49ers Legend Jerry Rice Weighs in on Team's Chances of Winning Super Bowl (Exclusive)
We spoke to Jerry Rice about his former team.
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL as they have a 5-2 record through seven games this season. But can the 49ers win their first Super Bowl since 1994? PopCulture.com spoke to 49ers legend and three-time Super Bowl Champion Jerry Rice, who shared his thoughts on the team that has reached the NFC Championship game the last two seasons.
"I think what they need to do is know that, hey, look, from the second they stepped into training camp, we are going to win the Super Bowl," Rice told PopCulture before the start of the season. "You start talking about that right at that time. And I think you look at Brock [Purdy], Brock is going to be back. He's going to be ready to go. Sam Darnold is the backup quarterback. I think they just got some good news that [Nick] Bosa is going to be ready to go the first game so that defense is intact. There's no excuses this year. And I feel like we have all the pieces of the puzzle on both sides and we should win the whole thing."
The 49ers have lost the last two games after winning the first five. Purdy, who was the final pick in last year's NFL draft, has shown he can play in the league, completing 68 percent of his passes for 1,668 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Running back Christian McCaffrey has had an MVP-type season, registering 826 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns.
The 49ers also have a strong wide receiver duo in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Rice, arguably the best wide receiver in NFL history, has high expectations for Aiyuk, who leads the team with 511 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 30 receptions.
"I think Brandon Aiyuk is going to have an outstanding season because the focus is going to be on Deebo and probably George Kittle," Rice said. "So I feel he's one of the best route runners so everything is going to be open for him one-on-one. So he's going to have to make plays to open up Kittle and also Deebo Samuel, but that's intact. The running game is intact. We got the leader healthy again with Brock Purdy. So it's time to go, man. It's just time to get out there and just play football and let the world know that, hey look, you guys going to have to deal with us this year and you better be ready for us."