Saints star running back reveals what he told player who missed the tackle
The New Orleans Saints were just 10 seconds away from advancing to the NFC championship game last week when the unthinkable happened.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum dropped back and delivered a strike to wide receiver Stephon Diggs on the sideline.
If Diggs had been tackled inbounds, the clock would have run out, giving the Saints the victory.
But New Orleans rookie defensive back Marcus Williams missed the tackle and accidentally took out teammate Ken Crawley, allowing Diggs to take it to the house for a stunning 61-yard walkoff touchdown.
.@STEFONDIGGS FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!! #SKOL #NOvsMIN #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/UAoNJ2NJ97
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2018
The loss was about as delfating as it could be for the Saints.
Thanks to star running back Alvin Kamara, we now know what happened in the team’s locker room following the heartbreak.
On Fox Sports’ “The Herd” Friday, Kamara described to host Colin Cowherd just what took place.
“It’s speechless,” Kamara said. “You never in a million years think that with 10 seconds left, and you know we come back from this you know deep hole that we dug ourselves in in the first half, come all the way back and be able to put ourselves in a position to win you know, you never think that’ll happen.”
The Saints had rallied from a 17-0 deficit after the first half to position themselves to win 24-23 before the heartbreaking final play.
Many fans blamed Williams for the loss, but his teammates had a different approach.
“He was hurt about it,” Kamara said. “But that’s the one thing about our team that makes us different. We all care about each other.
“Guys were picking him up, and I went up to him and you know I told him, ‘It’s not your fault.’ I literally, I picked his shoulder pads up, he had his head down, I picked him up and I was like, ‘Keep your head up.’
“I was like, ‘What did you do earlier?’ He said, ‘I caught a pick.’ I said, ‘All right, you know what I’m saying, you helped us to get to where we had an opportunity to win the game.’ You know, so I was like– I mean, it’s football. It happens. I was like, move past it.”
The feeling in the Saints’ locker room no doubt was somber, but they made sure their young safety did not shoulder the blame.
A play like that could have shaken Williams’ confidence, but his teammates were sure to encourage him and let him know he was a vital part of the Saints’ comeback.
Head coach Sean Payton also encouraged his team, letting them know he was proud of his players and loved them, Kamara said.
How the Saints handle their crushing loss could give them the motivation to make a run at the Super Bowl next season.
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