49ers' season expectations have changed after Fred Warner injury

With two of the top three defenders on the roster out for the season in Nick Bosa and Warner, it will be tough for the 49ers to build on their great start. They will have to rely on younger players, including linebackers Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune and Nick Martin, defensive back Upton Stout and defensive linemen Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins, to step up in Bosa and Warner's absences.

It will be tough for the organization to replace the impact that Bosa and Warner brought to the locker room and the field daily. Therefore, the expectation for a Super Bowl defense without Warner and Bosa has changed drastically.

49ers lose "heart and soul" with Fred Warner injury

Every team in the NFL deals with injuries; football is a 100 percent injury rate sport, but when season-ending injuries to players like Bosa and Warner hit a team, it’s virtually impossible to be optimistic. 

There are only so many gut punches an organization can go through until eventually all else fails, and teams start to break from the immediate impact. When team leaders, like Trent Williams, realize what is at stake with the loss of Bosa and Warner, dream seasons can quickly turn into a lost one. 

There are still silver linings for 49ers

Throughout all the adversity and turmoil the organization has faced at the start of the season, there are still some silver linings, though. No team in the NFL is going to feel sorry for the 49ers with all their injuries, but a silver lining for the team is that it will have players returning from injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, on his weekly phone call with the media, had some optimism about key players coming back from injury.  

George Kittle, expected to return to action, could give this team exactly the energy boost it needs. He brings an infectious energy, along with his stellar blocking and pass-catching ability, to the locker room and field that the team will be able to feed off during this difficult time.   

The 49ers also have the easiest schedule in the league, so they won’t face as tough opponents as other squads. Though they will not be able to replace the emotional leadership and mental fortitude that Bosa and Warner would have brought to the field, they still have 11 games left of the season to figure out what they need to do to save their dream start from becoming a nightmare.  

Without Bosa and Warner, expectations have changed for this team. However, if it can rally together and use the adversity as fuel for motivation for the rest of the season, it will be able to make a push for the playoffs.