Kyle Williams: 49ers Teammates React to Williams' Epic Fails in NFC Title Game

Football is a team game, but there's an argument to be made that Kyle Williams single-handedly cost the San Francisco 49ers a trip to the Super Bowl on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Williams had not one, but two gaffes as a return man, setting up a Giants touchdown in the fourth quarter and the game-winning field goal in overtime.

No one knew this better than Williams, who was described as "stoic" by Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle as he fielded reporters' questions after the game.

Said Williams, via the Chronicle:

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"It was one of those situations that ended up for the worst. It's hard to be the last guy to have the ball, to have it end that way and lose a game of this magnitude."

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Williams' first mistake came with 11:08 remaining in the game. As a punt bounced his way, Williams wasn't able to avoid the ball. It hit his right knee and was recovered by the Giants.

Williams' second gaffe ended up deciding the game, as he fumbled returning a punt in overtime. Five plays later, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes booted a 31-yard field goal and the Giants won, 20-17.

But, regardless of the second-year pro's two critical mistakes, his 49ers teammates are backing him up, exhibiting the chemistry that lifted them from a 6-10 team to the NFC Championship game.

Said veteran safety Donte Whitner, who was signed by the 49ers in the offseason, via the Chronicle:

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"I felt bad for Kyle. He's a young guy in this league. That's going to be the play people focus on...We're going to show him lots of love. It's not his fault. We know it's just one play out of many."

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Said quarterback Alex Smith, who had a poor game himself, via CSN Bay Area:

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"For me, I'm looking at—what did we go?—one of 13 on third down. I know obviously he (Williams) will be thinking about those two punts for quite a while. But we didn't lose the game there. We lost the game across the board. Offensively, we weren't good enough. We didn't get it done."

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Tweeted kicker David Akers:

Those who have followed the 49ers all season long know the impact Williams had when the team suffered injuries at receiver before the playoffs. He had 16 catches in a six-game stretch. It was also his block that allowed Smith to scamper for a 28-yard touchdown in the 49ers' thrilling 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round.

And it's a shame that Williams' gaffes will overshadow what was actually a promising second season for the 2010 sixth-round draft pick out of Arizona State.

But the 49ers already appear as if they're looking forward to a bright horizon, a young team set up to contend for years. You could say they suffered a setback in the NFC Championship game.

Or you could say to call anything about their season a setback would be criminal.