The San Francisco 49ers' 2025 season has already been one injury-related gut punch after another, but Week 6's showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers provided the biggest gut punch of all.
All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, the unquestioned leader and top player on the Niners defense, suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ends a season that was trending toward him being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Warner's loss completely alters San Francisco's trajectory for the rest of the year. While it likely could have absorbed another season-ending loss to defensive end Nick Bosa, Warner's departure is a setback that could already have both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan thinking more about 2026 than the rest of this season.