Fred Warner added to his highlight reel on Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has been the best linebacker in the NFL for a long time, and seemingly every week he adds another ridiculous play to his highlight reel.
Sunday was no different. With the 49ers leading the New England Patriots 6-0 near the beginning of the second quarter, Warner leaped into the air to pick off a Jacoby Brissett pass. Warner landed on his back, but that didn’t stop him from quickly getting up and barreling down the right sideline for the touchdown.
Warner’s incredible play put the 49ers up two scores, but it also set a little but of franchise history. After the play, Warner became the first 49ers player in franchise history with 10 or more sacks and 10 or more interceptions in their career, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
The highlight is a great encapsulation of Warner’s greatest strengths. He is a black hole in the middle of the field in coverage, deleting every route that comes his way and eliminating almost all throwing lanes in that part of the field when he is in coverage. Sometimes, he is a one-man wrecking crew for the 49ers pass defense.
The 49ers had lost two games in a row, but are off to a hot start in an effort to get back on track in Week 4. While the offense has still struggled a bit in the short areas of the field, they are off to a comfortable 20-3 halftime lead against the Patriots.
