49ers determined to avoid falling into the same trap as the Cowboys in divisional round

Fred Warner could not resist a shot at the Dallas Cowboys when talking about the San Francisco 49ers' upcoming divisional round matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Speaking on his podcast 'The Warner House', Warner said: "Jordan Love played the game of his life in his playoff debut. He's been phenomenal down the stretch. "It's […]

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Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts during player introductions before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Fred Warner could not resist a shot at the Dallas Cowboys when talking about the San Francisco 49ers' upcoming divisional round matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Speaking on his podcast 'The Warner House', Warner said: "Jordan Love played the game of his life in his playoff debut. He's been phenomenal down the stretch.

"It's gonna be a huge test for us this weekend. I'm not taking the Packers lightly. The Cowboys must've taken the Packers lightly. We are going to have to put together a great week of preparation."

While the Niners may have taken some enjoyment in seeing a team considered one of their main rivals in the NFC playoffs slump to a humiliating exit at the hands of the seven seed Packers, there was a clear message in his words from the emotional leader of the San Francisco roster, Warner making it clear the 49ers have no desire to fall into the same trap as Dallas.

Green Bay's remarkable 48-32 win, which saw the Packers surge to a 27-0 lead in the second quarter, should have helped the 49ers retain a message their head coach has long since been preaching, that nothing in the postseason can be taken for granted.

Speaking in his press conference on Tuesday, Kyle Shanahan said:

"I just keep telling our guys no matter what, we clinched the one seed, it feels like a hundred days ago. You’ve got all this time and everyone wants to talk about all this stuff that leads up to it. There’s a lot of stuff to think about, but it comes down to what you do in three and a half hours. There’s lots of things to think about and talk about. All we try to do is study the film and prepare for how those three and a half hours will go. But once it starts you just cut it loose and you ride. I think that’s the hard thing about the weeks and stuff is you just tell guys don’t have preconceived notions. Don’t think it’s going be these teams because these are the ones you’ve heard about. We’ll watch the film. We’ll put in the scheme and stuff. You guys take care of your bodies and get ready to come in and learn it."

Warner's recent comments indicate there will be no preconceived notions about an easy ride against the Packers, with quarterback Jordan Love's sensational performance against the Cowboys helping the focus the minds of the team of that is the overwhelming favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

"They got our attention no matter what honestly," Warner told reporters on Tuesday.

"You win on the road as a seventh seed against a really good Dallas team, that’s enough in itself and then the fact that they won the way that they did, our hats off to them."

Dallas' defense had no answer to Love and Green Bay's extremely inexperienced offense, but the 49ers' plan to ensure the youngest attack in the NFL quickly runs out of ideas in Saturday's primetime clash is a simple one.

"Everybody do your job as fast as violent as possible," Warner added when talking about the 49ers' tackling. 

"(If you miss), second, third, fourth guy got to be there. We want them feeling overwhelmed every single play.”