Te’o claims ’emotionally drained’ 49ers aren’t NFC West favorites

Te’o claims ’emotionally drained’ 49ers aren’t NFC West favorites originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers have won the NFC West in three out of the last five NFL seasons, but Manti Te’o predicts there will be a new division champion in 2024.

The former NFL linebacker assessed San Francisco‘s chances to repeat as NFC West champs Monday on “Good Morning Football,” oddly using the 49ers’ preseason performance as reason to doubt them.

“There’s a look that you see when somebody truly believes they’re better than you,” Te’o said. “And I think for the past five to 10 years, we’ve got so accustomed to the San Francisco 49ers walking around not only the NFC West, but the NFL in general, as these big bullies. …

“Well, I flipped on the TV and watched their past two preseason games when their starters played, and I just see an emotionally drained team. They’ve been to the NFC Championship four [of] the past five years. They’ve been to the Super Bowl twice, and they lost the Super Bowl to the same team … We just saw the Seattle Seahawks‘ preseason game, and you see that party that’s in there …

“It’s not the same when I watch the San Francisco 49ers, so they’re not the favorite for me this year.”

It’s true — the 49ers have experienced plenty of highs and lows across the last five seasons, with a pair of NFC Championship Game losses and two Super Bowl defeats. And this preseason has been anything but ordinary for San Francisco, as offensive stars Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk hold out in search of new contracts.

But as the past shows, the 49ers are fantastic at overcoming adversity. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have made it to so many high-profile postseason games to begin with after experiencing such devastating losses. And, San Francisco made deep playoff runs in the seasons following contract disputes with star players Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, proving the team is all business once the regular season begins.

So yes, perhaps the Seahawks appear a bit more upbeat this preseason. But who knows — it all could be a very catfish-like ruse as Seattle seeks a return to the divisional mountaintop.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast