Rookie safety Jeremy Chinn agreed that the conversations had a positive effect.

“It is so much easier, going out on the field and risking your body and everything for guys that you actually know and guys that you have a relationship with,” Chinn said. “We are in here as a team and as a brotherhood. It was definitely a big step moving forward for us.”

Bridgewater also credited defensive coordinator Phil Snow for his message to the team in advance of Sunday.

“He’s like, ‘Man, we just have to get rid of that, ‘We’re this close BS,’ and just go out there and do it,'” Bridgewater said. “It’s easy to talk about, ‘We’re this close,’ and all that does is make you feel content, feel complacent like we’re right there. But to put it all together, it was a special moment.”