Not many people had the San Francisco 49ers sitting in last place in the NFC West in the division this late in the year on their bingo cards but that's the reality we're facing right now. The 49ers fell to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11, dropping them to 5-5 on the year and putting them alone in the NFC West basement with six games to go.
This time last year, the Niners were fighting for the number one overall seed in the NFC playoffs. Right now, they're not even in the playoff picture and have a 30% chance of making it to the postseason according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
At least one person had the 49ers disappointing this year on their bingo card and that was former NFL linebacker Manti Te'o. During the preseason, Te'o commented on Good Morning Football that while watching two of the 49ers' preseason games, he noticed the team didn't look focused.
"I flipped on the TV and watched their past two preseason games where their starters played. And I just see an emotionally, drained team. They've been to the NFC Championship four in the past five years. They've been to the Super Bowl twice and they lost that Super Bowl to the same team."
Te'o went on to explain that it reminded him of when he was with the Saints and they had to get past the Minneapolis Miracle in 2017 and the no-call in 2018 and it was hard to continue playing through the next year. Te'o's comments didn't sit well with Niners fans at the time (which isn't shocking) but the comments have resurfaced after Sterling Bennett reposted them on X and said that Te'o deserves an apology from the Niners faithful after it looks like he might have been right.
Manti Te'o's past comments about 49ers looking drained have resurfaced after 5-5 start
Now, of course, it's not surprising that Niners fans would have rolled their eyes when Te'o first made these comments. After all, he was talking about a team not looking focused in the preseason and that isn't uncommon at all. Preseason games don't count so someone judging a team off of exhibition games might seem silly.
That being said, it appears as though Te'o might have been onto something. Sure, the Niners have had their fair share of injuries this year but even with Christian McCaffrey now back in the mix, the team still feels off. They're in last place in the division and the playoffs are not a certainty like they have been the past three years.
Maybe the 49ers still turn things around and get into the postseason but for now, it really does look like Manti Te'o might have had the right idea about who the 2024 San Francisco 49ers were going to be.