Locker Room Buzz: Star DE Feels Gratitude After Game-Winning Sack
Here is a collection of postgame quotes from Detroit Lions players and coaches following the team's 34-27 overtime win over the New York Giants.
HC Dan Campbell
On Jake Bates' game-tying field goal:
“Yeah, big kick. That was a big kick, big time. I mean, and for him, there again, he’s clutch. When we need him most, he goes out there and he makes the kick for us. And that’s not an easy kick. I mean, I don’t know what that was, 60 yards? Somewhere in there? But to have to go out there and ensure that we’re able to get this to overtime, that’s a big kick, man. And it took a lot of our guys making big-time plays in critical moments. And for some of the things that didn’t go well, those were the things that did go right and that’s what wins in this league.”
QB Jared Goff
On the performance of RB Jahmyr Gibbs in Sunday's game:
“Man, that dude is as good as they come in our league, and he’s making his claim across our league as one of the best players, regardless of position and we are lucky to have him, man. He’s so electric. For him to be able to do that to supplement some of the struggles we were having was awesome.”
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
On if he felt like he needed to carry the offense during its struggles Sunday:
“I mean, I wasn’t really thinking about carrying the team. I just do whatever it takes to win, whatever they call me for, want me to do. So, that was really my mindset.”
On how much the Lions needed to win Sunday's game:
“It was a must-win. I think the next six or seven more games are must wins, so we’ve got to keep going.”
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
On rebounding after two drops:
"Yeah stuff like that happens. He made a good play on the first one, the second one was coming in a little hot. I really wasn't expecting that, and it was an unfortunate pick. But nah, I don't stress too much about those. I move onto the next play, keep going. A coach once told me in college, 'So what? Now what?' Coach Kerry Colbert. And I kind of live by that. Every play, you can't get hung up too much on one play because there's highs and lows throughout the game. For me, it's just next play. I'm gonna catch the next one, I'm not worried."
OT Penei Sewell
On overcoming the adversity the team faced in Sunday's win:
"We kind of talked about it throughout the week. There's gonna be ups and downs in everything. I think the great teams and the great players, it's up to us to maintain our focus and maintain our emotions, keep them intact. At the end of the day, it's just another job and you've just got to do your job. Everything else will fall into place, and that's what we try to focus on."
OG Tate Ratledge
On Dexter Lawrence and the Giants' defensive line:
"I saw Dexter every single third-down, almost. He was a load. They're really good up front, physical, fast. They do a really good job getting after the passer, so all credit to them. But we knew that was a challenge coming into this game."
On what the team needs to improve ahead of the rematch with the Packers:
"I think we've just got to play our style of ffense. You've seen it, the games that we haven't, haven't turned out well. The games that we do, we move the ball pretty well. So I think it's all about us and going out there and executing."
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
On the emotions of his game-ending sack in overtime:
"Was fighting all game. They were really running the ball, trying to set that tone. In OT, we got a lot of pass-rush situations. We had one more on that fourth-down and made the most of it. Guys were sticky in coverage, Alim had a great bull-rush on it which led Jameis to step right up into me. That's what happens when guys are covering and your whole d-line is rushing hard. Eventually, you reap the rewards."
On what that moment means to him:
"It's a blessing, it really is. This journey on this road to recovery this year, it's my comeback season. It feels, it's just such a blessing. It makes me really think about how grateful I am for this moment and the opportunity to play football having moments like that. It really is so amazing, such a blessing."
LB Jack Campbell
On all the teams the Lions need to lose winning on Sunday:
"I don't really pay attention to that, it'll all work out. All I'm focused on is taking it one day at a time, going in there, being where my feet are, being intentional with what I do and just trying to put the team in the best position to win. I don't really pay attention to that."
On Jahmyr Gibbs' performance:
"Hats off to the offense. They just do a heck of a job. The guys up front breaking it for Jahmyr, Jahmyr sticking with it. Proud of those guys. St. Brown had a big block down the way for him. It's just the people in this room that make it special. We just need to continue to win and we'll get to where we need to get to."
