Earlier this month, Richard Sherman made the bold prediction that the San Francisco 49ers would win the NFC West and go on to beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 57. To some, that prediction may seem even bolder following the team's disappointing 19-10 Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears.
San Francisco will look to rebound at home this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. But is Sherman still as confident about his prediction after the 49ers' 0-1 start to the season?
"Yes, I am still confident in that prediction," Sherman told NBC Sports Bay Area. I still believe in Kyle Shanahan. I still believe in the talent on that team and the leadership that they have. And I think they will overcome. I think this will be a nice wakeup call, and this game [against Chicago] will be the game that really locked them in and woke them up for the rest of the season."
Trey Lance has been the topic of much debate this week. Sunday was the second-year quarterback's third career NFL start. He finished the game 13-of-28 for 164 passing yards, an interception, and a passer rating of 50.3. It was an underwhelming start to the 2022 season for the 22-year-old quarterback.
Sherman isn't worried about Lance, though. After all, the game conditions weren't ideal for a young developing quarterback.
"I think it was kind of an asterisk game with the conditions being what they were," Sherman said. "Anybody would have struggled in a monsoon rain. The receivers have a hard time grabbing the ball. Obviously, the Deebo [Samuel] fumble was huge. But it's the conditions that make it tougher on everybody in a football game.
"I think in normal conditions, in normal everyday conditions, I think the team will be fine. I think [Lance] will be fine, and I think he showed a lot of poise and a lot of positive things in that game."
The 49ers made Lance the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft. He attempted just 71 pass attempts during his rookie campaign, bringing his NFL career total to 99 when you add in Sunday's game. It remains a small sample size with which to judge.
"Obviously, he's a rookie—I mean, he's a second-year player, but it's the first year he's starting, been named the starter," Sherman shared. "I think you're always going to have things to clean up, and he did the best job he could under the conditions. And I think, Kyle Shanahan, I think he's happy with what he saw. Obviously, he wants to win, but both sides (offense and defense) got to play a lot better than that going forward."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Sherman below. It begins at about the 30:45 mark.