RAIDERS HEAD COACH JACK DEL RIO
Q: Was Latavius Murray injured?
Coach Del Rio: "He was a little banged, but he was available."
Q: This is the second time where late in the game he hasn't been involved. Is there anything you're seeing that prevents him from playing?
Coach Del Rio: "Just a little banged up like I said."
Q: After a game like this, are you disappointed in the team or do you feel great about them?
Coach Del Rio: "I feel great about my team. I feel disappointed for the men in that locker room that we don't get to enjoy the fruits of a victory. There's no consolation in this league for playing hard and playing well enough to keep it close and have opportunities. I'm disappointed for all the men in that room and how hard they've worked, but we will continue to attack these games and look for better results."
Q: On Derek Carr's interception, was that to Seth Roberts? What was the problem you saw?
Coach Del Rio: "Well from the vantage point that I saw, he was wide open and I don't know if we missed him or if he didn't look for the ball. The live view and the quick view I saw on the replay, it had a chance to be a catch and run and an explosive play and a first down and points for us and it turned into a pick six going the other way."
Q: It looked like every tackle Charles Woodson made was with his shoulder. Was that a heroic effort?
Coach Del Rio: "Unbelievable what he's doing. Just to playing alone at 39 years old is incredible. But to be such a productive player and making big plays in the game. Clearly he's banged up, but he's fighting through the pain. His pain threshold is off the charts. I'm really proud of the effort that we're getting from our guys."
Q: Is Sebastian Janikowski OK physically?
Coach Del Rio: "As far as I know, he's fine. He's had many great days and today wasn't one of them."
Q: Is this game a step back for your quarterback or just part of the game?
Coach Del Rio: "I would say the latter of what you just said."
Q: On the fourth-and-19, what did you see that made you think that was the best shot?
Coach Del Rio: "I really don't have answer for that. Plays that don't end up working you end up having a question about."
Q: How did the defense play as a whole?
Coach Del Rio: "I thought we gave ourselves a chance in the football game. We got off the field on third down. We've been really solid against the run. There's some positives. There's always positives. You know I don't like to sit up here and try to pick out positives on the day after a loss. We take our lumps. I'm not happy about it. We're not happy about it. We expected to win the game. It didn't happen. They earned it. Give them the credit and we'll move forward."
**Q: How tough is it to get back into the game after a pick like that?
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Coach Del Rio:"I don't think we have any problem playing football and getting ourselves back in the battle. I don't see any problem with that with this football team. I think snap back, get on to the next play. If we need to pick each other up, we do it, and we get back to work."
Q: Do you feel like your offensive line played well against Denver's pass rush?
Coach Del Rio: "I hate to give the cliché answer, I have to look at the tape, but when I look at the stats I see four sacks. That's too many."
Q: How'd they keep Amari Cooper from getting through?
Coach Del Rio: "I thought he was free a couple of times. We had him on that late PI [pass interference] we had him down on the field for a big one and they chose to make a penalty there and give us that yardage via penalty versus a catch. The effectiveness of going to him and taking advantage of his abilities, I thought we did a decent job of that, in particular early."
Q: You had a long drive for 80 yards. Do you credit their defense for getting it together after?
Coach Del Rio: "You're talking about the third drive of the game? Yeah. I thought the first three drives of the game we moved the ball with purpose and moved it pretty well. I think as you look through the rest of the ball game, we end up missing two field goals on two turnovers, so we get zero points. We have a fumble, an interception and if you're turning the football over you're not giving yourself a chance to drive the ball. We preach that, work hard at that, not having turnovers and they were able to generate a couple that take away your ability to move the ball."
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Q: You had the fumble at the start of the second. How big is that?**
Coach Del Rio: "It's definitely a big point in the game."
Q: Did your team do a better job of covering the tight ends today?
Coach Del Rio: "Since we've been getting killed on that subject, I guess we'll just say that we finally got it right today."
RAIDERS QUARTERBACK DEREK CARR
Q: Do you see this today as a net game or is it a negative one?
Carr: "For us, our goal to is to win the division so when you lose a division game it's hard because there's no moral victories for us. We feel we can compete with everybody and we fill like we can win games, but we're young and we're learning how to do that. We have to continue to grow and now. We've got to get better now so that we can pull these kind of games out."
Q: What happened on the interception that was meant for Seth Roberts?
Carr: "They brought a pressure and we were hot so I was throwing my hot and we just didn't execute."
Q: What's it like to see Charles Woodson play at this level at his age?
