
"Jake did awesome. Jake was a stud. He made some big-time routes, big-time catches, couple low balls that I thought he went down and made a hell of a play for. Kept the chains moving for us a number of times. He was huge today, just like he's been all year."
WR Ricky Pearsall was big today. He had been out for a while. I know he's been frustrated. What'd you think of him today?
"I'm so proud of Ricky. It didn't seem like he was going to play Saturday morning, just talking to him and stuff, and he's been battling through some stuff here since he's come back. And for him to find a way to be able to play today, I could tell he zinged it early in the game, I think on his first catch or maybe it was a screen. I can't remember. But, you could tell he zinged it again, but didn't disappear, kept battling through it and came up huge for us."
Were you talking to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh through this? Is he telling you, I got it? Is he telling you, okay, we're making some adjustments or is there a conversation and what was your sense of what the kind of mood of the defense was?
"I mean, we talk. Saleh's also trying to do his job. He's trying to get them in the right call. They've got a good offense. They run the ball well. they throw the ball well. Their quarterback is really good at keeping the chains going with his legs, which he did on a number of third downs. We had some opportunities to get off on third down that we hurt ourselves on. So, we were trying to clean up those mistakes and didn't do it well throughout the whole game, but we finished it right at the end."
How do you think the run game was able to do what it did, particularly without George and Trent?
"I feel like we've been getting better this whole second half of the year. You know, we didn't start out the way we wanted to, thought we probably had one of our best games of the year last week. The guys have kind of been feeding off it and it's never one or two guys, it's all 11. I feel like our guys are playing really well as a group right now and when you play well as a group, usually the run game is what shows."
What did you see on that touchdown to FB Kyle Juszczyk when Brock was alluding defender after defender?
"I saw Juice, I was hoping he would throw it to him right away, get like a three-yard gain and a big hit. It wasn't the coverage I really wanted the play for. And then he didn't do it, so then I was just hoping he was going to throw it away and we can have a couple more downs. And then I just started watching him, probably like every other fan does. He made me extremely nervous and then he made me extremely happy, which happens sometimes."
There were a couple of early three-and-outs on them. And you kept the ball so much that they were kind of held in check, but once they started rolling, they looked tough to stop. Who do you look at if that defense is someone you need to turn things around when things are going without LB Fred Warner, without DL Nick Bosa?
"I look at it collectively. I mean, once we lost those guys it's been a group deal. Guys take their turns doing it. You know, it's all about getting them to third down and getting off the field on third down. And we did that there in the first half and we were able to control the clock. That's what allowed us to overcome the pick-six on the first play. But you know, there was a third-and-14 where we should have had a soft cloud, get him to at least fourth-and-five. He broke our contain scrambling on a number of third, and I think there was a third-and-sixth on that last drive that he did it, but that was like the third time in the game. So, things we can clean up on third down that will stop that bleeding."
You're one win away from the Bye and the first seed. What did you say to the guys in the locker room afterwards?
"I mean, we've earned this. This is the game that we want. We love that it's here. We'd love an opportunity to never leave here again this year. And we've got that opportunity Saturday night."
How would you describe Brock's decision making when it comes to scrambling to getting out of the pocket using his mobility? Just how valuable is that part of his game?
"It's huge. I mean, anyone who can add that, you see they did it to us a couple times too with [Chicago Bears QB] Caleb [Williams]. Brock moved the chains with his legs a few times, and then he bought time a number of times to get some big plays down the field. One, getting that touchdown to Juice. Having quarterbacks who could do some things off-schedule is a huge part of our success."
What was your read on Brock's demeanor after that first play?
"I didn't talk to him. I mean, I talked to him in my walkie talkie. I just told him, 'Hey, hell of a throw. That was the right read. The guy made a hell of a play. Let's start over.'"
49ers QB Brock Purdy
After a very up and down season, you guys are going to play for the number one seed next week. How do you put that in perspective?
"Obviously we're thankful to be in this position, but I've said this before, it's just been one of those kinds of years where it's like you have to focus on just the next day, the next man up, finding a way to win each Sunday and then at the end you can look up and see where you're at. And so, for us to be in this position is really cool. We're all grateful for it, but at the same time, we have to go do something about it and got to watch the film get better and go execute and win."
You guys scored 42 points without TE George Kittle and T Trent Williams. How good is head coach Kyle Shanahan's play calling?
