Fred Warner reveals what focus the 49ers are putting on the bye week

David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers needed Sunday night's win over the Dallas Cowboys to avoid slipping further below .500 and plummeting in the NFC West standings. Despite a surge from the Cowboys late in the game, the 49ers managed to eke out a 30-24 win.

San Francisco hopes this win will add momentum to the second half of the season. The team, which is 4-4 entering the bye week, has yet to win consecutive games this season.

“It wasn't the start (to the season) we would have liked,” linebacker Fred Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “We missed a few early that we should have and had a few injuries, but I don't think that's an excuse. We have to continue to get better as a group. It's not about that fluctuation of getting up a game and then losing one.

“We just have to continue to get better and that’s what we’re focusing on during the break week: getting healthy, hopefully getting a few guys back and just being the best version of ourselves going forward.”

The 49ers expect two key players – running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Jauan Jennings – to return to practice during the bye week. McCaffrey was sidelined all season with Achilles tendonitis, while Jennings missed the last two games with a hip injury.

Warner expressed frustration with the defense's performance late in Sunday's game, as it allowed the Cowboys to build a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

“Obviously we made it a play when we didn't need to, especially defensively,” Warner told reporters in his postgame media release. “Freebies where they didn’t have to earn it. You know, 88 (CeeDee Lamb) is completely open, their best player. I can’t allow that.”

“We put ourselves in that situation so we had to get out of there. It was about going out and finishing the game, and we did that.”

Warner attributed many defensive errors to miscommunications that have led to several late-game failures this season. Despite these challenges, he remains confident that the team will have great success in the second half of the season.

The 49ers' next game is scheduled for November 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.