Locker room banter after the Vikings' 34-27 victory over Washington:

Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams on trailing 24-14 at halftime: "We came in here, didn't draw anything on the board, and just said we would come out and get the job done. We can draw up all the plays we want, but if we didn't execute they would drive us out of here and we could either get embarrassed or stand up and fight."

Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel, who relieved an injured Christian Ponder (dislocated shoulder) for the fourth quarter: "I knew that I was the backup and I always prepare, so I was happy that I was able to come in and contribute. We were able to move the ball and get some points, at the same time the load of the work Christian did himself. He did an outstanding job and I thought he battled all night. He made plays with his legs and, like I said, it makes it easier for me to come into that situation. When we have a lead, the teams playing well and, like I said, I was just happy to be able to contribute."

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway on how the defense changed in the second half: "I think it was pretty basic. Jared Allen did a pretty good job by getting at us in the way he needed to. Tackling was obviously a challenge for us in the first half, and plays that we were locked on from a schematic standpoint and we weren't making stops because we weren't able to get after the ball. It got to us, but it was more of just what we were doing and not really what they were doing. But I have got to give credit to a lot of guys. Andrew Sendejo really kept us in this ball game the way he came down hill and hit it in the alley and closed the other guys up front."

Vikings tight end John Carlson, who had seven catches and 98 yards replacing injured Kyle Rudolph: "Yeah, I'm excited it was fun to be involved, but obviously we miss Kyle. Kyle's a beast and we want him out there on the field. It was fun to be out there on offense and hopefully that can continue, but we want Kyle back as soon as possible."

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen on teammate Kevin Williams, who had 2.5 sacks: "What he does in the run game with his leadership and the ability he still has to make game changing plays just proves how good he really is. With his leadership and his accomplishments in the league, when he talks you listen and he backed it up."

Ponder, on his shoulder: "I didn't know what was going on at first. They popped it back into place, and I was able to move it fine. I thought that I could maybe have a chance to go in. There was some pain. It was probably smart for me not to go. I don't know if I would have been limited or not, but we have a more than capable quarterback in Matt to go out there and win a game for us."

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, on Ponder: "Yeah, he looked more calm, he looked comfortable. He just went out there and played football. The way he came out and approached it allowed us to be balanced offensively, he was able to complete a lot of balls to a lot of different receivers and it kept Washington's defense on their heels. He was able to sneak a run in there and be more balanced offensively, and shoot, we were able to move the ball."

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, on calling two timeouts when Washington had the ball late in the game: "One our guys were getting a little fatigued and if they were to get a score, I wanted us to have a chance to go back and respond. I didn't want them to run the clock out and us not have a chance on offense. Fortunately for us, because our guys were gassed, they got their breath and made some big stops at the end."

Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III: "We were on fire on third down early in the game. It's not often that you go nine of ten on converting third downs in any game. We were on fire, and were bound to come down a little bit. But in the moments that it did, we didn't need it to. I saw the way the game was going and that's just unfortunate."

Washington RB Alfred Morris: "The (Vikings) played an almost perfect game. To play in their backyard, noise can be a factor when calling plays and it is hard to hear. It can take some time to block it out."