Getty Fred Warner jogs onto the field on December 24, 2022 in Santa Clara.
The league’s best defense forced two more takeaways, plus delivered two more sacks as the San Francisco 49ers kept their winning streak alive in the 37-20 romp of the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve.
But does this defensive outing count as a dominating afternoon? All-Pro defender Fred Warner gave an honest take there — he believes this unit could’ve been better.
“I don’t want to take away from the win, that’s No. 1 at all times. It doesn’t matter if we win 7-0 or 41-40. The win is most important. [But] All game we has opportunities to really snuff them out,” Warner said to the Bay Area media. “I think about that first half just playing more assignment sound and getting more knock back in the run game, getting off on third and longs, in the second half they got us on a couple of the deep balls. But even then, I think we had opportunities to keep them out of the end zone. We’ve got to do that.”
What Washington Managed to do
Washington became the first team during the 49ers’ eight-game winning streak to score 20 on S.F. It’s the most points the 49ers have surrendered since the 44 they allowed against the Kansas City Chiefs back in Week 7.
The Commanders additionally ran 69 total offensive plays compared to the 49ers’ 51. They then held the ball longer with a time of possession of 33:35…while the 49ers managed 26:25 with the ball.
They went on to average 7.5 yards per pass completion and converted on seven of 13 third down scenarios. The 49ers, meanwhile, faced third down 11 times — crossing the first down marker just four times.
Individually, Washington went on to produce three wide receivers who surpassed 50 yards facing a loaded 49ers secondary: Curtis Samuel (52 yards), Jahan Dotson (76) and the leader of the trio Terry McLaurin (77). All three scored through the air facing this secondary.
How the Niners Still Countered the Commanders’ Offense
While Washington found some creases in the 49ers’ defense, San Francisco still delivered its moments of throwing a counterpunch.
Warner ended up as the leading tackler with 13 tackles with eight solo stops. But one of his top moments from the win involved pulling this version of a “stocking stuffer” on the eve of Christmas:
Stocking stuffers 💪
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“If you want to try us on fourth down, go ahead,” Warner warned future offenses. “We take that as takeaways for our team, big time.”
In the trenches, plus being inside the red zone, Nick Bosa ensured Washington was going to face a third down by circling around the edge and crashing into Taylor Heinicke.
Saint Nick is in his bag 🎅
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Then, Jimmie Ward took advantage of this errant throw while Washington was in its own territory.
It’s the most ONE-derful time of the year.
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And on the day, the 49ers defense managed to snatch five stops behind the line of scrimmage, produce four pass deflections and end up with four defenders earning seven tackles or more: Bosa and Dre Greenlaw with seven, Talanoa Hufanga with eight and Deommodore Lenoir delivering nine tackles (led all defensive backs with six solo stops).
Washington, though, snapped a rare seven-game streak the 49ers had of not allowing 20 points. Warner will choose to look at Week 16 as the defensive performance they will learn and grow from.
“It’s always a learning experience. You’re always growing, you’re always trying to find ways to be better and find ways to win. We’ll look at it hard and we’ll be better from it,” Warner said.
Even after a win, Fred Warner believes the 49ers’ defense has room to improve:
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49ers’ Fred Warner Gives Honest Take of Defensive Play vs. Commanders