In the NFC Conference Championship, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 31-27, promptly ending their division rivals’ season.
There was a costly play in the game on Sunday where Rams return man Xavier Smith muffed a punt, which led to a Seahawks score. Here’s what quarterback Matthew Stafford said to Smith after the costly blunder.
Matthew Stafford Picks Up Xavier Smith After Costly Mistake
The game’s ending was depressing for Rams players, but Stafford still took the time to clear the air about Smith’s play. Here’s what Stafford reported he said to Smith after the mistake:
“‘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.'”
Following Stafford’s response, another reporter tried to press Smith despite the quarterback’s comment. Here’s how Stafford responded:
“’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.’”
Despite playing against the harsh crowd conditions at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, Stafford is right. The team had opportunities to win on many other plays; it wasn’t just Smith’s mistake that propelled the Seahawks to the win and the Rams to a loss.
As a matter of fact, the Rams’ offense did its part against the Seahawks yesterday. Stafford completed 22 of 35 passing attempts for 374 yards and three touchdowns, without giving up an interception and only being sacked once. Both star wide receivers had a good game, with Puka Nacua catching the ball nine times for 165 yards and a touchdown, as well as Davante Adams catching four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Don’t get it twisted. The Seahawks are a very good offense, but this loss falls more on the Rams’ defense than their offense. Even though their defense ranked fifth in PFSN’s NFL Defensive Impact Metric with an impact score of 85.5 in the regular season, they couldn’t get a stop/turnover against Seattle.
While Smith’s mistake is easy to spot as the point where things went wrong, there were mistakes all game that the Seahawks exploited against the Rams’ defense, namely mistakes by the secondary. Great teams will find a way to benefit from the smallest miscues, and that’s why Seattle prevailed.
