SANTA CLARA — There seems to be a clear point in the season when 49ers linebacker Fred Warner dropped off from being a strong contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Through 3 1/2 games, Warner had 27 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Then, Warner sustained an ankle injury just before halftime of the 49ers’ Week 4 game against the New England Patriots.
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Warner on Wednesday revealed he has played the past seven games with a fractured bone in his ankle.
“It was a fracture when I sprained it,” Warner said. “Any time you fracture a bone, if you continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself. So just got to continue to fight through.”
Warner declined to go into any further specifics of the injury.
Warner, in the Oct. 29 game against New England, gave the 49ers a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown against Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
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Warner was listed on the 49ers’ injury report in Weeks 5 and 6 with the ankle injury. He has not been listed on the team’s injury report before any of the six games since that point.
Warner and the 49ers’ defense struggled Sunday in the team’s 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He was charged with a team-high four missed tackles, as the Packers rushed for 169 yards.
Warner, a three-time All-Pro selection, said he has received painkilling injections in order to suit up and play in games since his injury.
“It’s something I deal with every game,” Warner said. “I get on that table before the game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll.
“But it’s not an excuse. It’s what it is. It’s the NFL. You’re not going to be healthy. You got to go out there and find ways to execute and play at a high level and to win every single week.”