TAMPA, Fla. — Not Fred Warner.
Yep, the injury-ravaged 49ers lost their All-Pro linebacker and consummate captain to a serious ankle injury Sunday, then they sputtered to a 30-19 defeat against the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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.
With Mac Jones starting a fourth game because of Brock Purdy’s Week 1 toe injury, the 49ers offense sputtered, and 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 Pineiro was summoned to make four field goals.
Adding to the chaos was a sideline spat between coach Kyle Shanahan and wide receiver Jauan Jennings just before halftime, all while Shanahan was calling plays amid a two-minute drill that led to a field goal.
No wonder the 49ers couldn’t keep pace with the NFC South-leading Bucs and MVP candidate Baker Mayfield (256 yards, two touchdown passes).
Warner was having his own sensational season until his stunning exit.
Warner’s right ankle got trapped 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. Only 10 defenders were on the field. Rookie Mykel Williams rushed in to play right defensive end on the ensuing snap, and Williams helped end that fateful series with his first career sack, on third down.
Warner’s missed only one game in his eight-year career. He even made it through all 17 last season despite a Week 4 ankle injury that involved a slight fracture to that same right 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, 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 Maques 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 Trent 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 147 yards on five catches.
The Bucs answered McCaffrey’s touchdown with their own touchdown drive, capped by a 9-yard scoring run from Sean Tucker to retake the lead, 14-10, 5 minutes before halftime.
On Jones’ first-series interception, a third-down throw got picked off by Kindle Vildor, who had a clear path for a pick-six but fell three times. Jones appeared to target Kendrick 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 toward 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 with Jones holding the ball too long and getting sacked, leading to a 52-yard field goal.
