Touchdown Wire's Stacey Mickles thinks the San Francisco 49ers are sleepers to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2026, a take that honestly just makes you scratch your head if you watched our Seahawks tear them apart at Lumen Field just last season. Seriously, how do you even call yourself a "sleeper" after getting smacked by the eventual Super Bowl champions like that?
Still Reeling From the Emerald City
Let's just rewind to 2025 for a minute, shall we? The Niners finished the regular season with a 12-5 record, which snagged them third place in the division and a wild-card spot. They even managed to beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in their wild-card round, despite key injuries to guys like Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle. Good for them, right? Except, that's where the feel-good story ends, because one week later, they rolled into our house, Lumen Field, and we absolutely embarrassed them in a 41-6 rout. Forty-one to freakin' six! And guess what? We went on to win the whole damn thing. So yeah, "sleeper" talk? After *that*? Come on.Three Decades of Near Misses and Still No Ring
It's not just the memory of that playoff shellacking that makes this "sleeper" tag questionable. The 49ers have been busy in the offseason, losing Bryce Huff, Dee Winters, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, Kalia Davis, Jason Pinnock, Jordan Elliott, Spencer Burford, and others. Sure, they brought in Mike Evans, Osa Odighizuwa, Christian Kirk, Jack Jones, and Ashtyn Davis, along with some other veterans, so the roster might be better on paper. But even the folks calling them sleepers admit there are two big reasons for the label. First, their history. They've won five Super Bowls, but the last one was 30 years ago in 1994. Since then, they've made the playoffs in 14 of 30 seasons, hit the conference championship eight times, and the Super Bowl three times. But that sixth Lombardi Trophy? Still a ghost.The NFC West Belongs to the Champs, Period.
The second reason for the "sleeper" tag is the division itself. Our Seattle Seahawks just won the Super Bowl! We might have lost some pieces, but we still have a great core and a coach who knows how to get it done. Then you've got the Los Angeles Rams, who finished second in the division last year before *also* losing to Seattle. They went out and added Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. You put those three veterans with a team led by "arguably the best coach in the league and last year's MVP," and it's not hard to see why the Rams are already being called favorites. So, yeah, maybe "sleeper" is fair for the 49ers, but not because they are some hidden powerhouse. It's because they are stuck in a meat grinder of a division, ruled by the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. The Emerald City is ready to defend its crown. Let's see if the Niners are ready for another taste.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.