Carr: "Oh man. To watch someone like that, he's first ballot. That's what we call him. He showed it today against one of the best to ever play the game. It's kind of funny, you think that stuff would surprise you coming from him, how old he is. It doesn't surprise us. We kind of expect it, so that's probably the weirdness in that, is that we expect him to do things like that. I think that he played awesome."
Q: How much accountability do you take for these last couple games? They are going to look to someone to take the accountability.
Carr: "Look to me. I'm going to be the same guy everyday. Whether we win by five touchdowns, lose by five, lose a close one, win a close one, I'm the same guy everyday. I think that when something like this happens, look to me, because I'm going to be the same guy and show them which way to go."
Q: So are you saying you take more accountability for this loss?
Carr: "I always take all the accountability."
Q: Where do you see a game like this fitting in terms of your progress and development as an NFL quarterback?
Carr: "First of all, we have to give them credit. They are the number one defense in every stat and they competed and they outperformed us obviously today. We didn't get enough points. As an offense, we just need more points. Development and all that, I don't even think about that stuff. I just try and watch the film and I'll just try and grow from it. Where can I be better situationally? Where can I be better so on and so forth? I don't look at it from a development standpoint. I just say, man, because I want to win and we can. We've shown that we can. I just try and correct it and move on to the next one."
Q: What happened on the 4th-and-19 when you ended up throwing short?
Carr: "So, it was a screen. We had a screen and that was the call we went with. I've seen a lot of those convert and stuff like that in situations like that, but they stopped us. They just got us."
**Q: Was it tough trying to throw the ball down field in the 2nd half?
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Carr: "Yeah. They, again, did something similar to Chicago and played a lot of two-man and tried to disguise that two-man with one-hot looks. We were able to hit some seam routes, but the corners they do a good job of staying on top. They're really good players, but I feel like there's a lot that we can look at and say I wish that one back or things like that."
Q: It was a tough day for Sebastian Janikowski, did you guys have to say anything to him on the sidelines?
Carr: "No, he's been doing this way longer than I've been doing this and there's no one on that field that needs to go say something to him. He's the same way as all of us. When adversity hits, you just keep grinding and keep working. That's all you can do. He'll probably want results now, but sometimes you just have to keep working through those hard times. I love Sea Bass, he's one of my favorite people."
Q: On the interception, was it just a miscommunication?
Carr: "Yeah. We had pressure and I threw the hot and it just didn't work out our way."
Q: How does it feel to have two straight losses coming in painful fashion with turnovers?
Carr: "Yeah, it's hard. It's really hard because we feel like we left some on the field. We feel like we've left wins out there and as we're learning, this league is so close, you're so close in all these games that you can't let missed opportunities happen. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. Today they outplayed us and won."
Q: What's it going to take to rekindle that spark that we saw earlier this season?
Carr: "Well there was definitely energy and a spark today. I'll tell you that. I don't think anyone thought that we'd even come close to beating them and the whole week we thought we were going to beat them. They thought the same thing in their locker room. The spark is there. There's nothing wrong in the locker room or with us. We're going to come out and we're going to play hard. We just need to win."
RAIDERS CB TJ CARRIE
Q: If you were told before the game that this defense was going to hold Broncos QB Peyton Manning and the Broncos to just three field goals, would you have taken the Raiders to win this game?
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Carrie: **"Definitely. All day. Every day we come out on Sunday we expect to be a big part of the game defensively. What we did today was nothing unexpected from us on our end. It was something we continue to pursue and we continue to work for every Sunday."
Q: How frustrating is it that the defense played good enough to win this game but the offense couldn't get things going?
Carrie:"I wouldn't say that. I think all phases have to play well in order to win games. I'm pretty sure there's more things we could have done defensively to not allow some of those field goals. You can't really blame it on one unit of the team because all parts work together. I think, just on our part, we could've done some things better and we could eliminate some of the big plays that we game."
Q: Would you sum it up to self-inflicted wounds?
Carrie:"Yeah, I would definitely say that. I think defensively we hurt ourselves a couple times, allowed them to get down the field and put three on the board. So, from that standpoint I think we can always improve."
Q: Manning gave up two picks and almost a third. You almost had one.
Carrie:"Man, I'm telling you, those things come in bunches. I'm glad we were able to get out there, get some picks, get Manning off his feet and off his game a little bit, throwing the ball our way."
RAIDERS RB LATAVIUS MURRAY
Q: How do you feel about the game?
