The rookie safety who missed the tackle on Stefon Diggs' winning touchdown Sunday in the Vikings' 29-24 playoff victory had his head buried in a white towel when the New Orleans Saints locker room opened to the media.
"He isn't talking," Saints linebacker Craig Robertson said, shooing reporters to the other side of the stunned room.
But after a few minutes, Marcus Williams stood and faced the cameras. Nobody knew better than him what should have happened on that play.
"The ball was in the air; I didn't go attack it," Williams said. "I came down, [Diggs] made a great play. That's on me. … As the safety back there, you've got to be the eraser, and that was my job."
Williams, a second-round draft pick from Utah, was a key part of a Saints secondary that made quick strides this season, helping the team overcome an 0-2 start.
The New Orleans defense stiffened after the Vikings grabbed a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, and quarterback Drew Brees put the Saints in position to reach their first NFC Championship Game since January 2010.
"The way we battled back, it would have been one for the ages," Brees said.
The momentum turned after Saints receiver Michael Thomas blindsided safety Andrew Sendejo early in the third quarter. Thomas went on to catch two TD passes from Brees but left the locker room after the game without talking to reporters.
The Saints grabbed two leads in the game's final six minutes. It was 24-23 New Orleans after Wil Lutz kicked a 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining.
The Vikings faced third-and-10 from their own 39-yard line with 10 seconds remaining. Williams lined up 30 yards off the line of scrimmage and roamed toward the sideline when Case Keenum threw his desperation pass to Diggs.
"It was an outside zone; we were protecting the sidelines," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "Anything inside and you're in a pretty good position when the game is over. It's a situation we practice quite a bit."
As Diggs jumped for the ball, Williams dived, twisting awkwardly and crashing into the legs of cornerback Ken Crawley. Diggs collected himself, untouched, and dashed the final 35 yards for the touchdown.
Was Williams trying to avoid a pass interference penalty?
"I feel like I was a little early [getting to Diggs], but at that point, I've just got to make the tackle when he comes down," Williams said. "There's only 10 seconds left. I knew the situation. You've got to make sure you make the play."
Brees turns 39 Monday, and he knows he might not get many more chances like this. After breaking the Vikings' hearts eight years ago, he led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title.
Asked if he's ever been part of a game like this that ended on such a wild play, Brees said: "Not like that. It's probably the craziest thing I've been a part of — and unfortunately on the wrong side."
