San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward made a huge mental mistake late in the first half of Saturday’s Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
NFL fans wasted no time roasting him for it on social media.
The Seahawks had the ball on their own 38-yard-line, trailing 16-14 with 9 seconds remaining. Quarterback Geno Smith scrambled for about 10 yards, but as defenders closed in around midfield he gave himself up with a slide.
Ward came in and laid a hard hit on Smith after he had clearly already hit the ground.
The result: A personal foul on Ward that moved Seattle into field-goal range. Then, Jason Myers’ 56-yarder gave them a 17-16 lead at halftime.
What was Jimmie Ward THINKING??? 😡 pic.twitter.com/v3lCTWAaWn
— Brian (@byysports) January 14, 2023
Ward, a 31-year-old veteran, had no business making such a rookie mistake. The NFL world mercilessly ripped the 49ers cornerback for the mental lapse.
“That was cheap,” tweeted ESPN’s Louis Riddick.
That was cheap
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) January 14, 2023
The Athletic’s 49ers beat writer David Lombardi noted, “The correct play there from Jimmie Ward would’ve just been to let Geno Smith run out the clock. He wasn’t going to score. No justification for an aggressive tackle.”
The correct play there from Jimmie Ward would've just been to let Geno Smith run out the clock. He wasn't going to score. No justification for an aggressive tackle
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 14, 2023
“What an idiotic play there by Jimmie Ward,” tweeted Blake Lewis.
What an idiotic play there by Jimmie Ward. That is an unnecessary, late hit on Geno Smith that caused Seattle to make a field goal.
— Blake Lewis (@blakelewis26) January 14, 2023
Stephen Kitchen tweeted, “That’s one of the dumbest penalties I’ve ever seen. Geno Smith is sliding in the middle of the field with 1 second left and you try to take his head off and put the Seahawks in range to put a last second field goal in.”
That's one of the dumbest penalties I've ever seen. Geno Smith is sliding in the middle of the field with 1 second left and you try to take his head off and put the Seahawks in range to put a last second field goal in.
— Stephen Kitchen (@stephkitch93) January 14, 2023
“Jimmie Ward has to be smarter there and not even lay a hit on Geno Smith,” tweeted Mike Mayer.
The squib kick was a problem because Seattle would've probably taken a knee.
But man Jimmie Ward has to be smarter there and not even lay a hit on Geno Smith.
What are you trying to prove with under 10 seconds left in the half?!
— Mike Mayer (@offthemike28) January 14, 2023
[Photo credit: Fox Sports]
