It’s very possible that the 49ers just had theirKing Kong moment. In a year in which they’ve been able to brush off losses of everyone from their starting quarterback to star pass-rusher, yet been able to grind out some incredible wins along the way, the loss of All-World linebacker Fred Warner in the early goings of Sunday’s defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could’ve been the bullet that finally hit the team’s season in the chest.

Writing of Warner’s importance to the 49ers would take another article all of its own, but suffice it to say that on a franchise containing linebacking heroes like Patrick Willis, NaVarro Bowman, Charles Haley, and Jack Reynolds, among others, Warner didn’t just put himself in the same company as them, but arguably pushed him into the front of the line. The better player between him and particularly Willis is often debated, something which increased recently when Warner passed Willis in terms of forced fumbles.

Yes, I’m Still an Optimist

As with Nick Bosa, I will always trend towards the more optimistic bent when it comes to 49ers injuries–I simply believe that no team that has shown the grit, heart, and will to win that this 4-2 49ers team has shown this season can ever truly give up on the year–but Warner’s absence may actually be more destructive. There was an immediate hole in coverage in the middle of the field, something Baker Mayfield exploited ruthlessly, and the 49ers' run defense also suffered with Warner off the field.

It will be a huge challenge for Tatum Bethune, Dee Winters, and third-round draft choice Nick Martin to fill the void, and if we’re being entirely honest with ourselves, they won’t. No one can play like Fred Warner. But if the team is able to be passable on defense, there are signs that the team’s offense, youth, and enthusiasm might just be able to carry them through, a la last year’s Detroit Lions.

The biggest problems facing the 49ers, however, have nothing to do with injuries. They’re more fundamental.

The 49ers are Fundamentally Lacking, No Matter Who is on the Field

Missing your two best defensive players is a situation no one wants to be in. I can’t sit here with a straight face and write that "the 49ers don’t need Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to be successful," and it’d be churlish of me to do so. They’re great players, and even someone as optimistic as I can’t tell you they don’t matter to the team’s performance, in spite of Tony Romo’s peculiar screaming of ‘YA THINK FRED WARNER DOESN’T MATTER?!’ following a Tampa Bay touchdown on Sunday. (This continued his Joe DiMaggio-like streak of arguing against points absolutely no one made. He remains the worst analyst in football, but what can you expect from an ex-Cowboy?)

That said, I don’t honestly think the absence of Fred Warner was why the 49ers lost on Sunday. On a base level, one could look at the defense failing to make a stop on Tampa Bay almost from the second he went out of the game as a damning indictment of the team’s prospects without its star linebacker ... but things go a little bit deeper than that.

I did coach this game, once, many many years ago, and the fundamentals of this sport remain pretty much as they always were: you have to block, you have to tackle, and you have to play what’s in front of you. The 49ers spectacularly failed on all three counts on Sunday.

Blocking: The 49ers allowed a staggering 16 pressures on Sunday, with six of them becoming sacks, and the running game once again failed to get going in its stead. The interior line was particularly culpable, with the triplet of Connor Colby, Jake Brendel, and Dominick Puni doing their best imitation of matadors. Puni has the excuse of likely playing injured, whereas Colby is a rookie who’s possibly overmatched, but it’s sad to watch Jake Brendel at this point. He shouldn’t even be on a football team, let alone starting.

Tackling: Possibly the most egregious example was Baker Mayfield’s "miracle" 3rd-and-15 play that largely swung the game. With at least four missed tackles on the play, let’s just say Jesus would’ve found miracles much easier if he’d been able to do them against the 49ers defense. But there was an overall malaise with the tackling in general, with many players doing passable interpretations of Fred Warner’s Red Adair-like flying to the ball, but forgetting the part about putting the man on the ground. (Malik Mustapha particularly stands out.) The run defense failed to stuff Tampa as a result, continually putting Mayfield in favourable situations. A game-changing defensive tackle, or the continued development of Alfred Collins and CJ West, would make this defensive unit roughly a million times better.

Playing what’s in front of you: Directly after "Baker’s miracle," the team gave up a long touchdown pass, allowing a lead they would never pull back. Safety Marques Sigle was culpable, but there were multiple busts in coverage throughout the day.

The fact is, it doesn’t matter if you’re starting Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, or even Reggie White and Derrick Thomas, if you cannot do fundamental things that decide football games effectively, you will not win games. Some things are a function of growth of a young defense, or John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s baffling aversion to investing in the offensive line, but as I said before the Rams game, there can be no excuse-making or hiding behind injuries.

Sadly, I suspect, after briefly rallying without Bosa, there are certain players on the 49ers who are willing to hide behind "well, Fred’s not here" or something similar to justify poor defensive play. Well, enough is enough. Do the basics right, and you can still win football games. Get them wrong, as the 49ers did against both Tampa and Jacksonville in recent weeks, and, well, you’ll be watching from the couch in January.

Where to Next?

The 49ers have a chance to right the ship on Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons, and I wouldn’t have any issues with picking them to do so. That begins a run of games up until their (late) bye that could decide what sort of season the team’s about to have:

• Falcons

• @ Texans

• @ Giants

• Rams

• @ Cardinals

• Panthers

• @ Browns

On paper, they’re all winnable games, particularly as George Kittle and others return to the lineup, but a stumble prior to their second meeting with the Rams could change the trajectory of the year, and see more playing time for rookies and younger players.

I’m still not ready to punt on the season. At 4-2, with this young defensive core, a great defensive coordinator, and Kyle Shanahan, I still think this team can win the NFC West. That starts with a win over Atlanta on Sunday.

With what we’ve seen this year, in spite of all the complaints, online overreactions and caterwauling, I happen to still believe in this team. I just hope they believe in themselves.