Steve Smith doesn't hold back when he plays well. He doesn't mince words when he doesn't play well either.
Smith caught just one pass for 2 yards in Sunday's 34-33 loss to the San Diego Chargers.
It was the lowest output the 14-year veteran has had since 2006, when he was shut out by Atlanta. He's only been held without a catch twice since his rookie year.
"I pretty much played terrible," Smith said.
"When I got an opportunity, I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything to help us offensively. I think I got a pass interference penalty, dropped two passes and got a motion penalty. In a situation like that, they're playing with 10 men. That falls directly on me."
Smith's only catch came on their second drive in the first quarter when he was tackled a yard short of a first down, leaving the Ravens kicking a field goal in one of several failed chances for touchdowns in the red zone.
"I can attribute it to a lot of stuff, but at the end of the day, I have to stay focused," Smith said. "The game is a roller coaster. Each individual guy has expectations, but at the end of the day, you get paid to be focused and focused throughout the whole game."
Smith was shadowed for much of the game by Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers. A Pro Bowler last year, Flowers entered Sunday's game rated as the fifth-best cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The Ravens instead targeted wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was being covered by Shareece Wright. The younger Smith was targeted eight times compared to four for the elder Smith. Torrey Smith caught six passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury.
"I don't think they were doing anything necessarily to take him away, but I think other guys were getting freed up, and I think they did a good job taking advantage of some of that," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "I think we had a couple of opportunities for plays with [Steve Smith], and you've got pass interference and a couple real close calls."
This has been a season of two halves for Smith Sr. so far. He was torrid out of the gates, but has trailed off since.
He averaged 96 receiving yards per game and scored four touchdowns in his first six contests as a Raven. In the six games since, he's averaged 41 receiving yards and scored just once.
Some of Smith Sr.'s biggest games have come against his former NFC South opponents. In the four games against his former foes, he posted 405 yards and four touchdowns. In the eight games against AFC teams, Smith has 414 yards and one touchdown.
