San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, now in his seventh NFL season, has achieved a lot since entering the league in 2018. He's a three-time first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, has made four postseason appearances, and played in two Super Bowls. Warner is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in the league.
However, one goal still eludes Warner: defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. He has faced the AFC powerhouse four times and has yet to taste victory, including two heartbreaking Super Bowl losses—the most recent coming this past February.
On Sunday, the 49ers will host the Chiefs at Levi's Stadium in a highly anticipated Super Bowl LVIII rematch. San Francisco is coming off a Thursday night win over the Seattle Seahawks, its first victory over a divisional or NFC opponent this season. Yet, with a 3-3 record, the 49ers still sit atop the NFC West standings.
"I think it's an important game for us, one, because of where we're at in the season," Warner said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "We haven't had the start that we would have wanted, but we got that win on Thursday night and put ourselves in position to do everything we want to do going forward. And we've got to prove to ourselves that we can win against great football teams in this league.
"The Chiefs are undefeated this year and still at the top of their game, and ... they've still got 15 (QB Patrick Mahomes) back there, and I have yet to beat them. I think I played against them maybe four times now and have yet to beat them. So I think it's an important game for us to try to get over that hump and get this win."
While a win on Sunday won't change the Chiefs' past Super Bowl triumphs over the 49ers, the matchup serves as a key measuring stick for the .500 squad with championship aspirations. However, Warner, who continues to rack up impressive stats, remains focused on winning above all else.
"Listen, whatever it takes," Warner declared. "At the end of the day, I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to win. ... Any of those punch-outs or interceptions and things like that, they're great statistical-wise and all that, but at the end of the day, I just want to do whatever it takes to win. If I finish with two tackles and we win the game, like, hey, we did whatever it took to win the game.
"So that's something that we talk about every week, what it takes to win, and we'll talk about that tomorrow, and we're going to hone in on that and try to try to find a way."
Rookie defenders impressing the veteran
Two of the 49ers' highest-graded defenders against the Seahawks were rookies: safety Malik Mustapha and cornerback Renardo Green. Mustapha, who was eventually sidelined by an ankle injury, earned the team's second-highest defensive grade from Pro Football Focus (80.2) in his 20 snaps.
Meanwhile, Green stepped up in the absence of cornerback Charvarius Ward, playing 71 snaps and earning the team's best coverage grade (76.3).
"Both guys have been phenomenal," Warner said. "I think, you talk about Malik, and everybody on the team knows how we feel about him, just because [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] gets in front of the team, and usually, when he singles a guy out, he usually really likes the guy. And he's singled out Malik a couple of times with some clips of him just with no hesitation, flying to the football, being the exact type of player that we love having as a part of our team and our defense."
The 49ers drafted Mustapha in the fourth round and selected Green in the second. They are part of a rookie class that has contributed early this season and impressed while doing so.
"Renardo has come on just so strong, continuing to get better every week," Warner shared. "From the moment he got on the team, you could tell his man-to-man cover skills are some of the tops. Not even as a rookie. To come in and be strapping guys up the way he was, really honing in on all the little details, and you see it coming to fruition.
"So both those guys, I'm so happy for them, and we're going to need both of them in a big way going forward."
You can listen to Warner's entire interview below.