SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Fred Warner, on third-and-2 for the Dallas Cowboys early in the second quarter, didn’t react to the snap. He held firm in his spot in the middle of the field, reading the play.
No handoff. Check.
As Dak Prescott dropped back, Warner saw the shallow crossing route Dallas wanted. Receiver CeeDee Lamb darted toward the left sideline with San Francisco 49ers slot corner Isaiah Oliver chasing behind him. Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson crossed at nearly the same depth as Lamb but in the opposite direction. Ferguson rubbed Oliver and made it even tougher to stick close to Lamb. But Warner read it. He slipped between Lamb and Ferguson just before they crossed paths and got in front of Prescott’s angle to Lamb.
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First option negated. Check.
Warner wasn’t done. As Prescott continued rolling left, looking for another option, Warner surged toward the Cowboys quarterback. Prescott found a target and wound up to throw. But Warner leaped in the air, both arms up, to disturb the passing lane. Prescott nixed the throw.
Second option thwarted. Check.
As soon as Warner’s feet touched the grass again, he closed on Prescott. He was on Prescott too fast for him to even throw the ball away. Warner finished the sack and nearly forced a fumble in the process.
Can't run from @fred_warner 😤
📺 #DALvsSF on NBC
📱 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/NOAYYSIryu
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2023
It was the kind of “wow” play — on the national stage of “Sunday Night Football” — that made your inner voice whisper “Fred Warner is so good” while involuntarily shaking your head. This was one series after he peanut-punched a fumble from Dallas running back Tony Pollard on the previous defensive series, forcing the first turnover. This was two quarters before he capped his dominant night with an interception on a tipped pass.
When it was over, and the 49ers had fully relegated the Cowboys as inferior with a 42-10 win at Levi’s Stadium, paradigms needed modification. One of them was harder to escape than Dre Greenlaw: Have we actually underrated Warner?
“Amazing,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said. “What he have, a sack, a pick and a forced fumble? That’s a trifecta. Best linebacker in the game. … Ain’t nobody doing what he doing.”
In that way, Warner is a microcosm of these 49ers. They really might be underrated. The 49ers are the best team in football, and only Philadelphia Eagles fans have a legitimate rebuttal. It’s the NFL, and just Week 5, so things can and probably will change. Injuries, fatigue and adjustments all will have a say in this conversation. But right now, the 49ers look like it’s their time.
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Sunday night was supposed to be a showdown. A historic rivalry renewed. The Cowboys, considered by many to be a legit contender, were at least supposed to test the 49ers. The last time they came into this building, they lost 19-12 in a nail-biter. But the 49ers are too mighty. They are too loaded on both sides of the ball. Too locked in with their system and scheme. Too hungry after losing a Super Bowl followed soon after by twice having their hearts ripped out in the NFC Championship Game. They are too veteran. Too unselfish. Too physical. Too explosive.
We just got a glimpse of them at their peak and they appeared insurmountable.
Sunday, the Cowboys weren’t in the same league as the 49ers. Dallas came in 3-1. Prescott was leading the fourth-highest scoring offense. Micah Parsons was leading the league’s stingiest defense, which had allowed 41 points over its first four games.
“I called it a couple of weeks ago humbling against Arizona,” Prescott said, referencing Dallas’ 28-16 loss at the Cardinals in Week 3, “but this may be the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Geeeeez. The 49ers smashed the ’Boys into self-reflection. Might need a Juice WRLD playlist for that flight back to Texas.
“It’s always fun beating up on Dallas,” safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. said. “I ain’t gon’ lie to y’all. It’s my favorite time of the year.”
Fred Warner sacks Dak Prescott in the second quarter. “Best linebacker in the game,” Talanoa Hufanga said of Warner. “Ain’t nobody doing what he doing.” (Kyle Terada / USA Today)The way San Francisco smashed the Cowboys forces a recalibration about the potential of the 49ers.
Their superiority wasn’t consensus coming into this season. Not even after three comfortable wins in the first four weeks. While the Kansas City Chiefs became Swifties, while the Miami Dolphins captivated with their Model S offense, while the Detroit Lions emerged as the sexy Cinderella team, the 49ers have been chilling on the back burner.
But Sunday night, that all changed. A lot more people are hip to the quality of these 49ers than before they saddled the Cowboys with national embarrassment.
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“It’s a punch in the gut,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I didn’t see this coming.”
You’re not alone, Coach.
Per BetMGM, Kansas City (+600) entered the season with the best odds to win the Super Bowl, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at +850. The 49ers, Eagles and Buffalo Bills tied for third at +900. After the Sunday night game? The 49ers are the favorites to win the Super Bowl (+500), followed by Kansas City (+550), Philadelphia and Buffalo (+700).
San Francisco entered the season projected by most to win 11 or 12 games. Some went as high as 13. Now it’s tough to look at the schedule and find the first loss — or any loss — and feel strongly about it.
The 49ers have scored at least 30 points in every game and have outscored opponents by 99 points in the first five games. No. 2 in point differential is Buffalo, which has outscored its opponents by 79.
“I told the fellas before the game,” Trent Williams said, “our standard is good enough to beat pretty much any team on our schedule. As long as we play to our standard.”
It’s not just that the 49ers are good. We’ve known this. The nation has known this. The question was always how good. But after watching them dismantle Dallas, it’s possible we’ve downplayed them some.
In the same way it’s time to start mentioning Warner when talking about the best defenders in the NFL, it’s worth wondering if we’re witnessing the formation of a juggernaut.
In the same way Warner gets undersold a bit because his particular brand of brilliance — smart, versatile and consistent — isn’t sexy enough to warrant highlights and headlines, the 49ers’ multilayered attack, blue-collar approach and reliable execution are more effective than attractive.
But Sunday, Warner got off. He was all over the field: stuffing Pollard on runs, running step for step with receivers, hitting gaps to disrupt blocking schemes and playing chess with Prescott in the middle of the field. He was the best defender, clearly, in a game that featured Nick Bosa and Parsons.
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And Sunday, the 49ers got off. They exploded for the splashy, statement win by overwhelming the Cowboys on both sides of the ball and effectively putting the NFL on notice.
“We played well,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t say dominated. We just kept our foot on the gas and just kept being aggressive. Defense got turnovers and we turned them into points. … At the end of the day, it turned out good. We got a great win. I don’t know if dominating is how we felt. Because, you know, we left a lot out there.”
The Eagles are also 5-0 and are the defending NFC champions. But they haven’t looked particularly dominant, just savvy enough to avoid an upset. Philadelphia has barely survived against the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders, who took the Eagles to overtime.
Of course, winning while not playing their best could make the Eagles’ case stronger. Which is the better team will be settled on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia. But even reasonable people who think Philadelphia is superior are now reconfiguring the difficulty the 49ers will pose.
That’s how good the 49ers looked Sunday. As if the struggle everyone expects from Brock Purdy isn’t coming. As if this offense can’t be stopped with all of its weapons. As if this defense is just going to wear down opponents with its physicality and aggressiveness. As if it will be nearly impossible to beat them at Levi’s Stadium, where they’ve won 12 straight dating to last year, including playoffs.
As if we’ve only begun to realize how good they are.
GO DEEPER
49ers' monstrous performance against Cowboys has defense looking like NFL's best again
(Top photo of Fred Warner running with the ball after intercepting a Dak Prescott pass in the fourth quarter Sunday: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
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