TAMPA, Fla. — Fred Warner spoke from the middle of the 49ers’ locker room. Tears did not stream from his eyes. Instead, encouraging words flowed over a deeply meaningful minute.
His crestfallen teammates needed one more pep talk from their All-Pro linebacker and consummate captain, who had disclocated and fractured his right ankle in the first quarter of an eventual 30-19 defeat against the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It’s heartbreaking,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “I mean, Fred is not only one of the best linebackers to ever play this game, he’s the heart and soul of this team, not just the heart and soul of this defense.”
With Warner carted off midway through the first quarter, his teammates valiantly battled on and tried to win. They did so in Seattle in Week 1 after George Kittle’s first-quarter hamstring pull. They did so in their home opener against Arizona after Nick Bosa’s season-ending knee injury.
The 49ers (4-2) would not complete a comeback this time.
“Obviously, a huge blow. I feel bad for Fred. He’s in good spirits, though, and has a good foundation,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.
San Francisco’s offense sputtered with Mac Jones starting a fourth game because of Brock Purdy’s Week 1 toe injury. Serving as bookends were Jones’ interceptions on the 49ers’ first series and again with just under six minutes remaining.
Jones threw for 347 yards but got sacked six times. The offense stalled out so much that Eddy Piñeiro was summoned to make four field goals. No wonder the 49ers couldn’t keep pace with the NFC South-leading Bucs and MVP candidate Baker Mayfield (256 yards, two touchdowns).
“It was on everyone collectively. Made too many mistakes offensively, defensively,” Shanahan said of the 49ers’ second loss in three games.
Adding to the chaos was a sideline spat between Shanahan and wide receiver Jauan Jennings just before halftime while Shanahan was calling plays amid a two-minute drill that led to a field goal.
Shanahan termed them “intense, competitive conversations,” and Jennings would not reveal their nature, though it’s worth noting he had no targets to that point and said he’s playing with five broken ribs, two ankle sprains and a shoulder issue. He finished with only a 7-yard reception on three targets.
Jennings did share how devastated he and the 49ers were to Warner’s stunning exit, saying: “I was personally nauseous. I had to take some nauseous medicine. It just made me sick to my stomach.”
Warner implored teammates afterward to summon a next-man-up mentality and have his back.
His right ankle got trapped and twisted under safety Ji’Ayir Brown, who was tackling Rachaad White on a 10-yard run near midfield. Warner had fought off a Tristan Wirfs block and turned to join the tackle when his ankle became collateral damage.
It was no coincidence White broke through the right side of the 49ers’ front because only 10 defenders were on the field. Rookie Mykel Williams said afterward there was a substitution error. He rushed in to play right defensive end on the ensuing snap, and helped end that fateful series with his first career sack on a third-down pursuit.
Warner has missed only one game in his eight-year career. He even made it through all 17 games last season despite a Week 4 ankle injury that involved a slight fracture to that same ankle.
The toothless defense extended its NFL record drought to 13 straight games without an interception.
Instead, Mayfield livened up the home crowd with a 15-yard scramble on third-and-14 with four-and-a-half minutes left in the third. Then, two snaps later, Mayfield connected on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson, who raced past Renardo Green and got behind rookie safety Marques Sigle for a 27-19 lead.
The Bucs had taken a 20-13 lead into halftime once Mayfield delivered a 34-yard touchdown pass against blown coverage, perhaps by Dee Winters.
Christian McCaffrey remains without a 100-yard rushing game, but he did put the 49ers ahead 10 minutes before halftime with his — and the team’s — first rushing touchdown of the season. That one-yard, third-and-goal run had him follow the blocks of Williams, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges and Kyle Juszczyk for the 10-7 lead.
McCaffrey got stopped on the previous snap but an offside penalty gave him a mulligan. Igniting that scoring drive was Kendrick Bourne’s 56-yard catch-and-run to open the second quarter. Bourne finished with 142 yards on five catches.
The Bucs answered McCaffrey’s touchdown with their own touchdown drive, capped by a nine-yard scoring run from Sean Tucker to retake a 14-10 lead five minutes before halftime.
On Jones’ first series, his third-down throw was intercepted by Kindle Vildor, who had a clear path for a pick-six but fell three times. Jones appeared to target Bourne, who spun the opposite way of Jones’ throw.
Two Rachaad White runs later and the Bucs owned a 7-0 lead over the 49ers.
Jones went back to Bourne to open the 49ers’ second series, and that resulted in a 41-yard completion to the Bucs’ 29. But another third-down miscue came when Jones held the ball too long and was sacked, leading to a 52-yard field goal, the first of Piñeiro’s four (52, 54, 42 and 29 yards).
Two plays later was Warner’s ankle fracture, changing the tone of the game and the 49ers’ season.
The 49ers’ first test without him will be next Sunday night, when they host the Atlanta Falcons.
