Kansas City Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward is looking to make the most of the final seven games of the 2020 NFL regular-season. Ward had some lofty goals for himself entering his second year as a starter. Those goals were quickly stifled when the corner broke his hand in the season opener against the Houston Texans. He wouldn’t play again until Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, but he struggled in his return. Ward discussed those struggles with the Kansas City media on Wednesday.
“I was playing with a cast on, so I couldn’t really use my left hand how I was supposed to,” Ward told reporters. “That hurt me a lot. It hurt me more mentally than anything. I was still out there trying to give my all, help the team, be out there for my teammates. The coaches believed in me. I believe in myself as well. It hurt me a little bit but now I feel like I’m going to bounce back real strong these last couple of games.”
After the Chiefs’ Week 8 win against the New York Jets, Ward tweeted, “I’m in a slump….. I gotta come up out of it.”
I’m in a slump….. I gotta come up out of it
— Charvarius Ward (@itslilmooney) November 2, 2020
It’s not something that you would expect to hear from a player after the team won big. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said that he didn’t feel that Ward was in a “slump.” It’s clear that Ward had set a standard for himself that he felt he wasn’t meeting.
“I’m always holding myself [accountable], I just want to be the best player that I know I can be,” Ward said. “I’m just going to continue to try to improve and get better and be one of the best corners in the league by the end of the season. These last seven games, I’ve got to come out strong and be at my best.”
Ward believed that the slump was a combination of his physical ability to press and get his hands on opponents impacting his mental state. While his fracture still isn’t fully healed, he’s no longer wearing the cast and he’s not in pain. That has led to a confident level of play from Ward, but even approaching the Week 10 bye, he wasn’t happy with his performance. During the bye week, he worked to improve his technique.
“I just stayed active all throughout the bye week, working on my feet, working on my press technique,” Ward said. “I was really just working on my technique and my game all throughout the bye week. Hopefully, I’ll be better these next seven games. I know I will.”
As for the slump, Ward is confident that it’s in the past. He feels that he’s physically healthy and mentally prepared for the challenges that await him in the next seven games. For now, he’s looking ahead to an exciting divisional rivalry game against the Raiders in Week 11.
“I’m already out of the slump, man,” Ward said. “The slump is over with. I’m already out of the slump. We love playing the Raiders. It’s a divisional game, it’s a rivalry game. They got us the last time so now we’re just going to come out of this game and be at our best. Hopefully, we get our rematch and do what we’re supposed to do.”
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