San Francisco Heat: Why 49ers Jimmie Ward Has 'No Love' for Rams

49ers safety Jimmie Ward has no love for the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the 2022 season.

San Francisco 49ers defender Jimmie Ward let the football world know that he has no interest in peace talks with the Los Angeles Rams, waging verbal battle during a Sunday appearance on NFL Network. 

The NFC West rivalry, reignited upon the Rams' return to California in 2016, reached a boiling point last season when the teams faced off three times on the road to the Super Bowl. 

Ward's 49ers won both regular season meetings, including a Week 18 thriller at SoFi Stadium that thrust the Bay Area into the NFC playoff bracket but the Rams had the last laugh via a 20-17 victory in the conference title game that preceded their Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist. 

Speaking with Maurice Jones-Drew and Tom Pelissero, Ward claimed the Rams' postgame demeanor was different when they were on the right side of the scoreboard.

"I keep everything on the field but I just remember when we won both of those (regular season) games last year, I was looking at some of their main players, I was going to shake their hands and all that, but they walk(ed) off the field," Ward claimed. "But when you finally win a game, you wanna shake our hands? All right, I got something for you."

Ward did give the Rams their due, crediting them for "(figuring) it out" and that "they were the better team that day (in the playoffs)." But it left a sour taste in his mouth, one that likely won't alleviate until the teams engage in their yearly couple later this season.

"I’m ready to play them," Ward declared. "I don’t got no love for them.”

Ward played a vital role in the resurrection of the California civil war: in the November meeting in Santa Clara, Ward intercepted Matthew Stafford twice, returning one for a touchdown in a 31-10 win. Ward engaged in a physical battle with Odell Beckham Jr in the second January rematch. 

The defender had another interception, but his performance was marred by a helmet-to-helmet hit on Beckham that begot not only a 15-yard penalty but a fine from the league office. Los Angeles earned a game-tying field on that fourth-quarter drive before the winning triple on its next possession.

The networks have taken note of the bad blood between the Rams and 49ers as each of their two scheduled meetings has earned prime placement on the 2022-23 docket. 

ESPN's "Monday Night Football" will showcase the first meeting in Santa Clara on Oct. 3 while the rematch in Inglewood four weeks later will likely be part of Fox's "America's Game of the Week" package. 

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