Lions quotes: Players comment on loss to Ravens

Below is a look at what various Detroit Lions players had to say after Monday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. (Quotes provided by the Lions.)

LIONS QB MATTHEW STAFFORD

On the loss: "It's tough. We'll have to take a look at the tape. Obviously didn't play well enough to win the game. That's a good football team we just played. We have to go back, learn from it, move on and win these next two."

On his thoughts throughout the game: "I didn't play my best game by any means. I felt that we had a good opening drive. We put seven on the board and for one reason or another the rest of that half and even in to the third quarter some it was tough for us to get a rhythm. That's a top five defense. They're good. We're capable of playing much better than we did on offense. I thought our defense did a good job of holding them to field goals. The guy (K Justin Tucker) made a 60-something yarder at the end of the game to win it."

On Ravens K Justin Tucker's 61-yard field goal: "Off the foot, I thought it was going to be short just because it had so much height. Obviously, they have a lot of confidence in their kicker. He's done a great job for them all year. Tonight was no different."

On if he felt the Ravens adjusted their defense after the Lions' first drive: "Not really. I think some of the stuff that happened to us was just kind of self-inflicted. Whether it be a drop or a sack or a missed pass, whatever it was."

On the frustration that comes with giving away control of their destiny for the playoffs: "It's something you don't want to do, but you have to move forward from it and go try to win the next two."

LIONS WR CALVIN JOHNSON

Opening statement: "I had a good week of practicing with the ball and to have that happen in the game, you know, just didn't watch the over-the-ends."

On the loss: "We just didn't, and me personally, didn't make the plays that were there for us to make them. We just let them get away."

On the disappointment of losing control of their destiny: "All you can do is come back and work hard over these last two weeks. Focus in on taking in a weakness on or whatever it is that you need to focus in on. Study this film, of course, and come back and get a win next week back at home. Fortunately, we still have a chance. We just have to win these last two."

On if doubt is in the team's mindset: "No, I don't see doubt creeping in. Just like I said, we didn't make the plays today that we needed to make that we usually do."

On QB Matthew Stafford's performance: "You can't lay all the blame on him. It's all us, it's everybody. Balls get tips and Stafford had a bunch of crazy stuff like that happen, whether it be receivers falling or a defensive end tips the ball or something like that. Matt's playing good. None of this was on Matt. It's on us as a team."

On his drops hurting the momentum of the team: "Yeah, yeah, definitely. We had some things going there and we had some critical third downs I think that we could have kept the drives going."

On the reason for the dropped balls: "When that happens, you just didn't get the ball all the way. It's as simple as that. I just have to stay on it one more second, you know?"

On if the urgency of this game contributed to his dropped balls: "No. It was just as simple as the fundamental on just staying on it a little longer."

On Stafford's performances declining game-by-game: "Like I said, a lot of those balls and a lot of those interceptions are receivers' faults or like I said, they get tipped balls or stuff like that. Matt is doing good, man. Like I said, it's on us. It's a team effort. Like I said, I could have had some more plays today that could have changed the outcome of the game, so you can't just put it on Matt."

LIONS RB REGGIE BUSH

On if it was difficult to see the offense struggle: "Yeah, it's tough. We are the number two ranked offense and we didn't play like it today. We didn't play like we wanted it today on both sides of the ball. There were plenty of opportunities out there for us today to win the game and make plays and we just didn't come up with it on both sides of the ball. This is a setback for us. This one hurts."

On if he felt there was enough urgency: "No there wasn't. It was pretty evident. When we needed to make plays we just didn't have them. We have to do a better job. Obviously, turnovers hurt us. I can't really speak for the defensive side of the ball but we have to do a better job on offense. We had some third-down conversions that we should've came up with, we could have had easily, we just didn't come up with the plays."

On what was missing for the offense: "Execution. We had a few third-and-ones that I can think of that we should've had, that we could get in our sleep. We just didn't make it happen. I really don't have any other excuse for you other than we just didn't make it execute today."

On if he felt the team played tight: "I don't think we played tight I just think we didn't execute, especially on the offensive side of the ball. We had so many opportunities to make plays in crucial situations. It was very uncharacteristic of us to not make those plays when we needed them, especially the third-and-shorts. Those are the ones that really stick out in my mind right away without watching the film. We have to have them on third-and-short. We just can't do that."

LIONS C DOMINIC RAIOLA

On if he thought Ravens K Justin Tucker's game-winning 61-yard field goal was going to be good: "I don't know, I didn't watch it."

On where the team goes from here: "We have to do our job. Like I just said, we're in the same boat Chicago's been in the last couple weeks. We're a game behind them now, we're a game behind. I don't know what Green Bay's situation is with the tie, but we each have to do our job and see what happens. Finish these last two out and now we need help."

On the team's 6-3 record turning into 7-7: "That's now what it is. We're 7-7 now. We have to move forward, we have to bounce back. We have to. We're not going to sit here. Yeah, this one hurts. Right now it hurts, but we have to find a way to bounce back. Like I said, you don't know what's going to happen Sunday."

LIONS DE WILLIE YOUNG

On the defense's performance: "We can figure out how to get even more pressure. There were some tough calls in the secondary, I am sure the referees made the best calls they could. We just have to play the call and keep playing ball."

On if they felt they held their own as a defense: "That's some credit to the defense but that doesn't matter. You don't come away with that ‘W,' nothing matters. We might have put some numbers on paper here and there but it's all about getting the win."

On needing other teams' help to get into the playoffs: "We are not going to concern ourselves with other teams right now. We have to concern ourselves with things that we can control and keep moving forward."

LIONS S GLOVER QUIN

On what this team is missing to be a successful playoff team: "We have all the pieces. We just have to believe we're good and just go out and win the game. We can't feel like we're an underdog or take a back seat to anybody. We have to go out with the mentality that we're the best team on the field and just go prove it. That's kind of it. We have all the pieces. We have great players on this team. We just have to find a way to make another play and win the game."

On if the Lions are missing the mentality of being the best team on the field: "I don't think it's missing so much as we just have to do it. I think we know we're a good team. I think we just have to go out and do it and not wait for somebody else to mess up and wait for somebody to make a play. Just understand that we're playing for 60 minutes. Things happen in the first quarter, things happen in the second quarter. We just keep playing. Nine times out of 10 in the NFL, the game's going to come down to the fourth quarter. Somebody has to make a play and we have to know that, hey, we're going to go make that play. Tonight we didn't just make it. They made it and they got the win."

On if this loss stings any more since it happened on Monday night "No, it doesn't sting any more. We were ready for the national stage. I thought we played well. Like I said, they just made one or two more plays than we did. That's what it came down to. We make those plays, we win. They made them and (K Justin Tucker) made a great kick. He was their whole, I mean, he hit what, six field goals tonight?"