By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
With the Playoff weekend over, the biggest surprise is the NFC’s #1 seed Detroit got bounced. The Bills, Chiefs, Eagles and upset-minded Redskins move into their respective conference championship games. Who said what? Players and the media speak their minds.
Lions All-Pro Center Frank Ragnow
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Ragnow said Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions were upset by the No. 6 Washington Commanders at Ford Field, ending a season that once felt destined for a Super Bowl. “I wasn’t planning on any of this. That’s the frustrating part — it’s just like that. “We’re packing up and it’s over, and it’s something that you’ve got to process.”
Lions Taylor Decker on the end of the season
“Ultimately, the thing that I think I always get caught up on at the end of the season is that you’re going to have friends that might not be on the team anymore,” Taylor Decker said Saturday night. “Friends that might not play football anymore, coaches that might be gone.
“And that sucks, because I want that ultimate goal for everybody in here. I want it for them more than I want it for me. If it was just me getting it, I wouldn’t give a s— about it. But when you’re doing it together with people that you care about, that’s what’s special. And we fell short.”
NBC Sports Chris Simms on the Lions Loss
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson owns it
“Every time we in situations like this, turnovers play a factor,” Jackson said while slapping his right hand into his left. “We can’t have that s— and that’s why we lost the game. As you can see, we’re moving the ball wonderfully … it’s hold on to the f—ing ball. I’m sorry for my language. This s— is annoying. I’m tired of this s—.”
Is this the end for Matthew Stafford?
Asked about his future after the divisional-round playoff loss to the Eagles, Stafford looked at his watch, said the game had just ended a little while ago, and added he would “take some time to think about it,” via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. If his time with the Rams has ended, his time in the NFL hasn’t.
“I feel like I was playing some pretty good ball,” Stafford said. Asked if he has some game left in him, he said: “Sure feels like it.”
The 36-year-old Stafford, who was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, has two years left on his contract. He has a $4 million fully-guaranteed roster bonus due in March, and a non-guaranteed $23 million salary.
Coach Harbaugh has Mark Andrews back
On the 2-point conversion attempt, Jackson’s pass hit Andrews in the stomach before the ball slipped through his grasp as he fell backward into the end zone.
“There’s nobody that has more heart and cares more and fights more than Mark,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews. Destiny is a decision that you make and how you handle what comes in your life. Mark will handle it fantastic.”
Roy J. Akers is an NFL reporter for www.skyviewsports.net
