SANTA CLARA — Cornerback Charvarius Ward got off to a great start against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
On the third play of the game he tore the football away from Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison for an interception.
Late in the first half, things appeared to be getting even better for Ward. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins intended a pass for Addison that Ward was in the perfect spot to intercept.
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But Addison did the same thing to Ward that Ward had already done to him.
“He got his get-back,” Ward said of Addison.
Ward said he was “kinda, sorta” already thinking about getting his hands on the football and returning it for a touchdown. But Addison, a rookie, ended up with the football and stayed on his feet en route to an improbable 60-yard touchdown.
“The kid made a good play,” Ward said. “That’s all I can say. He made a good-ass play. I thought I had it. And next thing you know, he had it and he’s running into the end zone.”
San Francisco 49ers
The play was controversial because of the aggressiveness with which 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks opted for the closing seconds of the first half. The 49ers went with a seven-man pressure, known as a zero blitz, with no defender back to prevent a long touchdown.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday, “He (Wilks) knows he messed up.”
Ward said he had no problem with the play call. After all, up until the very end, he thought he had an interception on the play.
“I feel like I played it good,” Ward said. “I was in perfect position to make the play. Once coach calls the play, we got to go out and execute it. It doesn’t matter whether he calls cover-1, cover-2, cover-3, cover-zero.
“If I’d picked that ball off, it would be a completely different story.”
As it turned out, that play might have been the difference as the 49ers lost a second straight game.
The Vikings’ end-of-half touchdown was a huge momentum swing. The 49ers, who were set to receive the kickoff to open the second half, faced an uphill climb, trailing 16-7 and could never overtake Minnesota the rest of the way.
Despite the issues in execution and coaching decisions, nothing has changed in the locker room, Ward said.
“There ain’t no pointing no fingers or anything like that,” Ward said. “We’re good in here.”