New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera
On if he was disappointed in all the sloppiness and mistakes this afternoon by his team:
"I think more so by the mistakes. The opportunities we missed, the things that we allowed. We allow a big run on an eight-man front, that's disappointing. We had opportunities to complete plays downfield and we get holding calls, facemask calls. We can't do that, not against a good football team. That's why you get beat."
On evaluation of offensive side of the ball from scoring on the first offensive possession on out:
"Missed opportunities. Self-inflicted mistakes. Again, you can't have penalties. You are moving the ball well. You convert a big third down, or at least you think you do and you get a penalty. You can't do it. Not against a good football team."
On special teams, the punter dropping the ball and having to turn over on downs as a result and one fumbled punt return:
"Last week it (special teams) was big for us. This week it wasn't. Those are things we have to clean up. You can't bobble the snaps. You can't fumble the ball. We were going to get great field position on the fumbled punt return which was disappointing but Kaelin (Clay) is a heck of a football player and he'll make a play for us. Unfortunately, that one didn't go our way."
On the bobbled snap? Was it pressure or he just dropped it:
"No, he just dropped it. That is something that unfortunately happens. I know Mike, for the most part, is going to catch it and punt."
On the explanation given for the non-called neutral zone infraction:
"No idea. They did not see it. They didn't think we reacted, we moved enough for them to throw the flag and blow the play down."
On that play throwing off the offensive line to allow A.J. Klein to get to Cam Newton:
"Unfortunately it could have. I'm not saying it did or didn't. But unfortunately, it could have. But that's ball. They (the referees) are going to make calls and miss calls."
On Thomas Davis's limitation today:
"That was the plan coming in that we were going to play Thomas today limited and trying to get him through the game which we did and healthy. And same thing with Shaq (Thompson). He tweaked that foot again but then he came back and finished it for us so we should be all right going forward."
On Alvin Kamara's capability and their preparation for it:
"We can prepare for whatever we want, but he's got some elite ability. They scheme very well. They do some really good things with what Coach Payton calls. Right now they are real difficult to defend because of all the other weapons they have. You have to respect their receivers. You have to account for their tight ends. And then the back team are unbelievable. Him and (Mark) Ingram are tremendous backs. Everything starts with the quarterback's ability. He's a heck of a triggerman."
On heading into this final stretch and you've essentially had two games in the division with four to go, what's the mindset heading into the final quarter:
"We have Minnesota next, that's the mindset that we have. We are going to take it one at a time and focus in on who we play next."
QB Cam Newton
On why the team wasn't efficient after their opening drive:
"It's too early to tell. I felt like we came out and, like you said, executed and were efficient. We just hit a lull right there. We are playing a type of team like this, games moving forward, we just have to find ways to keep and stay intact. We didn't do that today."
On if there is pressure to match the Saints score:
"No, we don't play their offense. We just go against their defense. I have full faith that the type of game like this won't happen again via our defense. I just don't think that we played complementary football today. They gave us an opportunity early on when it was tied up. We had an opportunity to go down and go up. And, we did not do that. Like I say, we just did not play complementary football. When you are playing in the type of game like this in a hostile environment, especially a division game, every single play counts. That showed more than anything today."
On his take on the Saints defense:
"That's a good team. If everything plays out right, we may see that team again. We just have to move forward and be optimistic of our opportunities, knowing that the world doesn't stop because the Panthers lost today. We have to learn from this. We'll learn from this. We will be better prepared for Minnesota."
LB Luke Kuechly
On the next three home games:
"We have got to win them all. I think that that's the biggest thing. You've got to take them one game at a time. We've got a good team (Minnesota) coming in this week that's on a hot streak. They are playing really well. They have a good defense. They run the ball. They have a quarterback that is playing well. We have our work cut out for us, but we are excited to be at home in front of our fans. They give us a lot of good energy."
WR Devin Funchess
On four or five plays making the outcome of games:
"That's football. Any given Sunday, like everybody says. We've just got to take it and look at it. I made a lot of mistakes. I can't do that, as the guy that I am. (We) just have to get back in the lab and get back to it."
On if the team still has a lot of fight:
"Always. We're the Panthers. We know that we have the rights to our own destiny. Tomorrow, I'm going to break this film down and get back busy against the Vikings."
DE Julius Peppers
On the team playing uncharacteristic on defense this afternoon:
"Anytime that you do not play your best, it's frustrating. We felt like we didn't give ourselves a chance today. I'm speaking for the offense. We did not play well at all. We didn't play fundamentally sound. We hurt ourselves with some mistakes, self-inflicted penalties and things of that sort. (That was) very uncharacteristic. You do those types of things, and you can't win games like that."
S Mike Adams
On the frustrating loss this afternoon by his team:
"It was extremely frustrating. We could not stop the bleeding. We couldn't stop the momentum. They had the momentum. We never could get that momentum back. It was tough. It is tough in the league to get that back, and we didn't do that."
On the breakdowns on the run defense:
"It happens. We will get that fixed though. We just have to do our job across the board, everybody. I've got to get him down. I've just got to get him down. We just have got to play better as a whole. A mistake on this play and on that play doesn't help us at all."
