Few are picking the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West in 2026. After all, the Los Angeles Rams enter the season as Super Bowl favorites, while the Seattle Seahawks are the defending NFC West champions.

Still, one NFL Network analyst believes the 49ers boast the division's most dangerous offense, led by quarterback Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan's play-calling.


"This offense, it's the most dangerous in that division, in my opinion," former NFL linebacker Manti Te?o said on NFL Network.


Te?o acknowledged that the Rams offense deserves the respect it receives, praising the playmakers Los Angeles has assembled. However, he believes opposing defenses have coverage options that can help limit the Rams' explosiveness.

The 49ers present a different challenge. According to Te?o, defenses can't effectively account for both Shanahan's rushing attack and passing game.

"When I'm a defense going against the San Francisco 49ers, I can only put my defenses in two categories: one-high or two-high," Te?o said. "One-high is good against the run, two-high is good against the pass. I don't have one that's good against both. So I have to pick my poison here.

"Now, when I am looking at [RB] Christian McCaffrey, I'm going to stack the box. But then what are you going to do with [WR] Mike Evans? You can't stack the box and have a safety over Mike Evans all the time. So for Mike Evans, this will probably be the best situation he's been in. For Christian McCaffrey, this could be possibly the best situation he's been in because now defenses, you have to pick your poison."


Evans, who joined the 49ers in free agency after spending 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, headlines a revamped wide receiver group with the potential to be even more explosive in 2026. Meanwhile, San Francisco finished fifth in the NFL in passing yards last season, underscoring the potential of Purdy and Shanahan's offense.

With Evans joining established stars like McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, Shanahan and Purdy have every reason to be excited about the possibilities.

"I love what they got over there in L.A.," Te?o continued. "I love what they have and their ability to put a lot of points up on the board. But if I'm a defense, I'm staying up late at night trying to figure out how do I stop Christian McCaffrey, knowing that I have to guard somebody like Mike Evans out there at wide receiver—not to mention you've got George Kittle and all of those guys.

"So I think they are the most dangerous offense in that division."

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