Charvarius Ward, formerly a teammate of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for four seasons before signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022, sheds light on the upcoming Super Bowl 58 clash between the two teams. Ward was part of the Chiefs' Super Bowl 54-winning squad that beat the 49ers and is now tasked with stopping Mahomes in the rematch.
Speaking on the "Jim Rome Show" on Wednesday, Ward shared his insights on preparing for Mahomes.
"With Pat, you just never know. The game is never over," Ward told Rome. "Even if you up 21, 28, maybe 30 points, the game is never over. When you playing Patrick Mahomes, obviously he's one of the GOATs, clearly, probably the best player in the NFL, best player in the world. So we're going to have our hands full this Sunday."
Ward acknowledged Mahomes' ability to turn the tide of a game at any moment, regardless of the score.
"So we can't get too high, we can't get too low," Ward continued. "Even if we up 10, 14 in the fourth quarter, we got to continue to press on and continue to grind because, with Pat, it can switch any moment. Once he gets momentum, it's damn near impossible to stop those guys. So we just got to stay on it 24/7, every play."
Several players on the 49ers roster were part of that 2019 team that fell to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54. Players like George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa were part of that losing effort. Ward doesn't need to tell them about Mahomes' ability to mount a comeback.
In Super Bowl 54, the 49ers were holding onto a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter, seemingly on the way to the franchise's sixth championship, but Mahomes orchestrated a comeback, helping the Chiefs score 21 unanswered points and securing a 31-20 victory.
Everyone in the 49ers locker room aims for a different outcome this time.
Ward also expressed unwavering confidence in his current quarterback, Brock Purdy. While cautious not to directly compare Purdy to Mahomes, Ward commended the young quarterback's achievements in just his second NFL season.
"Obviously, he's a great player," Ward said. "I wouldn't say he's Patrick Mahomes or anything like that, but he's on his way to being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, even though he's still young. ... It's only his second season. He's getting a lot of hate for no reason. All he's done is win, win, win, over and over, [and he's] in the Super Bowl in his second year.
"So I mean, I don't know why everybody's hating on him, but inside this building, we feel like he a big dog. He's one of the best in the world at what he do, and we know he's not going to let us down in the Super Bowl."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Ward below.
