Obviously, second-year linebacker Fred Warner was disappointed when he went to sleep on Monday night following the San Francisco 49ers' first loss of the season. The wounds were still fresh, and the disheartening defeat was still on his mind.
As the day progressed, things started to feel better as Warner had a chance to reflect on the 49ers' current situation.
The linebacker joined KNBR on Wednesday morning and discussed the mindset as he and the 49ers move past a disappointing Week 10 and focus on the next game.
"I think directly after the game, it was pretty disappointing getting that first loss," Warner said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "You almost forget what it feels like. But having time to reflect on it, I feel like there's not much to be upset about or angry about. We're 8-1. We're at the top of the NFC."
Warner finished the game with 10 tackles, two sacks, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble. Those are some pretty impressive statistics in what was otherwise a disappointing outing.
"That's the great thing about football," Warner continued, "we have another chance to go out this week and prove that you can win in this league. I'm just excited about getting back to work."
Things could certainly be worse. No one would have predicted that the 49ers would be the last undefeated team to go down, and no one foresaw that lasting until Week 10. Much of the team's success is because of players like Warner, who are part of a ferocious defense.
Monday night was that defense's first game without one of its vocal leaders, though — Kwon Alexander. The veteran linebacker is done for the season after suffering a pectoral injury.
"Kwon, I can't say enough good things about him," Warner said. "Outstanding player, outstanding leader, especially in our group, since the day he got here.
"It hurt when he went down, but we knew we'd try to play our best ball, to the best of our ability, not do anything extra, and I don't think the assignments changed. [Dre Greenlaw] did a great job. They asked a lot of him, and I think he held his own."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Warner below.
