:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65026971/1167669901.jpg.0.jpg)
We’re just over three weeks away from the start of the 2019 NFL regular season, and after a season that ended with plenty of disappointment, fans of the San Francisco 49ers are slowly but surely feeling more confident in their team again.
Why wouldn’t we be? The media seems to be all in. If you really want to get crazy, there are even Super Bowl predictions out there with bizarre twists.
We’re kicking off the second season of our SB Nation FanPulse surveys, and to get things started, we’re taking a look, as we usually do, about how confident fans of the 49ers are in the direction of the team. If you’ll notice, there has been a pretty steady climb upwards after some pre-draft doubt.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18992868/SF_Pre_Season_W1.jpg)
Despite a tough ending to the season, Niner fans were still 81% confident with the direction of the team. Most of the teams that had losing records were below 35%, so Koolaid is always tasty in the Bay Area. It climbed to 95% after free agency but fell to 84% before the draft. It rose two percent after the draft to 86%, and now that 23-0 is in full effect, we are sitting at 90% baby!
Only ten teams among the SB Nation blogs are more confident than us after the first week of the preseason. The Cleveland Browns have the third-highest level of confidence. Their offseason hype blows the Niners out of the water. If you’re wondering, eight teams are below 70%. Washington was the lowest with 35%.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18992893/Screen_Shot_2019_08_15_at_12.05.43_PM.jpg)
The second part of the FabPulse poll asked which team readers thought was the least likely to repeat as division champions from the previous year. I voted for the Texans because I believe the Colts are a lock. The Ravens and the Cowboys ran away with the poll.
We’re going to be tracking all of the FanPulse results throughout the year for all the teams at SB Nation’s shiny new NFL FanPulse Hub.
If you would like to be a part of our FanPulse surveys going forward, you can hit this link here and get yourself signed up! Just make sure you select the Vikings as your favorite team so that you get the correct surveys.