Murray:"It's disappointing. It doesn't matter how tight or close, it hurts to lose. We've got to try to find a way to win those close games."
Q: You weren't in the game a lot in the second half. Was that because of the shoulder?
Murray:"Yeah, it was bothering me a little bit, so Roy [Helu, Jr.] stepped in and Marcel [Reece], just mixing in different personnel."
Q: Was there any thought about not playing this week, seeing as the bye week is coming up?
Murray:"No, I knew I was going to play regardless, bye week or not, but things happen."
RAIDERS WR AMARI COOPER
Q: As a team, how are you guys feeling heading into the bye?
Cooper:"I think we're still confident as a team. We just lost some close ones. Just have to play better at the end of the game."
Q: Did the pick-six take the wind out of your sails?
Cooper:"No, no. We felt like we could still win the game. We still had time left; there was about six or seven minutes left, so we felt like we still had a chance."
Q: That whole play looked rush to the untrained eye. Did it feel rushed to you?
Cooper:"No, we just didn't execute it correctly."
Q: How do you take advantage of the bye week?
Cooper:"We just keep doing what we've been doing: keep practicing the right way, keep doing the right things. Things will happen for us. It won't happen overnight."
Q: Could you sense early on that it was going to be a back-and-forth type game?
Cooper:"We knew it would be a tough game, a dogfight-type game. That was our mind-set coming into it."
K SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI
Q: How cool was it for them to stop the game and honor your record today?
Janikowski:"It was really cool, but I'm not one of those guys that likes publicity."
Q: Did you get a little emotional?
Janikowski:"Yeah. Yeah, definitely."
Q: What happened on the field goals? Was it just one of those days?
Janikowski:"Just one of those days. The second one, I pushed it left. Got to go back to work."
Q: Did you feel good in pregame?
Janikowski:"Yeah. I felt good, just something didn't click. I don't know. Sometimes it happens."
Q: Are you still feeling strong and ready to go a few more years at least?
Janikowski:"Sure, I feel strong."
Q: Did you feel any different before the game?
Janikowski:"I was a little anxious. Like I said, I just don't like that stuff. I just want to play another game, that's it."
Q: After all these years of playing, missing one doesn't get inside your head, does it?
Janikowski:"No. I've been doing this for a long time. It just didn't click today."
RAIDERS S CHARLES WOODSON
Q: How frustrating is it that the defense did well enough to win and the offense had several self-inflicted wounds?
Woodson:"We won't get into the name game or pointing the fingers game. That's not what we do. As a team, we know we've got to go out there and all three phases have to do their job. That's the name of the game. We win as a team and lose as a team. I know all of that is cliché, but that's what it is."
Q: If you knew before the game that the defense held Peyton Manning and the offense to just three field goals, would you have expected a win?
Woodson:"Yeah, I suppose. Defensively, we came out, we felt like we were well prepared going into the game and felt like we could do some good things against them. We were able to, limiting those guys, just wasn't able to do enough."
Q: I know you aren't focused on the individual numbers, but how special was it for you to get a couple of interceptions?
Woodson:"Really don't even want to talk about the interceptions, just because of the fact we did lose the game. It was all about winning the game. I know it was a big deal all week about that aspect of it, but it's never about that. Those things are the shiny things, shiny toys that you like, but it's about wins and losses, man. As I said a few days ago, our mission is to win our division and the only way we can do that is to beat the team that's won it the last few years. Today we dropped the ball on that."
Q: How are you feeling and how hampered were you by the shoulder?
Woodson:"I've got a few things going on. I can tell you, I've never been so happy to go into the bye week, I think in my whole career. It's been a rough couple of weeks."
Q: Did you guys do anything differently or do a different job against the tight ends this week?
Woodson:"The first part of the season, the tight ends, they made some plays on us, but really it's not about their tight ends and what they're able to do. It's really about us and not executing our game plan, is what it comes down to. Today, we did a great job of executing. Being able to get off the field is important to your team, to your defense, and we were able to get off the field on a number of occasions today, made tackles when we needed to. It was a good game and overall just limiting all of those guys. It's not about the tight end or one specific group. It's about trying to limit them all."
*Q: Was it fun out there to be dueling with Peyton on some of those passes? *
Woodson:"I just like being on the field. Again, man, I don't want to – the reason why I get roped into talking about Peyton is just because of the respect I have for Peyton. He's been one of the greatest players in this league now for a long time. We've both been in it 18 [years] and he's still doing great things, and I have a great deal of respect for Peyton. That's why I allow myself to get into that conversation about intercepting him and all that sort of thing, but again, it's about wins and losses."
