49ers Eye Rare Homecoming as Super Bowl Prep Takes Over Levi’s Stadium
SANTA CLARA - The white tents are going up. The scaffolding’s in place.
And the freshly laid green sod at Levi’s Stadium? That’s not just for show-it’s for the biggest game of the year.
Super Bowl LX is coming to Santa Clara on February 8, and the 49ers are doing everything they can to make sure they’re not just hosting the party-they’re playing in it.
It’s impossible for the team to ignore what’s happening around their facility. Construction crews are working overtime, security is tighter than ever, and the stadium is slowly transforming into the NFL’s crown jewel.
For some players, it’s a distraction. For others, it’s motivation.
“When I look at it, I’m thinking of it like, ‘They’re getting it ready for us,’” said defensive tackle Kalia Davis. “We’re fighting for a home game on the last game of the year, most definitely.”
That dream is still alive-but the path is anything but easy. As the No. 6 seed, the 49ers (13-5) don’t have the luxury of playing at home in the playoffs.
If they want to get back to Levi’s for the Super Bowl, they’ll need to win three straight games on the road. Step one?
Already complete.
San Francisco knocked off the defending champion and No. 3-seed Eagles in Philadelphia, 23-19, picking up their fifth straight road win in the process. It was a gritty, resilient performance-exactly the kind of playoff football that travels well.
“The closer you get to (the Super Bowl), the more the possibility becomes real,” said defensive end Sam Okuayinonu. “But we stay where our foot is and we have Seattle ahead of us now.”
And that’s where the focus shifts next: a Saturday showdown in Seattle against the top-seeded Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The winner punches a ticket to the NFC Championship Game on January 25, where they’ll face either the No. 5 Rams or No.
2 Bears.
Had things gone differently in the wild-card round-specifically, if the Bears had fallen to the No. 7 Packers-there was a slim chance the 49ers could’ve hosted the NFC title game.
But that door’s closed. Now, it’s all about surviving and advancing.
Only one team in NFL history has pulled off what San Francisco is chasing: the 2020 Buccaneers, who ran the table as a wild card and won the Super Bowl in their home stadium. That’s the blueprint. And the 49ers are trying to follow it.
But the home they’re dreaming of looks a little different these days. The usual locker room signage-reminders to stay humble, stay focused-has been taken down. Players noticed.
“I was like, ‘Why would they take them down now? I feel like we still need them,’” said right guard Dominick Puni. “So, yeah, it’s got to be for the Super Bowl.”
Even parking has changed. Players were issued special passes for their lot, though most security guards already know their cars by heart.
No one’s complaining about the extra checks, though. As Puni put it: “That’s the price you pay for the Super Bowl.”
He would know something about watching from the outside. Ten years ago, when Levi’s hosted Super Bowl 50, Puni was a high school sophomore in the St.
Louis suburbs. Back then, the 49ers were coming off a 5-11 season and in the middle of a coaching change.
This year? It’s a very different story.
San Francisco has already beaten every team still alive in the NFC playoff picture. But they’ve also dropped home rematches to both the Rams and Seahawks, a reminder that nothing comes easy in January.
Now comes another road test-San Francisco’s seventh in its last 12 games. They’ve been road warriors all season, going 8-2 away from home.
Their only stumbles came in Tampa Bay (30-19) and Houston (26-15), but otherwise, they’ve outscored opponents 275-214 in hostile territory. It all started with a 17-13 win in Seattle to open the season.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks knows what’s coming this weekend: noise, pressure, and a crowd that wants to see the 49ers stumble. He’s ready.
“I don’t want to talk too much about last week, but I can vouch for the fact the atmosphere is going to be just as electric going up to Seattle,” Kendricks said. “That’s what makes football fun.
We’re on the road, in a hostile environment. People want to see us fail.
“But it’s about bringing your pads on the road, like Fred (Warner) told me today,” he added. “So bring your pads on the road and be ready to hit somebody.”
Two more wins, and those pads might be waiting for them at home-right where the Lombardi Trophy will be handed out. That trophy case in the Levi’s Stadium lobby hasn’t changed in 31 years. The 49ers are trying to fix that.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings summed it up with a smile as he walked past the construction crews outside the stadium.
“Honestly, I look at it like, dang, it’s cool the (49ers’) owner is able to do this,” Jennings said. “He’s got general contractors out here getting it in.
That’s cool. That’s how I look at it ’cause, they’re at work and I’m heading into work.”
For the 49ers, the work’s far from done. But if they can keep grinding, keep winning, and keep believing, they just might get the chance to clock in at home one last time-with everything on the line.