49ers News: Jerry Rice Says SF Could Play in Super Bowl LIV 'Without a Doubt'

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t won a Super Bowl since Jerry Rice was on the roster, but the Hall of Fame wide receiver believes that can change this season.

"Yes, without a doubt," Rice said Monday during an interview with 95.7 The Game when he was asked if this year’s 49ers can make the Super Bowl (h/t Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports). "But they have to continue to focus on their craft, get better on offense and also defense and come together tight as a team.

"If they do that and they don't have any severe injuries or anything like that, I think they have a legitimate chance."

Few people in NFL history are as familiar with what it takes to reach a Super Bowl.

Rice won three Lombardi Trophies during his time with the 49ers from 1985 through 2000 and then played in another Super Bowl as a member of the Oakland Raiders. That he thinks this year's 49ers are capable of reaching that level is a welcome development for fans.

While San Francisco hasn't made the playoffs since 2013, it appears well on its way to changing that. It is the only undefeated team in the NFC at 5-0, and its defense is playing like one of the best groups in the league after allowing three points to the Cleveland Browns and seven points to the Los Angeles Rams in the last two games.

What's more, the 49ers can position themselves for a favorable seed in the playoffs considering they play 1-5 Washington and the 2-3-1 Arizona Cardinals in three of their next five games. 

Still, emerging from the deep NFC is a daunting proposition. Just the NFC West alone features the 5-1 Seattle Seahawks and a Rams team that still has much of the same personnel from last season's Super Bowl appearance.

The 49ers could run into top quarterbacks such as Seattle's Russell Wilson, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, New Orleans' Drew Brees or Philadelphia's Carson Wentz in the playoffs, and stout defenses in Chicago and Minnesota could also stand in the way.

Rice likes what he sees so far, though, and the 49ers are primed for their best run in years.