LANDOVER, Md., — The 49ers came away from the East Coast with a decisive 27-10 victory over the Washington Commanders but there was one moment that sealed the victory for the club.
Early in the fourth quarter, the 49ers had a 10-point lead, but Commanders quarterback Sam Howell had led his team on a 10-play 74-yard drive into 49ers' territory. It looked like the Commanders were about to make it a much closer game until Charvarius Ward jumped in front of receiver Terry McLaurin to register the club’s first turnover of the game.
Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave converged on Howell at nearly the same time as he threw the ball toward his target, which likely changed the trajectory a bit. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year immediately knew the effect it had on the game.
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“It was huge,” Bosa said after the game. “Super happy for him. Hopefully, that solidified him as an All-Pro. A good call by [Defensive Coordinator] Steve [Wilkes] with the pressure. Me and Hargrave got there.”
Ward, who leads the league with 23 pass breakups, vowed to start turning his big plays into interceptions. The undrafted free agent now has recorded a career-high five takeaways on the season.
“It feels good, you know, just to make a play for the team,” Ward said. “You know what I'm saying? That was a big point in the game. I know if we got a turnover at that moment of the game, it was gonna be pretty hard for them to beat us. So, it was a big momentum shift for sure.”
Ward’s interception was a jolt of energy for the 49ers' offense that took the field and put together a 10-play, 105-yard drive (10 penalty yards) that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk.
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George Kittle felt the shift of momentum.
"Oh, wow,” Kittle said after the game. “It’s just like a breath of air and then we go out there and have a good drive after that. Then we played complimentary football, it was just awesome.”
Two plays later, Ward’s fellow defensive back, Deommodore Lenoir, snagged another interception making a comeback by the Commanders nearly impossible.
“We've done that a lot this year,” Kittle said. “To just go back out there and for Mooney and Demo to both get interceptions, I love when the DBs get picks. It's awesome. Demo actually gave me one of the balls. I've never gotten a defensive ball before, so thank you, Demo.”
Ward’s impact goes past his play on the field. Christian McCaffrey, who has a locker right next to the cornerback, enjoys the banter they share, as well as having a formidable amount of respect for his football skills.
"He's the man,” McCaffrey said. “He's charismatic, funny, and always has something funny to say. I don't know if he knows that he's funny, but he is. Sharing a locker with him is fun. I get a lot of new music sharing a locker with him, so I'm appreciative of that. He's a hell of a player too and playing at an All-Pro level. So, I'm glad he's on my team.”
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