San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner walked off the Hard Rock Stadium field after Super Bowl LIV knowing that his team had come so close to achieving its goal. In just his second NFL season, it seemed like a championship was in Warner's grasp. Instead, a fourth-quarter rally by the Kansas City Chiefs—and Patrick Mahomes doing Patrick Mahomes-type things—left the linebacker and his teammates with a heartbreaking defeat.
Warner spoke with reporters via a video conference call on Friday and was asked about the loss, and what he and his teammates learned from the experience.
"Of course, it was hard to watch at first after that game just because of the raw emotions," Warner shared. "I've watched it a lot since playing in the game. There's a lot we could've done different in that game to affect the outcome.
"It was obviously a great effort by the Chiefs to come back and win that game, but I put a lot of the onus on the defense. Being able to get a stop in the fourth quarter when they were coming back, if we would have got a stop, I think that's how we win the game."
Instead, while holding onto a 10-point lead with just over seven minutes left in the game, the unit fell victim to "2-3 Jet Chip Wasp" on 3rd-and-15. It was a play that saw Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill on a 44-yard bomb, setting the stage for the miraculous comeback.
The 49ers linebacker group was in its first year working together. Warner, in his second year, was joined by Kwon Alexander, who the 49ers signed last offseason, and rookie Dre Greenlaw.
Alexander wasn't even at full strength, having returned from a torn pectoral muscle for the playoffs and then sustaining and playing through a biceps injury.
A year of experience together, improved health, and some good fortune should make the group much-improved. That's good news for the "Hot Boyzz" as they embark on their "Legendary Revenge Tour."
"I think we're just able to communicate a lot more effectively," Warner said. "Last year, (at) this time, it was a completely new group. Kwon was coming in from the Bucs. Dre was a rookie. I think us having a year together is going to be huge for us. Everything is going to move along a lot smoother, being able to play a lot faster, and make more plays at the end of the day."
As for the Super Bowl loss, Warner learned a lot from it, including identifying what he can work on this offseason to take his game to the next level.
"For myself, there was a couple of plays I could've made in that game to maybe help us a little more," Warner explained. "A big thing I'm working on this offseason is taking better angles to the football. I left a lot of plays out on the field, in terms of tackling, this past season. I'm just kind of working on that and capitalizing on plays that I missed last season."