Q: Are you going to run any interception out of the end zone?
Woodson:"Oh, no question. No question. Just get a block."
Q: Are there any positives you can take out of a loss like this?
Woodson:"Well, there's always positives. In any game, there's always positives, but what it boils down to is at the end of the game, you've got to make the play. Your team has to make the play. Today, it was their team that made the play. The pick to the house, that was tough. They made a play, a couple of big plays at the end and we weren't able to do it. That's the way it goes."
Q: When the pick-six happened, did you think it was over?
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Woodson: **"You don't say it's over. It hurts, because we did have some momentum, we were driving the ball down the field. It hurt for sure."
Q: What kind of message can you give to the younger guys on this unit?
Woodson:"There is really no message. Those guys don't like to lose either. There's not much you have to say. I think all of us on this team, we feel like we have a very good team and we played a team that came in undefeated. They are a very good team, too. Again, it comes down to at the end of the game, who makes the plays? Those guys, the young guys, played well and like I said, they believe in this team and what we have and we'll be fine going forward."
RAIDERS DE KHALIL MACK
Q: How was it rushing Broncos QB Peyton Manning? You guys were able to get him off his spot a few times.
Mack:"Yeah, man. That's what it was all about: trying to get him off his spot and make him uncomfortable back there. He was making some quick decisions but he paid for a couple of them. You see C-Wood [Raiders S Charles Woodson] coming over the top a few times. Yeah, just tried to get there."
Q: A lot of the problems this team has had, collectively, have been mistakes that you guys have made, whether it's costly turnovers or things like that. When you look at it that way does it make it easier because you're that close, or tougher because you left too much out there?
Mack:"No, no. We still left too much out there. You see the plays Denver was making on the other side of the ball. The goal was to go out there and try to outplay them on defense, and they made some big ones. We'll look at the film, we'll get it corrected. This team, man, collectively, we have to get it together and correct it."
Q: What was the key against Manning? He never really got into a Peyton Manning-type rhythm.
Mack:"We looked at the play-calls we were given and we tried to execute them on all cylinders."
Q: You're a young guy on this team. Do you ever look back at Raiders S Charles Woodson and just say, 'Wow'?
Mack:"He's the greatest of all time, man. C-Wood, you see the hard work he puts in and you see it paying off every week. Wisdom, talented, playmaker ability, jumped over a guy, grabbed the ball, still tried to put two feet down. The greatest of all time. The G.O.A.T."
RAIDERS T DONALD PENN
Q: How frustrating is it as an offense to not get things going to help your defense out?
Penn:"It's very frustrating. The defense played their butt off. They did a great job, man. We've got to be able to pick it up. We go into other games and score a lot of points, and this game we only score 10. It's tough with our defense playing so well. We've got to find a game where we're both playing well at the same time. That's why we've got this bye week. We're going to go sit down, check the first five weeks and just try to get better."
Q: Denver's defense is one of the best in the league for a reason. How tough was their front seven?
Penn:"I mean, they were good. They're not invincible. We moved the ball well. We did things very well against them. They just made more plays than us when it counted. We had our opportunities, but we didn't make the most of out of them and that was the tale of the game."
Q: What did they do differently defensively in the second half to get pressure on Derek Carr?
Penn:"I've got to watch the film and tell you more about that when I see it, because I'm blocking my guy and I don't really know what's going on, so I can't really tell you right now. We'll find out when we go watch film on Tuesday and get it right."
Q: It felt like Derek had enough time for most of the game. How do you feel the line did as a whole?
Penn:"Anytime we lose, we didn't do well. I look at it like that. When you lose, you didn't do well, no matter what. They had [three]. I can't even tell you, I don't even remember all of them. I know I gave up a late one at the end, which I don't do, which I was very mad at. I don't think they did anything special in particular. A couple of times they had good coverage in the back, he had to hold onto it a little bit longer. At the end of the day, no excuses. We've got to block our guys. We've got to block them as long as possible. As long as he has the ball, we've got to block them. We've got to find a way to get better. It's early and we are just going to keep plugging away every day."
Q: What happened on the play where you all of a sudden became a receiver?
Penn:"It happened before a couple of years ago. A dude tipped the ball and it took forever to come back down, so I said, 'Let me try and get it and see what I can do with this.' I grabbed it and just tried to run as fast as I could and not get caught."
