Fred Warner’s season ended on Sunday with a devastating ankle injury. The San Francisco 49ers will be without their best defensive lineman and the best linebacker in the NFL for the remainder of the season.
Effort won’t be an issue moving forward, but talent level will be. This is a players’ league; the 49ers coaches will put their players in the best positions possible, but losing high-end players has Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh coaching with one arm tied behind their backs.
As far as standings go, this one goes in the loss column, but it isn’t the biggest story. The 49ers could have lost this game even with Warner, but losing Warner feels incredibly worse following Sunday’s loss. The 49ers won’t quit, but how much more can this team endure?
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 69 (69.2)
The 49ers’ rushing attack put the offense in pass-heavy mode again on Sunday, with Jones dropping back 47 times. Jones finished with another 300-plus yard day, but finished with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The first interception was a miscommunication with Kendrick Bourne, which led to the Bucs’ first points of the game. The second interception was on fourth down with a good disguise from Todd Bowles in the secondary. Jones didn’t see the sinking corner and was baited into the interception.
All in all, Jones was fine on Sunday. Six sacks taken is hard for any quarterback to play through, and Jones was under constant pressure. This week will be about Brock Purdy’s progress and who will get the start on Sunday night against the Falcons.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 64 (66.5)
Kyle Juszczyk 25 (52.8)
Brian Robinson 5 (63.6)
The first rushing touchdown of the season went to Christian McCaffrey, but the run game is still stuck in neutral. With 24 more touches for McCaffrey, the running back is putting together the toughest 100-yard scrimmage games anyone has ever seen. McCaffrey was split out as a receiver six times (two slot, four wide) and finished with 41 yards after the catch.
Brian Robinson didn’t have a carry, but caught three passes for eight yards. Juszczyk added a catch for nine yards.
Wide Receiver
Kendrick Bourne 55 (75.4)
Jauan Jennings 53 (52.2)
Marquez Valdez-Scantling 42 (56.9)
Demarcus Robinson 13 (72.7)
Skyy Moore 3 (57.0)
Another career day for Kendrick Bourne with 142 yards on five catches for a 28.4 yards per reception output. The connection between Bourne and Jones has shown up in back-to-back games. Bourne has earned a role when the 49ers gain reinforcements down the line.
Jauan Jennings and Kyle Shanahan were observed having a heated discussion at the end of the first half. Hard to speculate on the reason, but Jennings revealed he’s playing through five injured ribs and low and high ankle sprains. Jennings finished with one catch for seven yards on three targets. Robinson and MVS combined for four catches and 66 yards.
Tight End
Jake Tonges 57 (73.5)
Luke Farrell 27 (64.1)
Brayden Willis 1 (60.0)
Jake Tonges has been a nice surprise for the 49ers in 2025. Six more catches to his season total, which was good for the second-most catches on Sunday. George Kittle is close to returning, but Tonges has earned playing time with his steady output and reliability. Tonges also finished as the third-highest graded pass blocker with 73.9.
Offensive Line
Colton McKivitz 69 (81.8)
Trent Williams 69 (71.0)
Jake Brendel 69 (51.5)
Connor Colby 69 (58.0)
Dominick Puni 69 (63.0)
The 49ers’ offensive line allowed 16 total pressures on Sunday. McKivitz only had one, but Dominick Puni led the team with six pressures and hurries allowed. Trent Williams was right behind Puni with four pressures allowed and two sacks allowed. Connor Colby allowed three pressures with a sack, a hurry, and a QB hit. McKivitz was the highest graded run blocker at 82.9, and Williams was the highest graded pass blocker at 80.4 despite the four pressures and two sacks allowed.
The biggest concern is Puni. We know he’s still fighting through injuries, but the decline in his play has been shocking. He’s a foundational piece of the future of the offensive line. I’m not sure how to improve his play, but he is clearly struggling.
Defense
Defensive Line
Sam Okuayinonu 40 (55.4)
Mykel Williams 38 (59.9)
Alfred Collins 28 (55.5)
Jordan Elliott 26 (69.0)
Kalia Davis 24 (69.9)
Bryce Huff 24 (64.7)
CJ West 17 (59.8)
Trevis Gipson 16 (52.2)
Nine total pressures on the day for the 49ers, but the one that will keep players and coaches up at night is Baker Mayfield escaping a sure sack on third and long and turning it into a first down. A few plays later, Mayfield connected with Tez Johnson for a deep touchdown. Can’t happen. Mykel Williams, Trevis Gipson, and Bryce Huff each had two pressures, but Williams turned in the only sack of Mayfield on Sunday.
Huff and CJ West led the team with a 14.3 pass rush win rate. Robert Saleh will have to become even more creative to generate constant pressure with this defensive line.
Linebacker
Dee Winters 53 (38.9)
Tatum Bethune 45 (61.3)
Luke Gifford 21 (32.1)
Fred Warner 8 (84.7)
Just typing this feels unreal. The 49ers will be without Fred Warner for the rest of the season, and his exit saw immediate confusion for the defense, as to where they need to be and their responsibility. Warner is like a coach on the field—just a devastating loss. Tatum Bethune and Winters will take over with Gifford filling in on base downs.
The 49ers will get a good look at their linebacker depth in 2025.
Secondary
Ji’Ayir Brown 53 (68.6)
Renardo Green 53 (51.6)
Deommodore Lenoir 53 (51.7)
Marques Sigle 32 (63.0)
Upton Stout 30 (54.9)
Malik Mustapha 21 (43.1)
The secondary had a huge coverage bust that led to a walk-in touchdown for Kameron Johnson. PFF assigned the touchdown to Deommodore Lenoir, who allowed three catches on four targets for 49 yards, and a QB rating of 155.2 when targeted. The other touchdown was assigned to Marques Sigle, who allowed two catches on two targets for 51 yards, and a perfect QB rating of 158.3 when targeted.
Renardo Green allowed one catch on three targets for 17 yards. Ji’Ayir Brown wasn’t targeted, and the 49ers sprinkled in Malik Mustapha, who didn’t allow a catch on his only target of the day. The safety rotation will be interesting as Mustapha gets healthier.
