Fred Warner reinforces his elite leadership just hours after his devastating ankle injury

The 49ers are gutted and the Bucs are very empathetic

As expected, 49ers players are devastated. Warner is such an important player both on and off the field. With all due respect to Tatum Bethune - there's simply no way to replace him.

You know it's a bad situation when guys from the other team are sending deep condolences, as well. Sure, players always send their respects when the opposition goes down, but this was different and rightfully so.

"It was sickening.... you saw when it happened," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters after the game. "He's one of the best players in the league [and a] great guy on top of that. You hate to see something like that happen, and hopefully has a speedy recovery. But you know, that kind of breaks your heart, no matter what side of the ball you're on."

Wide receiver Tez Johnson and left tackle Tristan Wirfs were the two Bucs players who immediately called to the sideline for help once they saw Warner's injury. Johnson's reaction in realtime told everyone all they need to know:

Where do the 49ers go, now?

As mentioned earlier, there's no replacing Warner. There's only filling the void and that's what the 49ers will have to do with Bethune and others.

We saw the immediate effects of Warner's absence and how the Bucs were able to take advantage of the 49ers defense. From communication breakdowns, to blown assignments, to poor execution - it all culminated in the 49ers' worst defensive performance of the year after allowing a season-high 30 points.

The silver lining in all of this is while Warner won't be on the field, he's allowed to be around the facility, in team meetings, and on the road/at home games. So, while he won't be making plays from sideline to sideline, he can still help put his guys in the best spot possible to win games.

It's a long road from here, but if anyone can traverse the rocky terrain, it's Warner. And he'll do everything in his power to lift his teammates up, in the meantime, as he's already proven after the 49es' tough loss.