Ravens 30, Texans 9: What they said afterward

After each home game, the Ravens' public relations department distributes a roundup of quotes from the team's locker room. Here are some of the highlights:

Coach John Harbaugh

On the play of Bernard Pierce: "Bernard battled the whole game. That’s a really good front. We were battling up front and Jim [Caldwell] stayed with the run game, was patient with it – which was good because it kept the clock moving. Made some big third-down conversions again. For Bernard to take the ball North-South against that defense and hold on to that football was a key part of the game."

On the 10 penalties for 87 yards: "As I recall, mostly the ones that were of concern were the offensive line penalties. I think we grabbed the face mask twice in there, we had a holding. Sometimes against a good front, that stuff comes up, but we don’t need to do that. Our offensive line is too good to have to resort to those technique issues. We talked about it at half time. The guys did a good job of cleaning it up."

On Ray Lewis being introduced with the defense: "That was really something. You just don’t know how emotional you’re going to get about these things. When Ray came out, and the crowd went crazy the way they did … I think everybody expected him to do the dance and the music to start up, but Ray said ‘no’ to that. That’s not something Ray wanted to do. He’s already danced his last dance. I thought that was very respectful to the guys who were coming out behind him. It was a very special moment."

WR Torrey Smith

On coming out strong in the third quarter: "Well, first of all, we didn’t have any penalties, and we weren’t behind on the count all the time. We were just able to execute and move the ball consistently. We weren’t in second and 20 anymore. We were able to go straight down the field and move the ball."

On Tandon Doss’ punt return for a touchdown: "You all know how I feel about Tandon [Doss]; he’s like my brother. Just to see him go out there and have some success and have his confidence up like that. I put my helmet on to make sure I didn’t get a penalty, and I led him down there. It was special. It was his birthday today, and for him to score a touchdown like that I was happy for that, I was happy for him."

QB Joe Flacco

On being better in the second half: "We thought we could run the ball well today, so we came out trying to establish that. Credit them, they did a good job stopping that. In the third quarter, we really started to mix it up and get our guys going. Torrey [Smith] on the sidelines, Dallas [Clark] on a couple of out routes, it really felt good to get going in the second half."

On facing former teammate Ed Reed: "We broke the huddle on the first play of the game, and I saw him. But from then on out, I didn’t pay too much attention to him. On a couple of plays, I gave him a couple of double look-offs, but other than that, I figured he was breaking wherever my second was looking. So, I was trying to give him a quick look this way and then back here, you know, but I don’t know.  It’s always fun to have someone that you’ve played with on the field. It’s funny to go against those guys, but Ed Reed, he’s on a different level. I purposefully didn’t pay too much attention to him today."

OLB Terrell Suggs

On the defense remaining confident by keeping them out of the end zone in red zone situations: "Any time you keep a team out of the end zone, it gives you confidence. But it’s only now that we can appreciate it, because we still had a whole game to play and they still had opportunities to go down there and score touchdowns and win the game. So, when we were doing it, we can’t pat ourselves on the back, we have to continue to play football, and that’s what we did."

On if there was any discussion in the fourth quarter about making sure to keep them out of the end zone: "No, we just knew we had to play solid defense. In the NFL, you’ve got to play solid defense, otherwise you’re going to lose a lot of games. We knew the past two weeks they had comeback victories, and that was pretty much our focus, to not let them come back in our home stadium and let them come back and win."

RG Marshal Yanda

On the slow first-half start for the second consecutive week: "Hey, just one play at a time. We were just trying to execute as well as we could, and yes, it was a slow start. They’re good. They’re tough. Field position wasn’t on our side, and that limited some of the things that we could do. Look, we got the win and did what we had to do. We only made one turnover, and that’s our kind of win. That’s how we do it. We play tough on defense and do what we need to do on offense and limit turnovers."

DT Arthur Jones

On the play where he recorded a sack: "Every time I get on the field I want to make a huge impact. We’ve got so many guys [like] Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and guys coming from all different edges. They can’t double us all. They left me one-on-one, and that’s not the thing to do."

On not allowing touchdowns in the red zone: "Yes absolutely. I think we did a great job practicing red zone. That’s something we take pride in as a defense – the red zone. We’re just going to keep getting better. We’re going to stay and watch film, and we’re going to correct our mistakes and prepare for next week."

CB Jimmy Smith

On stopping the Texans’ offense: "We just followed the game plan. Our defense came up with some big plays, sacks, and a turnover for a touchdown. We keep playing ‘lights out’ [defense.]"

On the progress the defensive unit has made: "Each week we’re building our chemistry. We’re gelling, knowing exactly how we’re going to be playing, and where we’re going to be. I feel like it’s a chemistry thing, just gelling together."

NT Haloti Ngata

On his QB sack: "Yeah, getting there and [Matt] Schaub actually still having the ball when I got there, it’s pretty good. I had a few quarterback hits, but I was happy that I got the sack. It felt great to get that sack and I just want to keep on producing for the team."

On if it was special to have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed back in the stadium today: "It was cool, and definitely for Ray Lewis, to be inducted into the Ring of Honor, it’s a great thing. He’s done so much for the city and for our defense and for our team, it was just great to see him and see him receive that honor. And Ed Reed, you wish him well, but you don’t want him to do well against us. After the game I gave him a hug, and hopefully he just continues to feel better and get healthier, and just continue to be Ed Reed."