SANTA CLARA -- It was only the fifth play of the game on Sunday night, but 49ers fans were on their feet at Levi's Stadium. Soon, linebacker Fred Warner would give them a reason to go wild.
Like a shot from a cannon, Warner broke free through a melee of linemen to take Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the ground and force a fumble at the same time. 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa recovered the loose ball and came up 2 yards short of the goal line.
On the next play, running back Tevin Coleman finished the job with a 2-yard touchdown run, and the 49ers never looked back, pounding the Packers, 37-8.
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SIGN UP HERE Warner single handedly set the tone for the game three minutes into regulation, but that isn’t a new thing for the second-year pro from Brigham Young University. Coach Kyle Shanahan is not surprised with the amount of growth he has seen from the young linebacker.
“That’s what you expect out of a guy in his second year,” Shanahan said. “Especially with how much he played his first year. But, it doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes, guys have a real good first year and they relax a little bit thinking they figured it out and then you get extremely humbled the second year.
“Fred got to play a ton and exceeded expectations, I think, with everyone his first year. Then, he was just even more hungry, came back like a 10-year vet and came back better mentally, better physically and I think it’s shown to everyone in every game.”
Warner led the 49ers with 11 solo tackles -- one of which went for a loss -- one quarterback hit and the strip-sack that started the rout of the Packers. He is leading the defense, wearing the “green dot” and making the calls on the field for a second season, but has become decidedly more vocal since the arrival of Kwon Alexander.
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“Going sideline to sideline, being able to make some big hits and not get penalties while doing it,” Shanahan said. “And, what he does just from getting us in the right call standpoint, he’s unbelievable. We’ve got a bunch of checks, mix our scheme up a lot and Fred doesn’t make a mistake all game.”
Warner also took it upon himself this offseason to begin focusing on punching the ball out from his opponent. Clearly that work has paid off. After setting a record low for takeaways in 2018, the 49ers rank fourth in the NFL with 23 takeaways through Week 12.
“It was something in the offseason, you know,” Warner said. “I don’t know where I read it, but it was just me trying to add something to my game. Like you said, it starts in OTAs. I made a big point of it, to myself, that I was going to practice really hard at trying to add it to my game. The rest is history.”
Warner and the 49ers defense might be facing their toughest challenge yet on Sunday in stopping quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. But that’s what critics have been saying every week, even though the 49ers have only lost one game.
Warner and his teammates haven’t been listening to those outside voices.
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“In terms of playing all these different teams, I feel like what helped us a lot this game was just focusing on what we have right now,” Warner said. “I think if you look too far ahead, you might get overwhelmed.
“We were able to focus on what we have right now and I think that showed in the score. It was great having a full week of work. Monday, all the way leading until now, that was huge for us. It was a good win.”