After another strong performance on Thursday night in San Francisco's 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Fred Warner is on the cusp of overtaking franchise icon Patrick Willis in the 49ers record books.
With one pass defended, the San Francisco linebacker now sits at 51 for his career, two behind Willis, a newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer, per the 49ers.
After adding another forced fumble to bring his career total to 15, Warner also has Willis’ franchise record of 16 in his sights.
Through the first six contests of the 2024 NFL season, Warner has 30 tackles, five passes defended, a league-leading four forced fumbles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions -- one of them an amazing 45-yard pick-six against the New England Patriots -- and one quarterback hit.
The 27-year-old is making a strong case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and his impact on the team goes far beyond any on-field stats.
As one of the tone setters for San Francisco’s physical defense, Warner is a leader in the locker room and has vowed that the unit will play better after a series of early season struggles.
The 49ers got a much-needed win over NFC West rival Seahawks at Lumen Field, but the stakes will be much higher next week in a Super Bowl LVIII rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes still is the NFL's preeminent signal-caller and has led Kansas City to 5-0 record entering its Week 6 bye, so Warner will have his work cut out for him.
Still, expect Warner to be a menace every time he’s on the field, especially with two franchise records in sight.
