SANTA CLARA – Cornerback Charvarius Ward got off to a great start against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
On the third play, he ripped the football away from Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison for an interception.
Towards the end of the first half things seemed to be going even better for Ward. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins intended a pass for Addison, which Ward was able to intercept in the perfect spot.
But Addison did to Ward the same thing Ward had already done to him.
“He got his money back,” Ward said of Addison.
Ward said he had already thought “a little bit, sort of” about getting his hands on the football and returning it for a touchdown. But Addison, a rookie, stuck with the football at the end en route to an improbable 60-yard touchdown.
“The kid played a good game,” Ward said. “That’s all I can say. He had a great performance. I thought I had it. And next thing you know he’s done it and he’s running into the end zone.”
The play was controversial because of how aggressive 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was in the final seconds of the first half. The 49ers went forward with a seven-man pressure, called a zero blitz, with no defenders to prevent a long touchdown.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday: “He (Wilks) knows he messed up.”
Ward said he had no problem with the play calling. After all, he believed until the end that he had intercepted the game.
“I feel like I played it well,” Ward said. “I was in the perfect position to make the play. Once the coach calls the play, we have to go out and execute it. It doesn’t matter if he calls cover-1, cover-2, cover-3, cover-zero.
“If I had picked up the ball it would be a completely different story.”
As it turned out, this play might have been the difference as the 49ers lost for the second straight game.
The Vikings’ touchdown at the end of the half was a huge swing. The 49ers, who were supposed to get the kickoff to open the second half, faced an uphill climb, trailing 16-7 and unable to overtake Minnesota the rest of the way.
Despite the issues with execution and coaching decisions, nothing has changed in the locker room, Ward said.
“There’s no pointing, no finger-pointing or anything like that,” Ward said. “We’re fine here.”
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