"He's a Hall of Fame coach. So, I mean, to be able to have him draw up stuff and scheme stuff up for us and put guys in certain positions and for us to just go out and execute, be on top of our stuff every single play, we're grateful to be playing for him. So obviously every single week he goes all in and gives everything he's got for this team, this organization, to make sure we're put in the right positions and to go out and have a chance. And so, anytime we step out on the field with him as our play caller, we're always going to have a chance."
Did you get a sense of how OL Austen Pleasants did at left tackle for virtually the whole game?
"Yeah, he did amazing. Obviously to have Trent go down the first play it's like, 'dang.' Then Austen jumped right in. He's a guy that we all love and over the year he's just been great in our locker room and just one of the boys on the bus, like everyone loves him. He's done a great job just being ready all year. So, for him to go in and play well, like he did, and allow our offense to keep rolling and not lose a step, it was huge. So, we all got his back and he's going to keep getting better too."
How was TE Jake Tonges today filling in for George Kittle?
"Oh, he did great. When George goes down, to be able to have a really good tight end step in and not only just know what he is doing but make plays and be a guy that the defense has to account for in a lot of situations. For us that's awesome. So, for him to come in, ball out, hometown kid obviously, but more than anything he's a guy that has length, got great hands and he is a guy that I trust. So, it's really cool to obviously have both those good tight ends like that."
Can you take us through the touchdown pass to FB Kyle Juszczyk?
"Yeah, I mean it was obviously a bootleg and just one of those things where the defense sort of did a good job covering it and just try to make a play and keep the play alive. And then obviously when I cut back in, defenses tend to go in to end cuts on scrambles, so just trying to keep the play alive and saw Juice in the corner. So, it was cool that he had his antenna up too right there in that moment. And obviously he scored and you just try to give the team momentum and celebrate. So, it was a cool play."
With the game on the line, the Bears have potential to score to win the game. What's going through your head? Are you praying? Are you even watching the play?
"Yeah, I was praying that whole drive. Not only that, just like pulling for our guys because it's been a crazy year and for all those guys on defense to be able to step up and be able to compete their butt off, for them to finish out the game like that, I was so happy for them. But obviously, yeah, I was sitting there not really being able to do anything but watch. And for them to do a great job with the defensive line containing [Chicago Bears QB] Caleb [Williams] and the boys doing great job in coverage and then him throwing the ball short, and then to be able to celebrate. It's a cool team win. There's nothing like that. So, I thought it was special."
The touchdown throw to WR Jauan Jennings, was he number one in your progression, and did you expect that there'd be a lane there for him to get moving?
"Yeah, I was just excited that we got that look and for him to have space back there. And then I was just happy that we got a completion and ready to play the next play, but then obviously he cross-courted it and kept going. I was like, 'is he going to get in?' And he did. And so, I mean J.J.'s a baller. He is a warrior. You give that guy a chance, he's going to give the team everything he's got and at the end he made a couple moves and scored. So, shoutout our boy."
How much fun were you having playing tonight? Five touchdowns for you, the second straight week, it seemed like you were just having a blast out there.
"Yeah, it was fun. For us, it's not even just like, 'oh, I'm going to just go have fun.' It's like, 'I got to do my job.' And once I do my job and execute it, we score, then you can have some fun with it. But you know, I think more than anything too, we got such a good group of guys that, K.B. [WR Kendrick Bourne], J.J., D-Rob [WR Demarcus Robinson], like all these fun receivers that like bring energy to our team. So, when we do score and we're executing it's always a good time to be able to celebrate with them and feed off their energy. So, that's our whole team. So, it's been a crazy year. It's been a fun year, but obviously we got one more game, for the regular season to lock in and we got to go do our job."
When you're scrambling or making plays outside the structure of the offense, how much of that is something you've mentally prepared for during the week? Is that part of your preparation or at that point is it just all kind of natural instinct?
"No, sometimes we will have a play drawn up and whatnot and we've seen some defenses run right up the field and it's like, 'okay, be ready just in case our look isn't there to use your legs,' but it's never going into a game, 'hey man, I'm going to scramble my butt off here and this and that.' It's just one of those things where if it happens, it's football and it's going to happen. How can I be smart outside of the design of the play but also have my eyes down field because guys are moving and working and there are explosive plays out there. So, I feel like it's something that I've sort of continued to learn as I go and it's part of my game. So hopefully we can all be better as a team and as an offense moving forward with that."
