The San Francisco 49ers came up with more late-game heroics in their Week 2 battle with the New Orleans Saints, emerging with a 26-21 victory in Week 2 but not without needing a big stop from their defense late in the showdown.
In a game that was fairly tight all the way through, a few big plays made all the difference.
One big play actually led to a franchise record being tied.
Linebacker Fred Warner had an excellent game with 11 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
That forced fumble gave Warner 16 for his career, tying Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis for the most in franchise history.
Willis is considered one of the best, if not the best linebacker to play for the 49ers in the team's storied history. However, Warner is making a strong case for himself with his high level of play and ability to continue improving year over year.
For reference, in his eight-year career, Willis earned seven Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro selections.
Warner is currently in his eighth NFL season and has earned four Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro selections. With some longevity, he could potentially surpass Willis' accolades. Not only does it appear inevitable for Warner to wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at some point, but it's also worth discussing if he's going to wind up surpassing Willis as the greatest linebacker in Niners history, too.
"All-Pro Fred" will now have a chance to become the franchise's sole forced fumble leader, which will inevitably happen.
Look for him to be aggressive and perhaps be using that signature punch on the ball.