49ers lose Jimmie Ward to broken forearm in first quarter vs. Buccaneers

The San Francisco 49ers will be without starting free safety Jimmie Ward for the rest of their Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ward suffered a forearm injury in the first quarter and had to exit the contest, being replaced by rookie defensive back D.J. Reed.

Update: Ward suffered a broken forearm and will likely be lost for the remainder of the season, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It was the same arm he broke last year, which resulted in him being placed on injured reserve, but a different type of fracture.

And according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows, Ward was ruled out quickly after being removed.

As Barrows pointed out, Ward suffered a broken forearm last year, which resulted in him landing on season-ending injured reserve. Although the Niners officially listed Ward as questionable, it wouldn't be shocking if he doesn't return for the duration of the game.

Tampa Bay later scored on the drive, ending on a 6-yard touchdown by Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate to go up 7-0 early.

• Written by:
  Peter Panacy
  Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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