Kyle said he was trying to thread the needle a little bit as far as trying to score with as little time as possible with a touchdown. Obviously, that's hard to do. Is he communicating that with you? Do you have an awareness of that or are you just like running the plays and just trying to score a touchdown?
"Yeah, I think we've talked about certain situations where you obviously don't want to give the offense on the other side of the ball a chance. And so, with that, there's certain situations where we know that we want to bleed the clock and score late. That's like the perfect world. But at the end of the day too, if the defense gives you an op to score, you got to go take it. And I thought J.J. did a great job with that. Our offense as a whole did a great job with that, and you can't apologize for that. So yeah, to answer your question, he does tell us ahead of time in certain situations, not every single time, but we all understand that that's sort of what's at hand."
Kyle said on that pick, that it was the right throw to make and the guy just made a good play on it. With him telling you that and you knowing that was the right play to make, make it easier for you to move past that?
"Yeah, I let the ball go and I thought there was a window there and the hole there. The corner just made a good play. It was aggressive on the first play of the game. And it's just unfortunate that obviously for our sake, the ball got tipped up and they scored off it. But for me, you can't lose confidence because I did my job. I was throwing the ball where it needed to be. The defense made a good play, so you got to tip a cap. But it's early in the game so you do have to flush it and be ready to play a whole game after that. So that was a first for me."
49ers S Ji'Ayir Brown
Four seconds, one play. What was said before that final play?
"We're going to play man coverage, that's how we're going to go out. Play defense, let's go. Play your best ball. It's time."
When you guys hear over the last week that, you know, Fred Warner's talking, 'if they go deep enough in the playoffs, I can come back.' What does that do for you guys?
"It would be big if Fred comes back. That would be dope. But that's all his decision, that's all part of his process. We're going to play if he is here or he is not."
That's a team you could see again down the line. What made their offense so good tonight? It's tough to get a stop.
"[QB] Caleb [Williams]. I feel like he's one of, if not the best, outside the pocket passing quarterback. When he gets on the move, he can throw it as if he's standing still. He's the driving force of that offense and definitely one of the better quarterbacks in this game when it comes to that."
49ers WR Jauan Jennings
What was different about his QB Brock Purdy game tonight?
"It's hard to see anything different. Football is football to me. You got first, second, third, fourth down, you got field goals, punts, everything, all that is the same. Brock played great. We made a play, put it in the touchdown, put it in the box."
What were your emotions once you finally got in the end zone and you guys took the lead and went ahead?
"Just focused the whole game. Super focused. Knowing how big of a game it was. Just staying super focused."
What does it mean to you, with everything you guys have been through offensively, defensively, the injuries, and to have Week 18 come down to not only the division but the NFC number one seed against the Seahawks?
"It definitely means a lot. Just everything we do is for those guys who cannot play right now, and we know they would love to be playing right now. So it's just never taking anything for granted."
49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk
Can you take us through your mental process during those almost nine seconds when QB Brock Purdy was scrambling?
"It's really pretty simple for me. I'm running my route and I ran out of room, I got to the sideline and at that point I just sit in the end zone, sit in that corner and just hope that I get forgotten. Luckily that's what happened."
The end of half drive, when they punted and you had the ball on your own 10, even though you didn't score I thought that won the game – was that a big point of emphasis?
"That is big. That's something we brought up years ago. It's a weird stat that it's the second or third best indicator of who wins the game, who finishes with the ball before halftime. It's not even scoring points, it's just who finishes with the ball. So it is really important in those moments to finish with the ball and not give the other team an opportunity to go score."
What can you say about the way that QB Brock Purdy moves to get to the point where he can get you the ball?
"Incredible. Absolutely incredible. I'm going to look forward to rewatching that one tonight on film."
The final drive with your defense on the field, what's your mental state, nerves wise?
"Being completely honest, I had all the confidence in the world that they were going to go make that play and make that stop. No matter how many points they give up I'm confident that [Defensive Coordinator Robert] Saleh and those guys will find a way to make a play when it's needed. And that's exactly what they have done."
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
With the offense putting up a lot of points, how does it feel going into the most critical time of the season?
