Rams punt returner Xavier Smith made an incredibly costly play on Sunday when he muffed a punt to set up a Seahawks touchdown in the Rams’ 31-27 loss. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said all he could do is support Smith afterward.
Asked after the game what he said to Smith, Stafford said it was all supportive.
“I told him I loved him,” Stafford said. “And I do. The guy wants to go out there and make every play he possibly can, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. I’ve been in those situations. It doesn’t change how I feel about the human being, the person, the player. I love the guy, I trust him and wish nothing but the best for him. Obviously a mistake he doesn’t want to have happen, but we had our opportunities after that to grab hold of the game and make enough plays to win. We just didn’t do it.”
Stafford took issue with a reporter who said the game came down to Smith’s mistake.
“I think it came down to a whole lot more than just that,” Stafford said. “It was a battle the whole game. . . . We had our opportunities, didn’t make it.”
It was a costly play by Smith, but Stafford is right that any football game comes down to more than one play. And Stafford, as a team leader, doesn’t want one teammate to shoulder all the blame.
