Fred Warner Leaps Over the Line to Stop QB Sneak
Fred Warner is going viral for a play he made on Monday Night Football. The Minnesota Vikings had the ball at the 49ers' one yard-line when Warner leaped over the offensive line to stop a Kirk Cousins quarterback sneak. Warner stopped Cousins short of the end zone and the 49ers eventually held the Vikings to a field goal.
That play changed the course of the game. Instead of going up three scores with a touchdown, the Vikings settled for a field goal to extend their lead to 12. On the ensuing drive, the 49ers scored a touchdown to cut the lead to five and make it a one-score game.
Warner's game-changing tackle was all over social media. NFL fans immediately drew comparisons between Fred Warner and former great Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu. In 2010, Polamalu famously jumped over the line of scrimmage and stopped a quarterback sneak against the Tennessee Titans. Polamalu is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While NFL fans compared Warner to Polamalu, BYU fans compared Warner to Kyle Morrell. Morrell jumped over the line to stop a quarterback sneak in the final minutes of BYU's win over Hawaii in 1984. That play preserved BYU's undefeated season that ended in a national championship.
As of this writing, Warner leads the 49ers with 13 total tackles including one tackle for loss. He also has a pass breakup against the Vikings.
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