The San Francisco 49ers (4-2) are leaving Tampa Bay with their second loss of the season, after being defeated, 30-19, by the Buccaneers (5-1) on Sunday.
But by the end of the evening, it was clear that the outcome of the game was of little consequence compared to the much bigger loss they suffered.
About halfway through the first quarter, linebacker Fred Warner was carted off the field with a lower leg injury and was ruled out almost immediately. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan later confirmed that Warner dislocated and fractured his right ankle and will require season-ending surgery.
“Anytime you lose one of your best players – who is also a huge leader, [it is], obviously, a huge blow,” Shanahan said after the game. “I feel bad for Fred right now.”
The play occurred as Warner was trying to bring down Bucs running back Rachaad White and 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown’s legs rolled into Warner’s ankle. Teammates knew immediately that something was wrong, as Warner was on the ground in pain, and they signaled for trainers.
“Devastating,” said wide receiver Jauan Jennings. “Fred came to talk to us after the game and lifted us up…I was personally nauseous [watching him being carted off the field] – I had to take some nausea medicine – it just made me sick to my stomach.”
It was a sentiment echoed throughout the 49ers locker room and postgame interview sessions. Warner goes beyond a defensive leader. He is a team captain, a community leader and one of the faces of the franchise. The injury also comes just a few weeks after San Francisco lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa for the season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 3.
“[It’s] heartbreaking,” said left tackle Trent Williams. “Not only is he one of the best linebackers to ever play the game, but he’s the heart and soul of this team, not just the heart and soul of the defense. It’s one thing to see somebody go down and go to the blue tent – nobody really knows what’s going on. When you see a guy that’s injured like that, it’s really like a gut punch – it truly is hard to continue the intensity of playing a game like that never happened.”
Next man up league or not, running back Christian McCaffrey felt the same.
“It’s such a weird game when you have to see somebody like that, like what happened with [Nick] Bosa earlier in the year, and then to just have to continue to play. It’s kind of a weird deal…He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with, and one of the best leaders I’ve ever played with. It’s heartbreaking.”
In his eight years with the 49ers, Warner had missed only one game. The four-time Pro Bowler and 2023 All-Pro had been putting together a fantastic season, having amassed 50 total tackles – 28 solo – and two forced fumbles.
“It was sickening…He is one of the best players in the league – great guy on top of that,” said Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. “You hate to see something like that happen, and hopefully he has a speedy recovery, but that kind of breaks your heart no matter what side of the ball you are on.”
His very presence on the field, much like Bosa’s changes the play of the defense, and the plan of an opposing offense.
Weakside LB Dee Winters took over for Warner on Sunday, but Shanahan said that it will be second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune that will step into the role going forward.
“I have a lot of faith in Tatum,” Shanahan said. “He is the next man up and he is going to have to do it throughout the year.”
When Warner spoke to the team after the game, the message, per CB Deommodore Lenoir: “Next man up, don’t worry about him, he going to be back stronger than ever, just keep fighting for him.”