The 49ers’ defense had one of its most dominant showings of the year in their playoff opener against the Vikings. They held Minnesota to 147 yards, and veteran cornerback Richard Sherman notched an interception for the defense’s lone takeaway of the contest.
Sherman, 31, played in his first playoff game since 2017 and continued his outstanding season that culminated in a Second-Team All-Pro nod. His interception went with his usual uneventful day because quarterback Kirk Cousins didn’t target Sherman often.
The performance was enough to earn Sherman a post-game drug test according to a tweet from the cornerback:
Chances are the drug test was random.
However, Sherman is playing some of the best football of his career coming off an Achilles injury and reaching an age where cornerbacks typically see a steep decline. If the NFL was going to administer drug tests based on performances, Sherman’s postseason dominance would certainly warrant one.
Sherman tweeted later that he doesn’t mind the tests aside from the fact they require a blood draw.
In his postgame press conference, Sherman explained how he came up with his interception. It involved strong technique combined with the exceptional football IQ that’s allowed Sherman to remain one of the best corners in the league for a decade.
“Yeah, we were in man,” he said. “It was third down. He gave me an inside release. Gave me a little bit too much at the top of the route. I knew what the route was. I beat him to the spot. Kirk (Cousins) threw a very catchable ball, appreciate it, and I was able to make the play.”
It doesn’t sound like HGH or PEDs are necessary to make that happen, but Sherman may find himself the subject of another test if he continues playing this well through the rest of the postseason.
