Mike Tomlin

We were able to hit Jalen Warren out of the backfield versus some pressure on a third down play, and he was able to run it in from about roughly 40 yards out.

And so we got...

We got some yards and chunks that certainly aids execution.

It flips the field and oftentimes chunk plays are the central component of scoring drives and certainly it was for us.

We were able to put seven points on the board, our first possession of the game.

We were able to put three points I think on the board, the first possession of the second half and

kind of go on from there.

From a defensive perspective, I thought our third down play, particularly the early stages of the game, sent the message and quelled the environment and allowed us to find our footing and play.

Brandon Echols, I thought, was central to that.

He broke up a pass in the red zone early in the game, made him settle for three on the first possession.

He had a sack on the next third down on a subsequent drive.

He had a third down coverage play, I think, on the next down.

Largely, we did what we needed to do on third down in the first half of the game, and I thought it really set the stage for game on, if you will.

We had a stop there at the end of the half, but we were penalized, and that was a four-point penalty.

They were able to go in and score a couple of plays later, and it also minimized our opportunity to maybe go back at them in a two-minute drill prior to the half.

And so certainly that was a costly penalty, but largely I thought third down in the first half really kind of set the stage from a competition standpoint, from a defensive perspective.

And then certainly in the second half, man, standing up on the short field,

was big, making them settle for three or getting off.

And I just think this time of year, that's where the game is played for offenses and for defenses.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention special teams.