Fred Warner's Heroics Wasted in 49ers Loss to the Vikings

Fred Warner single-handedly kept the 49ers alive against the Vikings, but it wasn't enough to seal a victory.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) breaks up a pass to the Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Well that was disappointing.

The San Francisco 49ers suffered an upsetting 23-17 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. Star linebacker Fred Warner did everything he could to prevent that. Warner is the hero of the game for the 49ers. He registered an interception and a forced fumble to prevent a Vikings touchdown.

He totaled two forced fumbles on the day, which proves his hand is a magnet to the football. Warner did everything to keep the team alive. A linebacker isn't supposed to keep a team alive singlehandedly, but that is exactly what Warner did in this game.

If Warner sustains this level of play, he will make a strong case to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Too bad his teammates didn't share a similar level of intensity. This 49ers' "elite" defense made Sam Darnold look like an above-average quarterback. He completed 17-of-26 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

Under no circumstance could the 49ers lose this game with Darnold quarterbacking against them. But that's exactly what they did. The secondary is what let the 49ers down this game. The most abysmal play was the 97-yard touchdown allowed to Justin Jefferson. He was able to score because defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen had safety George Odum match up with him.

Odum is the placeholding starter until Talanoa Hufanga returns. He's mainly a special teams player. Darnold identified that mismatch and let it rip to Jefferson. Safety Ji'Ayir Brown was also caught sleeping deep in coverage. Jefferson would later exit the game with an injury and wouldn't return. It was an inexcusable outing by the defense, but the 49ers' offense was just as bad. The offense couldn't build off their Week 1 performance against the New York Jets.

It was likely because Kyle Shanahan elected to start the game with four straight passing plays. For some reason, Shanahan always likes to overthink the game plan. Rather than playing to the 49ers' strengths, he likes to play to the opposition's weakness.

The Vikings aren't a good passing defense. So, Shanahan decided that passing early and often is the way to go, but it didn't pan out for the 49ers. Pass protection is partly to blame. Brock Purdy was under duress for the majority of his dropbacks. But that could be chalked up to the 49ers not establishing the running game.

It's not like the running game was inefficient. It wasn't as dominant as it was in Week 1, but Jordan Mason still rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries. He was strong once again for the 49ers. What wasn't strong was Shanahan's play calling and the performance from Purdy. Yes, Purdy was under duress for a large portion of his passes, but his two turnovers were putrid.

For a player of his caliber, it shouldn't happen. This loss to the Vikings shouldn't have happened. The 49ers better use this loss as a wake-up call. And they can't use the absence of Christian McCaffrey as an excuse either. Figure it out.