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Fred Warner Was So Fired Up Watching 49ers Defense Make Game-Winning Play

The injured 49ers star made an impact from afar.

Kyle Koster

Fred Warner and Tatum Bethune celebrate the Niners' shootout win over the Chicago Bears.
Fred Warner and Tatum Bethune celebrate the Niners' shootout win over the Chicago Bears. / CBS Bay Area
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Injured San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner was all over the Sunday Night Football broadcast despite not being an active participant in his team's enormous victory over the Chicago Bears. Warner joined NBC's pregame show and was featured on some cutaway shots in a box during the first half. Then he made his way down to field level for the defining moments, putting himself in prime position to get a good look at his defensive friends thwarting Caleb Williams's desperate attempt to steal a victory.

Warner, who is hoping to make a dramatic return to the team if it advances deep into the playoffs, was captured on video reacting to the game-sealing stop and celebrating with his teammates. As a knower of ball, he made a beeline to young linebacker Tatum Bethune to congratulate him on his play.

Bethune racked up a game-high 11 tackles on the night and was part of the Niners' tremendous coverage that decided the game as time expired. The duo got together to bask in victory in front of the cameras.

San Francisco now has a chance to complete a surprising journey to the NFC's No. 1 seed and a playoff bye if it can take care of the Seattle Seahawks in an enormous Week 18 clash this Saturday night. Kyle Shanahan has once again found a way to maximize his team's success despite injuries on both sides of the ball, including to key players like Warner and George Kittle. Getting all the pieces together in the postseason—and potentially enjoying homefield advantage all the way to the Super Bowl—will make this proven side an extremely tough out.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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