Manti Te’o’s Preseason Take on the 49ers is Suddenly Making More Sense in the Midseason

Manti Te’o witnessed an “emotionally drained” San Francisco 49ers just before the start of the season. Well, if they were drained back then, where would the Niners bunch be now? Struggling with injuries, they have lost five of the 10 games played so far. Forget Super Bowl contenders, the 49ers have hardly looked like winners. And, Te’o saw it coming.

San Francisco’s performance has been a far cry from last season when they lost just five games out of 17.

The 49ers came out the healthiest they have been this season against the Seattle Seahawks. Trent Williams and Nick Bosa were back from injuries to bolster the roster. Yet, they lost the home matchup.

After the game, a video of Te’o from August resurfaced in which he was giving an assessment of the Niners after their preseason games. What he had said back then, does make complete sense now.

In the clip, Manti recalled how despite dominance in the past, the 49ers never had that “look that you see when somebody truly believes they are better than you.” He said they used to be “these big bullies” in not just the NFC West but also the NFL. 

“I flipped on the TV and watched their past two preseason games when their starters played,” Te’o added. “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.”

Many who were critical of Te’o’s take back then, are owning up to the mistake now.

We owe Manti Te’o an apology.

He called the #49ers an “emotionally drained team,” in the preseason. While it felt like a reach, it’s correct.

Losing the Super Bowl for the 2nd time has broken this team and they need a fresh start in 2025.

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— Sterling Bennett (@49ers_Access) November 18, 2024

Manti’s assessment appeared to be a stretch in late August. The Niners, just like Manti had predicted, seem to have lost their sense of purpose after repeated failures now. However, the fans still have faith in their team.

Niners fans are hopeful for a comeback

With seven games still left in the season, Niners fans feel there is still plenty of time to find the winning momentum they have lost due to injuries.

“It has nothing to do with emotion everything to do with health. A healthy Bosa, Greenlaw, Aiyuk, and McCaffrey changes this team completely,” one fan wrote on X (formerly twitter).

However, Niners did have a relatively good squad against the Seahawks. Of course, George Kittle, Charvarius Ward, and Khalil Davis were still on the inactive list.

Currently, Brock Purdy’s 49ers are the bottom dwellers of the NFC West. They have a daunting path ahead to make the playoffs. Out of the seven games, three are tough — the 7-3 Green Bay Packers, 9-2 Buffalo Bills, and the 9-1 Detroit Lions are waiting for them in the coming weeks.