49ers LB Fred Warner calls Broncos QB Bo Nix one of the NFL's best and warns San Francisco must finish strong in Sunday's Week 4 matchup at Levi's Stadium.
Days before Denver visits Levi's Stadium, San Francisco 49ers' defensive captain Fred Warner made it clear he sees the Broncos quarterback as one of the toughest assignments on San Francisco's early schedule.
On paper, Nix's Week 3 outing was ordinary: 17 completions on 34 attempts for 186 yards, two touchdown passes, one interception, and another score on the ground.
What matters more to Warner is what Denver did with it. The Broncos came from behind to beat Los Angeles, and they'll carry that swagger into Sunday's Week 4 kickoff in Santa Clara.
49ers Need to Limit Nix's Mobility
Pressed on what makes Nix so hard to defend, Warner couldn't narrow it to one thing. In his view, the young passer stresses a defense from every angle.
Start with the legs. Warner believes Nix is quicker than most people realize, and his knack for slipping out of the pocket buys time that breaks down coverage.
Then there's the arm, which lets him punish a defense that loses track of a receiver downfield. Warner even put him among the league's top quarterbacks, strong praise from a player who has faced plenty of good ones.
The trait Warner kept returning to was composure. Nix doesn't rattle when a game turns against him, and Warner said that kind of calm is unusual for someone so early in his career. His verdict on what Sunday will demand: "a huge, huge challenge for us."
Week 3 Got SF Prepared
The 49ers know firsthand how quickly a comfortable lead can shrink. A week ago, Arizona piled up 24 second-half points and turned a game San Francisco controlled into a nervous finish.
Warner traced much of that to fourth down. The Cardinals kept converting in short yardage, and he said a stop or two in those spots would have put the game away.
He tipped his cap to Arizona's fight, but the takeaway was clear: the defense has to play all 60 minutes.
Built for close games
That lesson hits harder with Denver on deck. Warner described the Broncos as one of the NFL's best at hanging around in one-score games and stealing them late.
Give Nix the kind of second-half opening Arizona got, and he has already shown he'll take it.
So Warner is keeping it simple at one game, one quarter, one snap at a time, for however long it takes.
Brock Purdy and the offense should find the end zone. Whether the defense can finish is the storyline to watch.
If Warner is right about Nix, the team that stays steadiest the longest walks out of Levi's with the win.