LB Derrick Barnes
On the feelings of having to build a comeback to win Sunday's game:
"I was talking to someone earlier, it goes back to 2021 where we struggled finishing games. The fact that we went out there and finished the game — our coaches put us in situations like that. We go through situations in football like that every week a couple times. We knew what to expect, we knew coming into this game it was gonna be a dog fight. We've seen it from New York multiple times on film. It's one of those things that we were prepared for, and I think Dan did a wonderful job preparing us for that this week."
CB Amik Robertson
On coming back from being down 10 points multiple times to earn the win:
"It seems like every time I start slow, that s**t be contagious. I've just got to start faster. Next week, big game, we've got to start faster and that s**t start off with me. We've got to start faster. It's like, every time I start slow, that s**t be contagious. Next week, we've got to start faster. Hats off to the Giants, bro, they came up with a great game plan. I respect their offensive side of the ball, how they came and they fought. We were just the team that fought harder at the end. A lot of stuff we've got to clean up. We live and learn from it, but 24-hour rule, we're on to the next. The next game is always the most important."
K Jake Bates
On his 59-yard game-tying field goal sneaking through the uprights:
"Yeah, probably don't want to be living with the ball moving like that, but got lucky. Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good. I was just happy to be able to do my job, and the offense put us in a position to at least swing at it. From that point, it's my job to put it through the uprights. It was a great snap and a great hold as always. The line did an unbelievable job blocking all day, and it was just time for me to do my job."
How it feels to be reliable in late-game situations:
"It feels good. I just want to be someone that this team can count on. We have so many people on this team that you can count on when times get tough. Hopefully, I can be one, and I pride myself a lot in my routine and not changing anything regardless of the momentum. I was happy to have that one go through today."
Steelers' TJ Watt Gives Frustrated Statement About Defensive Struggles: 'Same Story Man'
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a heartbreaking game on the road to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The final score was 31-28, and the offense never really seemed like a threat. The defense often struggled to get Chicago's offense off of the field. The Steelers dropped out of first place in the AFC North after the loss and the Baltimore Ravens' win, and the team is completely out of the playoffs as of now as their record fell to 6-5 on the 2025 season. The defense made some opportunistic plays throughout the game, but overall the group has to be better moving forward.
The defense struggled overall. The Bears were able to put up 31 points and continued to move the ball down the field. Outside linebacker TJ Watt made a splash play in the end zone as he sacked Caleb Williams and forced him to fumble the football, and Nick Herbig recovered the ball for a touchdown.
Aside from Watt's big play, things did not go too well. He spoke to the media after the game, and he spoke about the defensive struggles while voicing some frustration with the group.
"They had a lot of second and longs where they got chunk plays that made it third and shorts that were converted or were converted from second and long." Watt said. "Same story man. Got to get off of the field."
Watt spoke about how the defense constantly had Chicago's offense behind the chains on second downs, but the Bears offense was often able to make plays to move the sticks. Pittsburgh allowed far too many conversions, which has been the case all season along. Watt was clearly frustrated about that, as that is something that is going to have to change if Pittsburgh wants to have any chance of getting back into the playoff picture.
The Bears were fairly efficient when it came to converting on third downs, and the group was also one for one on fourth down conversions. That tells the story of how the Pittsburgh defense continued to struggle getting the opposing offense off of the field, which has plagued that unit throughout the entire season.
Pittsburgh's offense did not do a great job of helping out the defense. Quarterback Mason Rudolph turned the ball over twice in the game, and the group also turned the ball over on downs in the first half instead of opting for a field goal to go up 10 points. Watt did not place any blame on the offense, as he was thoroughly dissapointed with the defense and the group's inability to consistently get pressure on Williams in critical situations.
Williams had one of the better games of his career. The second-year quarterback completed 19 passes for 235 yards and three scores, although he had a couple passes that were dropped by the defense. Pittsburgh failed to capitalize on some mistakes by Williams, and that is a big reason the team lost the game and fell out of the lead in the division.
Steelers In Serious Trouble With Daunting Schedule Remaining
The Steelers are going to have some trouble getting back into good playoff positioning as the team has to have one of the hardest remaining schedules in the NFL. Pittsburgh hosts the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, and the team also has two games left against Baltimore and a matchup with the Detroit Lions on the schedule. The franchise is going to have to pull off some upsets in order to sneak into the Wild Card or back into the lead in the division, and there is a realistic chance the team misses the postseason for the first time in two seasons.