"It feels great. I think we're getting better every week, and that's what we say every week. Our only goal is to keep getting better in every aspect of the game. I'm proud of our guys, I'm proud of the resiliency in that locker room and now we have to keep it rolling. We know what's at stake right now. We have to have a great week of prep and get ready to go."
TE Jake Tonges is playing like a starting tight end, what do you think of his performance?
"I have the utmost respect for him. It's been unbelievable what he's done this whole year. The first thing I think about is [TE] George [Kittle's] leadership. When you have one of the best tight ends to ever play in that room, those guys get to watch him every single day. [Tonges] has done such a good job of stepping up when his number is called and making big plays for us. I'm proud of him. He's a hell of a teammate, hell of a player and he showed out again today."
What separates Head Coach Kyle Shanahan as a play caller in your mind?
"His knowledge. His understanding of not just offensive football but defensive football as well. When your head coach and your offensive play caller know defensive football just as well as anybody, it allows us to open up, not just in the run game but in the pass game as well. He really understands gap integrity and everybody's responsibility on defense. He sees it better than anybody and plays not just to the structure of the defense but the emotions of the defense as well. If some guy is an aggressive guy, he knows that. I think it's something that he was born to do. He's been doing it for a long time at the highest level. When we're in those meetings, it's like football heaven. As a football nerd, you just learn so much every week. It keeps you on your toes every week. It's definitely fun to be a part of."
49ers WR Ricky Pearsall
What's it like to play in a game that's a nonstop shootout?
"It feels great. At the end of the day, we all have confidence in each other to go out there every time we step on the field and to score points. That's something we take pride in."
What can you say about QB Brock Purdy, 10 total touchdowns for him in the last two games?
"Oh yeah, he has a different swag rolling right now. I told him ever since he hit the dougie he's been on one, but that's just Brock. He's a down to earth dude, and just the same person every single day. That's something I really respect about him. He's business when he gets out on that field, but he has been letting loose a little bit with his dance moves, so I've been appreciating that."
What was your mental process when QB Brock Purdy was scrambling out there for nine seconds on that pass to FB Kyle Juszczyk?
"Just try to scramble as much as I can to get open. Obviously, I wasn't moving as well after I went down with a little bit of a bump on the knee again, so I was just trying to scramble with him and Juice is really good at finding those sweet spots. So he was just standing there and Brock made a play, made some people miss, and delivered the touchdown."
Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson
Opening comments:
"Let's start with the injuries. We had two guys that didn't finish the game. One was [Chicago Bears DL] Joe Tryon-Shoyinka with a concussion, and the other one was [Chicago Bears LB] Noah Sewell with an Achilles injury. We'll see what they look like here going forward. You know, that's a tough one for our guys. It's somewhat similar to the Green Bay game a few weeks ago, just in terms of coming down to the last minute and last play of the game and just coming up one play short there. So, the first half certainly didn't go the way we wanted it to as a team. They controlled the ball. They did a good job building the lead there, with us down by seven at halftime. We couldn't stay on the field on offense. We were 0-for-3 on third downs. They were 5-7 on third downs in that first half and second half. I did feel like we picked up our game a little bit as a team, closing that gap, and we made it to where we could potentially win that thing there at the end. So I was proud of the guys for that, but it just wasn't enough. When you go on the road against a good team like that, you have to be on top of your mess the entire time. We didhave some good performances there, notably by our rookies. [Chicago Bears WR] Luther [Burden III] had a huge game for us. [Chicago Bears TE] Colston [Loveland] had a big game for us. I thought [Chicago Bears QB] Caleb [Williams] played pretty well for the most part, taking care of the football and throwing it accurately, so that was good to see. The pick-six by [Chicago Bears LB] T.J. [Edwards] was huge to get us going. You could really feel the sideline coming alive there to get us into the game. Even though our offense was a little bit hit or miss there in the first half, that helped contribute some points to the cause. So with that, I'll go ahead and open it up."
Luther Burden got hurt there at the end. Do you have any update on that? "I don't have an update on that yet. I just heard that."
On the final play, what was supposed to happen if everything had worked out? "Yeah, we didn't quite get aligned in the formation we wanted to. It's on me. I didn't give Caleb the call fast enough, so he's trying to piecemeal it together. I have to do a better job on that."
What was your perspective on the lateral play?
"I couldn't really see it. I was on the other side of the field."
