San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner says he has been playing through the pain of a fractured ankle for the last nine weeks amid the team’s injury nightmare.
The Niners, who made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, are enduring a miserable follow-up campaign after suffering injuries to a host of key names, with quarterback Brock Purdy recently joining long-term absentees Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle on the sidelines.
And ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the in-form Buffalo Bills, Warner has revealed he has been soldiering on for Kyle Shanahan’s injury-savaged team despite fracturing a bone in his ankle back in Week 4 against the New England Patriots.
‘It was a fracture when I sprained it,’ he said on Wednesday. ‘Any time you fracture a bone, if you continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself. So just got to continue to fight through.’
Warner sustained the injury towards the end of the first half against the Patriots after registering seven tackles and an interception for a touchdown on just 27 snaps, meaning he did not return after the halftime break.
After being limited in practice before their next outing against the Arizona Cardinals, he played in that game and finished with 12 tackles. The 28-year-old has been a full participant in practice before every fixture since despite the severity of his injury.
Warner added: ‘It’s something I deal with every game. I get on that table before every game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll. But it’s not an excuse. It’s just what it is.
‘That’s the NFL. You’re not going to be healthy. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to find ways to execute, to play at a high level and to win every single week.’
Warner, who is in his seventh season with San Francisco, went on to admit that his fractured ankle is unlikely to heal before the end of the season as he plans to continue battling through the pain for the team.
‘Any time you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself,’ he said. ‘So, just got to continue to just fight through.’
Warner and the Niners’ next outing in Buffalo is currently under a winter storm watch, with snow and strong winds set to hit Western New York.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, a half foot of snow could fall near the Bills’ Highmark Stadium, while ‘extreme cold’ could also also be present in the area.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has also called for potential low visibility, with snow on the roads potentially affecting travel.
Temperatures are predicted to be well below freezing with wind chill, while winds could exceed 20mph.
There is currently no suggestion that Sunday’s game – set to kickoff at 8:20pm – is set to be postponed, but the Bills are no stranger to games’ logistics being affected by weather.
