Well, Trent Williams certainly looked different Thursday night.
Amazon and analyst Kirk Herbstreit made the disgusting mistake of having broadcasters and announcers misidentify Nesta Jade Silvera as Williams during the Rams' win over the 49ers.
“Trent Williams is here.” Herbstreit said: Instead, the screen showed images showing Silvera as Chiron and herself as Williams. “He's a big part of the guts of the offensive line, and they're going to really miss him up front, not just because of his talent, but just because of his presence and what his presence means.” “It’s like that offensive line and the personality of that offensive line. ”
One of the problems with live broadcasts is that it's hard to pivot when things go wrong, and something clearly went wrong for the “Thursday Night Football” crew during the NFC West game.
Amazon had created graphics for Williams and apparently planned a segment with Herbstreit discussing how his absence would impact the team.
The cameraman then had to find Williams on the sideline, and well, that part of the process didn't go as planned.
Instead, the world turned to Silvera, a second-year defensive tackle on the practice squad.
Whether Herbstreit was unaware of his mistake or didn't want to highlight it, he held on with less than five minutes left in the first quarter.
Naturally, social media pounced on this mistake.
“Hmm, Thursday Night Football, that black guy is not Trent Williams. I repeat, wrong black guy. @49ers.” NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho tweeted:.
Posted by former Giants lineman Jeff Schwartz: “Trent Williams looks different. 😂”
Thankfully, the broadcast found him in the suite about three minutes into game time.
“Trent Williams, of course, missed left tackle. He's going to miss his fourth game with 10 days until the next game,” Al Michaels said.
Thursday night was a bad night for 49ers officials.
Not only did San Francisco lose at home to fall to 6-8, dealing a fatal blow to their playoff chances, but linebacker Devondre Campbell effectively quit the team.
Campbell left the field during the third quarter after being directed to play in the game.
49ers star George Kittle and other teammates criticized Campbell, with the tight end calling the decision “stupid,” “stupid” and “immature.”