With that lateral play in that situation, there's a possibility someone gets tackled in bounds. Are you ok with that?
"Yeah, I am. There's plenty of time, and we have plenty of good plays."
You talked about Caleb and the way he battled from the early slow start, and how he was able to go almost shot for shot with San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy, in a sense. What about Caleb's performance specifically stood out to you?
"He knew he needed to come out and make some plays for us here tonight. When you're going against a dynamic offense like that, we talked about the possibility, as an offense, of us going tit for tat with them. At times, we were able to answer that call. They just ended up making more plays than us."
Defense was on the field for almost 22 minutes in the first half. What were your thoughts on that?
"Yeah, it's a two-headed problem there, because we weren't able to stay on the field on offense, and then on defense we weren't able to get off the field on third downs. That's really how I saw it. It came down to the third downs."
It seemed like Purdy had a lot of time on offense. From what you can diagnose with the pass rush, what do you think were some of the issues in not being able to stop him?
"He's a dangerous player, particularly when he can see down the field and have that much time. I agree with you. He extended some of those plays with his legs too. He did a really nice job, and we certainly didn't affect him enough."
What did you like about Bears QB Caleb Williams' touchdown on that free play due to the defense being offsides?
"It was something we talked about going into the week. We repped it again this morning in our walkthrough and guys understood what we were trying to get done on that. It was really well executed."
How did you feel the team dealt with the flu bug that was going around and players getting sick?
"We all understand that if someone has to go down because they're sick, then someone else has to step up. We did the best we could as an organization in terms of trying to stop it from masks, to washing hands and being diligent that way. It certainly did a number on our guys, but we felt good about the guys that we went to the game with. They were going to be able to play and play like they're 100%."
Talk about Bears OT Darnell Wright and how he was able to fly out this morning to join the team after being sick.
"He was excited. He came in this morning and he had a big smile on his face. 'You can't hold me back from this one,' he said. So that was good to see."
What did you like about what Caleb did on that free play for the touchdown?
"It's why we do free plays, to throw the ball down the field. If we were throwing that short, I'd probably be upset with them."
Bears QB Caleb Williams
What would you say about the way Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams was throwing the ball tonight and really targeting you?
"There was a lot of space in the defense. We were able to connect on a couple plays, and it was big for us."
You guys have essentially rallied to win so many times this year. What was it like as you're getting ready to try and do it at the end, and how surprising is it that it didn't happen considering how good you guys have been finishing those wins?
"That's what we've been doing all year, but we came up short today. We've got to get back to work and fix those things."
How are you feeling? We saw you down in the end zone after the game.
"I gave my all out there, so just tired."
Bears TE Colston Loveland
Did you have a feeling this week that tonight's game would come down to a shootout?
"Yeah, for sure. That's what everyone was saying. Obviously, they're really rolling right now. Their offense is really hot and scoring a lot of points, so the message for us was that we must match that. We were close, but it came up short, so we have to go fix some things."
How do you come out of tonight's game confident to play in the upcoming primetime games?
"We never lose confidence, but like you said, we came here for ours to get a win and came up short. I don't think anyone feels good right now, but like I said, props to them. The team is well coached and played well. We just have to be better."
How do you feel about the way this game ended? Does it feel like Green Bay a couple weeks ago?
"Yeah, you could say it's a similar feeling, just knowing you came up short, but we can take some good out of this. Clean up the tape, obviously, and that's a good slap in the face to give us a reality check. We need to get back on track, tighten up the little things a little more and just be better."
Bears RB D'Andre Swift
How do you describe what that game was? As far as offense, shootout, going back and forth?
"We knew all week we were probably going to be in a shootout with how their offense has been playing recently. Tough game. We were in position to win on the last play, but we came up short."
What was your vantage point on the lateral play, and how close did that come to getting sprung?
"I think they were in zone. If they were in man, there probably would have been a better ending to the play. The corner stayed out, so there was nowhere for me to go outside, so I tried to get vertical and get as much as I can. But good call by [Head] Coach Ben [Johnson] in that situation."
D'Andre, you guys have scored at the end of games so many times this year, so the confidence is there. How surprising is it that you didn't?
"Confidence is always going to be there with how we work. We just came up short today, and it never comes down to one play. We made mistakes offensively throughout the game that kind of put us in that position. We knew we were going to be in a shootout, we just have to score more points than they do."