Why Fred Warner was frustrated with himself after 49ers' Week 4 loss

Warner holds himself to a high standard.

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner dismissed any 'trap game' narratives following their 26-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The 49ers entered Week 4 as 3.5-point favorites, according to betting markets, but ultimately fell short by five points in the loss.

Warner expects accountability from 49ers

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Warner acknowledged the defeat was deserved but pushed back on the idea that the team overlooked Jacksonville, pointing instead to their own mindset and mistakes.

"Not at all. I think that's a great football team right there and we didn't play good enough to win that game at all," Warner shared with the media post-game.

"The fact that we were even still in that game down five with an opportunity to win it, having been down four 0-3 in the turnover battle and with the special teams touchdown, you would've thought that we'd be getting blown out by 20 to 30 at that point."

While he saw areas for personal improvement, he notched his 17th career forced fumble, moving past Patrick Willis on the 49ers’ all-time list. His accolade was overshadowed, though, as the Jaguars recovered the ball and posted a field goal from 44 yards to lead 20-14.

"So, we didn't play well enough to win at all. I look at opportunities I missed. I had two opportunities to pick the ball off and that didn't happen. The ball's on the ground and we don't get it," he added.

"So yeah, we have to find ways on defense to take the ball away. We have to play better run-defense and luckily it's a short week, so we get to correct that right away."

Warner produced a good game despite loss

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs after San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Surpassing Willis in career forced fumbles was likely Warner’s biggest highlight of the game, but he still turned in a strong individual performance despite the team’s loss.

He’s already recorded two forced fumbles through four games this season, putting him on pace to match or surpass his career-best mark of four in each of the past two seasons.

In addition, he posted eight tackles in Week 4. It was a notable drop from previous games this season, but he's still playing at a consistently high level. All can forgive the opportunistic attempt to intercept the ball after it deflected off Brenton Strange’s hands.

The focus now shifts to recovery and preparation for Thursday’s showdown with the Rams. With his strengthening partnership with Dee Winters, both players will always make an impact regardless of the final score.