OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The wife of Baltimore Ravens center Matt Skura has received harassing direct messages on social media after his poor snaps in Sunday night's 23-17 loss to the New England Patriots.
"I appreciate those who have sent encouraging messages to me since the game," Skura wrote on Instagram. "However, please know my family is off limits when it comes to hateful and threatening messages. They do not deserve to be scrutinized for something they did not do."
Skura apologized for struggling to snap the ball, writing that he wanted "to take ownership" for his mistakes. In the third quarter, one errant snap to running back Mark Ingram in the Wildcat formation cost Baltimore a chance to convert a fourth-and-1 at midfield and led to a short Patriots field goal. In the fourth quarter, another wild snap to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the pistol formation resulted in a 16-yard loss and ruined a potential Ravens comeback on their second-to-last drive of the game.
This is the second straight week that Skura has had trouble hiking the ball to Jackson. A week ago in Indianapolis, Skura had trouble lifting the ball and getting air on his snaps to Jackson, who generally lines up 4 yards in the backfield. On Sunday night, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said heavy rain and slick footballs were the main reasons for poor snaps.
When asked about Skura on Monday, Harbaugh said a hand injury he suffered in Week 9 is a nonfactor. "The snaps concern us, absolutely," Harbaugh said. "That was very costly in the game. It's a tough deal. Matt knows he has to get those snaps back there. Nobody feels worse about that than he does."
Skura, 27, has developed from an undrafted rookie in 2016 to a four-year starter. Almost a year ago at this time, he suffered a devastating injury, tearing the ACL, PCL and MCL in his left knee. Skura made a remarkable recovery, suiting up in training camp just nine months after sustaining the season-ending injury.
Skura's comeback was helped by his wife, Emma. To make sure Skura reported to camp on time and didn't miss out on the birth of their son Henry, Emma followed her husband in a caravan from their home in North Carolina, driving 450 miles in a fully packed Ford Expedition while nine months pregnant.
A few months later, Emma has received hostile messages from fans for Skura's mistakes on the field.
"I want to move on from this and grow so that I'm able to be at my best for the rest of the season," Skura wrote. "Now it's on to the Titans."