SAN DIEGO – Sunday's game had plenty of highs and lows for both teams, but the Chargers managed to pull out a 30-21 win over the Cowboys, who didn't score in the entire second half.
Here are some quotes from prominent players and coaches from both teams.
Cowboys LB Sean Lee on the Chargers' offensive changes after the interception:
They started to speed it up a little bit. They went with a quick game. A couple big plays they were able to hit, but it was the pace. They sped up and dictated a couple of things. We were not able to respond. We knew coming into the game that they were a good football team. They were 1-2 but they have been in every game and the offense has scored a lot of points. We knew it was going to be tough and could not get it done in the second half.
Cowboys LB Sean Lee on the disappointment of dropping to 2-2:
We want to be a contender. We want to be a team that can win week in and week out. We haven't showed it in two years and we are not showing it now. Until we do, we are going to be the same type of team. It's going to be battle every week. That's a good offense with a great quarterback. There are going to be tough days. How we bounce back will really represent the type of defense we are."
Chargers QB Philip Rivers on turning things around after Sean Lee's interception:
Those are the ones that you obviously can't do anything about. We had [Antonio] Gates running for a good 15 yards, then all of a sudden, they got seven points on the board. You just bounce back and keep going. I think the biggest thing there, honestly, was the three points we got before halftime. We turned right back around and got three [points]. We came in and said, 'Hey, look, we get it back again, let's go get one now.' So, we didn't let it bother us. We responded to adversity.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers on finding Gates 10 times on targets: [embedded_ad]
"I think when we're in that no huddle mode, and we really feel like we got it going, and we feel like we're the aggressors, it's just about taking completions – take them, take them, take them. And that's what we did. The other big gain he had up the seam was the same play that he scored on. So, those two chunk plays were both on the same play.
Chargers head coach Mike McCoy on patchwork offensive line:
"It's outstanding. You have to love Joe D'Alessandris and Andrew (Dees). They came in first thing Monday and said, 'Don't worry about it. I'll get it done.' And that's what they did. And the players played extremely hard for those coaches because they're great coaches. The players love working with them and they did a great job. Philip (Rivers) played lights out once again. That's the way he can play and that's the guy we know. Danny Woodhead came up big. There were a lot of good plays. Ryan (Mathews) ran the ball strong. It was a team effort. There were a lot of good things. You can go on and on today. We have to keep getting better. That's the key."
Chargers head coach Mike McCoy on adding a field goal just before halftime:
"It was a sudden change. Unfortunately we missed the protection up front. Unfortunately it was a pick six, which can't happen, but we moved on. And that's the thing that we keep on preaching is that it's the next play. You have to play 60 minutes. I was told a long time ago that as long as there's time left on the clock, you have a chance to win. It says a lot about the character of our team. We went right down the field and got the field goal. There was good clock management there by the staff. Just taken what they were given. Then we came back out and scored again."
Chargers TE Antonio Gates on the play of Rivers:
"I think when you sum it all up, from an individual standpoint, sky's the limit on what he can do and what he can accomplish. You satisfy it when you can get away with a win. I think that's when you can embrace scoring a touchdown and you go into the next week saying, 'Wow, that was pretty spectacular.'"
Chargers RB Danny Woodhead on his versatility:
"That's part of being a running back in the NFL. You have to be able to do everything. You have to be able to catch the ball. You have to be able to run the ball. You have to be able to block. I'm just trying to do that to the best of my best abilities. Hopefully, I'm doing that well enough every single play."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett on Bruce Carter allowing two touchdowns to Danny Woodhead:
"Well, (Danny) Woodhead is a good player, a good mismatch player. Sometimes that happens. Really what you try to do in that situation is make the adjustments and keep guys out of those kinds of situations as they prove that they're successful doing those. Those are big plays in the ball game."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett on the decision to attempt a 56-yard field goal:
"Well we had the wind. We had a lot of confidence in Dan Bailey. We felt like we were really close to his range to be able to make that kick. I think he got it there, he just missed it a little bit left. That's always an aggressive decision, but we felt like it was important to try to take advantage of an opportunity with one of the best players we have."
Cowboys TE Jason Witten on failing to win two straight:
"It's tough. We talked last week about winning one game and losing the next, and that's disappointing. There's still a lot of football left to play. We have group that believes in themselves. We'll get better and we'll bounce back. There's a lot of resolve in this team, but we can't just say it we have to go do it."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett on the play of rookie WR Terrance Williams:
"Terrance has made a couple of those plays for us so far this year and really was playing fairly well in the ball game. He had an early drop, and then came back and made some plays for us and allowed us to move the football. He's good at that kind of a play and he was trying to get in and get in the end zone. Their guy made a good play, from what I could tell, and knocked the ball out. We talk about the importance of the ball every week and maintaining possession when we have it and going to get it from those guys. Particularly in a game like this, when you're having a hard time slowing them down, each of those opportunities is magnified. At that point it was a two score game. If we knock it in there, we give ourselves a chance coming back, but they made the play and we didn't."
