athlore
HomeDiscoverLibrarySign inCreate account
↗
⌂Home◎Discover⌕Library
SFWILLIS52

Patrick Willis

Retired

San Francisco 49ers · ILB

Patrick Willis recorded 111 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 8 rostered seasons with San Francisco 49ers.

▶Best highlights

7.8

tackles/gm

8

playoff games

8

indexed seasons

111

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Patrick Willis's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Patrick Willis's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Super Bowl against Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Willis recorded 9 tackles in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis
  2. #2. In the conference championship against New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Willis recorded 8 tackles, 1 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis
  3. #3. In the Divisional Round against San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers, Patrick Willis recorded 11 tackles, 1 interceptions in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis
  4. #4. Against St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Willis recorded 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 interceptions in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis
  5. #5. Against Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Willis recorded 20 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumbles in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Patrick Willis

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Super Bowl
XLVII
BALTIMORERAVENS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
FEB 3, 2013

Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl XLVII · Feb 3, 2013

9 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Conference Championship
2011
NEW YORKGIANTS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 22, 2012

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers

Conference Championship · Jan 22, 2012

8 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Divisional Round
2013
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
CAROLINAPANTHERS
JAN 12, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs Carolina Panthers

Divisional Round · Jan 12, 2014

11 tackles · 0 sacks · 1 INT

Regular Season
2009
ST. LOUISRAMS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
OCT 4, 2009

St. Louis Rams vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Oct 4, 2009

8 tackles · 2.5 sacks · 1 INT

Regular Season
2007
TAMPA BAYBUCCANEERS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
DEC 23, 2007

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Dec 23, 2007

20 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Patrick Willis's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 20 total tackles

Regular Season
2007
TAMPA BAYBUCCANEERS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
DEC 23, 2007

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Dec 23, 2007

20 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 2.5 sacks

Regular Season
2009
ST. LOUISRAMS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
OCT 4, 2009

St. Louis Rams vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Oct 4, 2009

8 tackles · 2.5 sacks · 1 INT

Career high: 3 tackles for loss

Regular Season
2013
ATLANTAFALCONS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
DEC 23, 2013

Atlanta Falcons vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Dec 23, 2013

16 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 4 quarterback hits

Regular Season
2009
JACKSONVILLEJAGUARS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
NOV 29, 2009

Jacksonville Jaguars vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Nov 29, 2009

11 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 2 forced fumbles

Regular Season
2011
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS
NOV 6, 2011

San Francisco 49ers vs Washington Commanders

Regular Season · Nov 6, 2011

13 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Patrick Willis's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1999–2010

01
SFWILLIS52Patrick Willis
SFOWENS81Terrell Owens
SFGARCIA5Jeff Garcia

Brief Owens–Garcia fireworks precede a rebuild

San Francisco 49ers · The long reset

An explosive early-2000s offense supplied one last playoff comeback before instability took over and Willis became the next defensive foundation.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

2011–2014

02
SFWILLIS52Patrick Willis
SFGORE21Frank Gore
SFKAEPERNICK7Colin Kaepernick

A ferocious defense reaches three NFC title games

San Francisco 49ers · Harbaugh's instant contender

Jim Harbaugh immediately unlocked a loaded roster, reaching Super Bowl XLVII and three straight conference championship games.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Pro Bowl selection · 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013First-team All-Pro · 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year · 20078 NFL seasons111 career games647 career solo tackles21 career sacksDrafted by: SFDraft pick: 11Jersey: 528 playoff appearances1 Super Bowl appearanceFirst appearance: Sep 10, 2007Most recent: Oct 13, 2014

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history